There are 7 licensed commercial light water pressurized reactors (PWRs) in South Carolina. The Oconee plant has the most nuclear capacity of any of the State's plants, with three light water reactors rated at 846 Megawatts (electric) each. The largest reactors, however, are the pair of PWRs at the Catawba plant, rated at 1,129 MW(e) each. The other two nuclear plants are single-unit operations.

Permanently Shutdown Commercial Reactors: According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the CVTR in Parr, South Carolina, was shut down on January 1, 1967.

Nuclear-Related Facilities: On August 13, 1986, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a license to the H.B. Robinson Nuclear Station for a dry spent fuel storage facility. The vendor was identified as Transnuclear, Incorporated. Transnuclear, Inc., is also the vendor for the on-site storage at the Oconee nuclear plant. In 1950, the Atomic Energy Commission (predecessor of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) authorized the design and construction of the Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina. The facility's main role in the 1950's involved producing materials used in the fabrication of nuclear weapons. With the end of the Cold War, the Savannah River Site's role changed significantly. The Savannah River Site Office is responsible for the Defense Program missions at this site. By 2007, a new Tritium Extraction Facility is scheduled to be operational at Savannah River. It will be used to process targets irradiated in a Tennessee Valley Authority reactor, producing the first new tritium in this country since 1988. The SRSO also manages the project that will convert approximately 34 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium to mixed oxide fuel (MOX). The MOX fuel can be safely used in commercial nuclear powerplants for the production of electricity. The facility plays a major role in supporting the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Nuclear Power Generation in South Carolina, 1975 through 2005 Million kilowatthours

Sources: Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-906, Power Plant Report, and predecessor forms.

Nuclear Generation

Electricity generation by nuclear power plants is available for each reactor and each State for the following years:

• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005

Contribution of Nuclear Power

In 2008, the State of South Carolina ranked 3rd in nuclear capacity and 3rd in nuclear generation. Monthly and cumulative nuclear generation and annual nuclear capacity for each State and each reactor is reported in a table elsewhere on this site.

In 2007, nuclear power accounted for slightly over half of the electricity generated by the State. The percentage of electricity generated by coal, gas, nuclear, and hydropower for each state with at least one commercial reactor is reported in the Electricity Market table.

South Carolina Nuclear Highlights

• South Carolina's nuclear industry opened the new century with a new State record for nuclear output: more than 53 billion kilowatt hours. It is the current record.
• Santee Cooper corporation and South Carolina Electric and Gas announced that they intend to apply in 2007 for a combined license for an AP1000 reactor (possibly two reactors) at the V.I. Summer plant. The targeted completion date for construction will be in 2015.
• Duke energy company announced plans to seek a combined license and it in 2007 for one or two AP1000 reactors to be built in either North or South Carolina. The targeted completion date may be as early as 2014.

License Renewal

On May 23, 2000, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved the license renewal application for the Oconee plant, thereby extending the license termination date an additional 20 years for each of Oconee's trio of reactors. On April 19, 2004, the license renewal application for the only operable unit at the H.B. Robinson plant was also approved and extended for 20 years. No other license renewal applications for South Carolina nuclear plants are currently pending.

Low-Level Waste Disposal

Low-level radioactive waste includes sundry items that have either become contaminated with radioactive material or have become radioactive through exposure to neutron radiation. This broad category includes such items as tools, cloths, medical tubes, mops and rags: in short, just about anything man made and some materials that are not.

According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), "the danger of exposure to radiation in low-level radioactive waste varies widely according to the types and concentrated radioactive material contained in the waste." Although some types of radioactive waste are not particularly hazardous unless consumed, mere exposure to some types (for example, low-level waste produced when processing water at a reactor) could lead to death or an increased risk for cancer.

Storage of low-level radioactive waste (llw) requires a license from the NRC or Agreement State, such as South Carolina.^[1] NRC and state regulations establish the requirements for locating, designing, and operating disposal sites, including the build up of zones surrounding and underlying the waste to permit monitoring and corrective actions.

Various states have banded together to form compacts for handling llw. The Atlantic Compact includes Connecticut, New Jersey, and South Carolina. Neighboring North Carolina, although ranking fourth in nuclear capacity, is unaffiliated with any of the llw compacts.

South Carolina has an especially significant role in llw disposal. Chem-Nuclear Systems Barnwell Waste Management Facility State in Barnwell, South Carolina, is one of only two facilities in the country that accept a broad range of waste in this category. The other such operation is in Richland, Washington. (In addition, Envirocare of Utah, disposes of uranium and mill tailings only in that State). Since Barnwell began operations in 1971, more than 28 million cubic feet of llw has been accommodated at the site.

According to Chem-Nuclear, much of this waste looks like ordinary trash: contaminated wood, concrete, glass, and other materials. Barnwell does not accept either toxic chemical or liquid waste. The solid waste is sealed in containers prior to transportation to the site. At the site, the containers are buried in a trench. The trenches are protected by a drainage collection system.

Within 100 years, according to one estimate, 90 percent of the radioactivity at the site will have decayed to insignificant amounts. This is a very fast decline when compared with high-level waste. The lifespan of high-level waste is estimated to be thousands of years.

In addition to its Federal license from the NRC, the Barnwell site is licensed by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). According to DHEC, "two major improvements in recent years have greatly enhanced environmental protection at the Barnwell Low Level Radioactive Waste site. The first is the use of engineered concrete vaults to contain all waste...The second major improvement is the construction of enhanced caps that are placed over the completed trenches... These multilayered caps are designed to virtually eliminate water infiltration..."^[2]

More information on waste disposal, including a map of the States currently involved or those that have filed letters of intent, is available on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov . A particularly helpful resource on the NRC web site is entitled, NRC: Radioactive Waste: Production, Storage, Disposal (NUREG/BR-0216, Rev. 2).

Air Quality in South Carolina

Total greenhouse emissions for the electric power industry of each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia, are reported for the most current data year.

Of the 50 States plus the District of Columbia, the electric industry of the State of South Carolina ranked 25th highest in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in 2007. The State's electric industry ranked 18th highest in sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions and 32nd highest in nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions.

South Carolina Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1989-2004 (CO2)*

*Carbon Dioxide

South Carolina Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1989-2004 (SO2)*

*Sulfur Dioxide

South Carolina Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1989-2004 (NOX)*

*Nitrogen Oxide

More Information on the South Carolina Nuclear Industry

Research and Testing Reactors

No research or testing reactors, either operational or retired, are located in South Carolina.

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[1]The Quality of the Environment in South Carolina, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, 1999, page. 9 through 11.
2]An 'Agreement State' is any State of the United States to which the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted authority to perform functions normally handled by the NRC, thus enabling both Federal and State agencies to maximize resources and adapt to local conditions.

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