Crystal River 3 Nuclear Generating Station
Encyclopedia
The Crystal River 3 Nuclear Power Plant, also simply called the Crystal River Nuclear Plant, is a nuclear power plant
located in Crystal River, Florida
. The power plant is the third plant built (hence its name) as part of the 4,700 acre (19 km²) Crystal River Energy Complex
which contains a single pressurized water reactor
, while sharing the site with four fossil fuel power plant
s. The reactor is rated to produce 914 megawatts of electric power. It is a Babcock & Wilcox pressurized water reactor
.
Crystal River was originally owned by Florida Progress Corporation (and operated by its subsidiary, Florida Power Corporation) but, in 2000, it was bought by Carolina Power & Light to form the new company, Progress Energy
, which currently operates the plant.
Progress Energy owned 91.8% of the plant; the remainder is owned by nine municipal utilities. On January 11, 2011, Duke Energy
announced a $13.7 billion acquisition of Progress Energy pending regulator approval; after the merger, Crystal River 3 will become part of the largest utility in the United States.
In September 2009 the plant was temporarily shut down to replace aging steam generators. During the upgrade, workers discovered a gap
in the concrete containment dome
. The NRC
investigated and found that the gap was caused by workers applying more pressure to the concrete than it could handle while cutting a hole through which to replace the steam generators. The building did not have a door large enough to get the generators through.
defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16.1 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80.5 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16.1 km) of Crystal River was 20,695, an increase of 50.9 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80.5 km) was 1,046,741, an increase of 32.4 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Ocala, (38 miles to city center) and Spring Hill (34 miles to city center).
occurred 300 miles southwest of the nuclear plant, no damage occurred to the Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant from the rare quake. The odds of such a quake happening again in the near-term around Florida are low.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Crystal River was 1 in 45,455, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.
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...
located in Crystal River, Florida
Crystal River, Florida
Crystal River is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,485 at the 2000 census. . According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 3,539. The city was incorporated in 1903 and is the self professed "Home of the Manatee"....
. The power plant is the third plant built (hence its name) as part of the 4,700 acre (19 km²) Crystal River Energy Complex
Crystal River Energy Complex
The Crystal River Energy Complex consists of five power-generating plants on a 4,700 acre site at , near the mouth of the Crystal River in Citrus County, Florida. Crystal River 1 and 2 are fossil fuel power plants, Crystal River 3 is the sole nuclear power plant on the site, while Crystal River 4...
which contains a single pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
, while sharing the site with four fossil fuel power plant
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
s. The reactor is rated to produce 914 megawatts of electric power. It is a Babcock & Wilcox pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
.
Crystal River was originally owned by Florida Progress Corporation (and operated by its subsidiary, Florida Power Corporation) but, in 2000, it was bought by Carolina Power & Light to form the new company, Progress Energy
Progress Energy Inc
Progress Energy , headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve approximately 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and...
, which currently operates the plant.
Progress Energy owned 91.8% of the plant; the remainder is owned by nine municipal utilities. On January 11, 2011, Duke Energy
Duke Energy
Duke Energy , headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.-Overview:...
announced a $13.7 billion acquisition of Progress Energy pending regulator approval; after the merger, Crystal River 3 will become part of the largest utility in the United States.
In September 2009 the plant was temporarily shut down to replace aging steam generators. During the upgrade, workers discovered a gap
Delamination
Delamination is a mode of failure for composite materials. Modes of failure are also known as 'failure mechanisms'. In laminated materials, repeated cyclic stresses, impact, and so on can cause layers to separate, forming a mica-like structure of separate layers, with significant loss of mechanical...
in the concrete containment dome
Containment building
A containment building, in its most common usage, is a steel or reinforced concrete structure enclosing a nuclear reactor. It is designed, in any emergency, to contain the escape of radiation to a maximum pressure in the range of 60 to 200 psi...
. The NRC
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
investigated and found that the gap was caused by workers applying more pressure to the concrete than it could handle while cutting a hole through which to replace the steam generators. The building did not have a door large enough to get the generators through.
Surrounding population
The Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16.1 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80.5 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16.1 km) of Crystal River was 20,695, an increase of 50.9 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80.5 km) was 1,046,741, an increase of 32.4 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Ocala, (38 miles to city center) and Spring Hill (34 miles to city center).
Seismic risk
In September 10th, 2006 a magnitude 5.8 earthquake2006 Gulf of Mexico earthquake
The 2006 Gulf of Mexico earthquake was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the Gulf of Mexico on September 10, 2006, about 250 miles west-southwest of Anna Maria, Florida around 10:56 AM EDT....
occurred 300 miles southwest of the nuclear plant, no damage occurred to the Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant from the rare quake. The odds of such a quake happening again in the near-term around Florida are low.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Crystal River was 1 in 45,455, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.