Plant Operation

US / Nuclear Fleet Maintaining High Capacity Factors, Says ANS

By David Dalton
3 June 2021

Nuclear Fleet Maintaining High Capacity Factors, Says ANS
The Indian Point nuclear power station, which has been permanently shut down. Photo courtesy Entergy.
The US nuclear fleet of 94 commercial nuclear reactors produced 789.9 TWh of electricity in 2020 – more than 122 reactors produced in 1990, according to data from the Energy Information Administration.

The fleet has maintained a 90% median capacity factor for 20 years and expectations for advanced nuclear predict future capacity factors of nearly 95%.

The American Nuclear Society, which has tracked and analysed the capacity factors of US commercial reactors since the early 1980s, said the fleet has maintained a median capacity factor near 90% for 20 years.

ANS said more than half of the fleet – 52 units – had capacity factors in 2018-2020 that were better than those posted in 2015-2017.

At the top of that list with a capacity factor that improved by more than 15%, was Prairie Island-2. Indian Point-3, which was permanently shut down in April, was second. Coming in third was Comanche Peak-2, one of the nuclear reactors that helped Texans weather a historic winter storm in February 2021.

Indian Point-2 and -3 generated a combined total of more than 564.5 TWh, and in recent years produced 12% of New York State’s electricity. “Indian Point’s closure after years of strong performance is a reminder that reliability alone will take a plant only so far,” ANS said. “It takes corporate or political will, and sometimes both, to ensure resilience.”

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