Big Rock Point
Encyclopedia
Big Rock Point was a nuclear power plant
near Charlevoix, Michigan
. Big Rock operated from 1962 to 1997. It was owned and operated by Consumers Power, now known as Consumers Energy
. Its boiling water reactor
was made by General Electric
(GE) and was capable of producing 67 megawatts of electricity. Bechtel Corporation was the primary contractor.
Ground was broken on July 20, 1960. Construction was completed in 29 months at a cost of $27.7
million. Its license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
was issued on August 29, 1962. The reactor first went critical on September 27 and the first electricity was generated on December 8, 1962.
A promotional video for the plant featured then GE spokesman Ronald Reagan
.
The reactor was scrammed for the last time on at 10:33 a.m. EDT on August 29, 1997, 35 years to the day after its license had been issued. The last fuel was removed from the core on September 20. Decontamination was completed in 1999.
Because of its contributions to the nuclear and medical industries, the American Nuclear Society named Big Rock Point a Nuclear Historic Landmark.
The 235000 pounds (106,594.2 kg) reactor vessel was removed on August 25, 2003 and shipped to Barnwell, South Carolina
on October 7, 2003.
All of Big Rock Point's 500 acres (202.3 ha), including the 130 feet (39.6 m) tall spherical containment structure, has been torn down. Other than eight spent fuel casks
, there are no signs that the site was home to a nuclear power plant.
Decommissioning costs totaled $390,000,000.
shoreline, for a possible state park. http://www.hollandsentinel.com/stories/071306/local_20060713006.shtml.
As part of the sale of Consumer's Palisades Nuclear Plant
, the new owner Entergy
accepted the responsibility for a basketball court size piece of property at Big Rock containing that plant's eight casks of spent fuel. http://www.entergy.com/news_room/newsrelease.aspx?NR_ID=853.
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
near Charlevoix, Michigan
Charlevoix, Michigan
Charlevoix is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,994. It is the county seat of Charlevoix County....
. Big Rock operated from 1962 to 1997. It was owned and operated by Consumers Power, now known as Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy is a public utility that provides natural gas and electricity to more than 6 million of Michigan's 10 million residents. It serves customers in all 68 of the state’s Lower Peninsula counties. It is a division of CMS Energy. Its headquarters is in Jackson.-History:The company was...
. Its boiling water reactor
Boiling water reactor
The boiling water reactor is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor , also a type of light water nuclear reactor...
was made by General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(GE) and was capable of producing 67 megawatts of electricity. Bechtel Corporation was the primary contractor.
History
Big Rock was Michigan's first nuclear power plant and the nation's fifth. It also produced Cobalt 60 for the medical industry from 1971 to 1982.Ground was broken on July 20, 1960. Construction was completed in 29 months at a cost of $27.7
million. Its license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
was issued on August 29, 1962. The reactor first went critical on September 27 and the first electricity was generated on December 8, 1962.
A promotional video for the plant featured then GE spokesman Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Facts and figures
- Reactor vessel dimensions: 30 feet (9.1 m) tall x 9 feet (2.7 m) in diameter
- Thickness of rector vessel walls: 5½ inches
- A single 10-ton load of uranium nuclear fuel in Big Rock's reactor could generate the same amount of electricity as 260,000 tons of coal.
Closure and decommissioning
Consumers Energy had previously announced that Big Rock Point's operating license would not be renewed when it expired on May 31, 2000. However, economics proved in January 1997 that it was not feasible to keep Big Rock Point running to the license's expiration date.The reactor was scrammed for the last time on at 10:33 a.m. EDT on August 29, 1997, 35 years to the day after its license had been issued. The last fuel was removed from the core on September 20. Decontamination was completed in 1999.
Because of its contributions to the nuclear and medical industries, the American Nuclear Society named Big Rock Point a Nuclear Historic Landmark.
The 235000 pounds (106,594.2 kg) reactor vessel was removed on August 25, 2003 and shipped to Barnwell, South Carolina
Barnwell, South Carolina
Barnwell is a city in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States, located along U.S. Route 278. The population was 5,035 at the 2000 census...
on October 7, 2003.
All of Big Rock Point's 500 acres (202.3 ha), including the 130 feet (39.6 m) tall spherical containment structure, has been torn down. Other than eight spent fuel casks
Dry cask storage
Dry cask storage is a method of storing high-level radioactive waste, such as spent nuclear fuel that has already been cooled in the spent fuel pool for at least one year.. These casks are typically steel cylinders that are either welded or bolted closed. When inside, the fuel rods are surrounded...
, there are no signs that the site was home to a nuclear power plant.
Decommissioning costs totaled $390,000,000.
Reuse of property
In July 2006, the state of Michigan announced it was considering buying the site, which features a mile of Lake MichiganLake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
shoreline, for a possible state park. http://www.hollandsentinel.com/stories/071306/local_20060713006.shtml.
As part of the sale of Consumer's Palisades Nuclear Plant
Palisades Nuclear Generating Station
The Palisades Power Plant is a nuclear power plant located on Lake Michigan, in Van Buren County's Covert Township, Michigan, on a site of 432 acres 5 miles south of South Haven, Michigan, USA.Palisades is owned and operated by Entergy...
, the new owner Entergy
Entergy
Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. It is headquartered in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:...
accepted the responsibility for a basketball court size piece of property at Big Rock containing that plant's eight casks of spent fuel. http://www.entergy.com/news_room/newsrelease.aspx?NR_ID=853.
External links
- Big Rock Point Restoration Project on Consumer's Energy website