FACTOID # 78: 22% of New Zealanders have used cannabis.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station
NRC Region Four
(West)
Arizona
 Palo Verde
Arkansas
 Arkansas 1
California
 Diablo Canyon
 San Onofre
Kansas
 Wolf Creek
Louisiana
 River Bend
 Waterford
Mississippi
 Grand Gulf
Missouri
 Callaway
Nebraska
 Cooper
 Fort Calhoun
Texas
 Comanche Peak
 South Texas
Washington
 Columbia
This box: view  talk  edit

The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, a nuclear power plant located in Wintersburg, Arizona, about 45 miles (80 km) west of central Phoenix, is currently the largest nuclear generation facility in the United States, producing over 30,000 gigawatt hours of electricity annually to serve approximately 4 million people. Arizona Public Service holds the majority ownership of the station and operates the facility. Other owners include Salt River Project, El Paso Electric Co., PNM Resources, Southern California Edison, Public Service Co. of New Mexico, Southern California Public Power Authority, and the Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power. NRC headquarters in Rockville, MD. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (or NRC) is a United States government agency that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act in 1974, and was first opened January 19, 1975. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Largest metro area Little Rock Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,002 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO) is a two unit pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant located in Russellville, Arkansas. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) is a nuclear power plant located on the Pacific coast in San Onofre, California. ... Official language(s) English[2] Capital Topeka Largest city Wichita Area  Ranked 15th  - Total 82,277 sq mi (213,096 km²)  - Width 211 miles (340 km)  - Length 417 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station, a nuclear power plant located in Burlington, Kansas, occupies 9,818 acres (40 km²) of the total 11,800 acres (48 km²) controlled by the owner. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... River Bend nuclear power station is a General Electric boiling water reactor on a 3,300 acre (13 km²) site in St. ... The Waterford Steam Electric Station, Unit 3, also known as Waterford 3, is a nuclear power plant located on a 3,000-acre (12-km²) up-river from Hahnville, Louisiana, in St. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Grand Gulf nuclear power station is a General Electric boiling water reactor. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St Louis[1] Area  Ranked 21st  - Total 69,709 sq mi (180,693 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 300 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... This nuclear power plant is located on a 5,228 acre (21 km²) site in Callaway County, Missouri, near Fulton, Missouri. ... Official language(s) English Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Largest metro area Omaha Area  Ranked 16th  - Total 77,421 sq mi (200,520 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 0. ... Nebraska Public Power Districts Cooper Nuclear Station in Brownville, Nebraska Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) is a boiling water reactor (BWR) type nuclear power plant located on a 1,251 acre (5. ... The Fort Calhoun Station is a nuclear power plant located on 660 acres (2. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... The Comanche Peak nuclear power plant is located in Somervell County, Texas. ... The South Texas Nuclear Generating Station, also known as the South Texas Project (STP), is a nuclear power station located in Bay City, Texas, United States The STP occupies a 12,200 acre (49 km²) site on the Colorado River located about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Houston. ... For the capital city of the United States, see Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation). ... A nuclear power station. ... Wintersburg is a small unincorporated community in Maricopa County, Arizona, located about 50 miles west of Phoenix, and 15 miles west of Buckeye along Interstate 10. ... Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country State County Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... An electric utility subsidiary of the public company Pinnacle West. ... The Salt River Project or SRP is a collective name used to refer to two separate entities: the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, a political subdivision of the state of Arizona, and the Salt River Valley Water Users Association, a private company that serves as an electrical... Southern California Edison, the largest subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE: EIX), is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. ... Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving 3. ...

Contents

Description

The facility is on 4,000 acres (16 km²) of land and consists of three Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactors, each with an original capacity of 1,270 megawatts electrical. The plant is a major source of power for Phoenix and Southern California, capable of serving about 4 million people. The plant provides about 35% of the electricity generated in Arizona each year. The plant was fully operational by 1988, taking twelve years to build and costing $5.9 billion, eventually employing about 2,500 people. The plant employs 2,055 full-time on-site workers. Combustion Engineering was a leading firm in the development of power systems in the United States in the late 20th century. ... Pressurized water reactors (PWRs) (also VVER if of Russian design) are generation II nuclear power reactors that use ordinary water under high pressure as coolant and neutron moderator. ...


It supplies electricity at 1.33 cents per kilowatt-hour. By comparison, the three-year average production cost was 2.53 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity generators in the region.


Due to its location in the Arizona desert, Palo Verde is the only nuclear generating facility in the world that is not located adjacent to a large body of water. Instead, it uses treated sewage from several nearby municipalities to meet its cooling water needs, recycling 20 billion US gallons (76,000,000 m³) of wastewater each year. At the nuclear plant site, the wastewater is further treated and stored in an 80 acre (324,000 m²) reservoir for use in the plant's cooling towers.


The nuclear steam supply for each unit was designed and supplied by Combustion Engineering, designated the System 80 standard design - a predecessor of the newer standard System 80+ design. Each primary system originally supplied 3817 MW of thermal power to the secondary (steam) side of each plant. The design is a so-called 2 x 4, with each of four main reactor coolant pumps circulating more than 111,000 gallons per minute of primary-side water through 2 large steam generators.


The main turbine generators were supplied by General Electric and when installed were the largest in the world, capable of generating 1447 MW of electricity each.


Bechtel Power Corporation was the Architect/Engineer/Constructor for the facility initially under the direction of the Arizona Nuclear Power Project (a joint APS/SRP endeavor), later managed exclusively by Arizona Public Service. Edwin E. Van Brunt was the key APS executive in charge of engineering, construction, and early operations of the plant. William E. Bingham was the Bechtel Chief Engineer for the project.


Unlike most multi-unit nuclear power plants, each unit at Palo Verde is an independent power plant, sharing only a few minor systems. The reactor containment buildings are some of the largest in the world at about 2.6 million cubic feet enclosed. The design incorporates many features to enhance safety by addressing issues identified earlier in the operation of commercial nuclear reactors. The design is also one of the most spacious internally, providing exceptional room for the conduct of operations and maintenance by the operating staff.


The Palo Verde 500 kV switchyard is a key point in the western states power grid, and is used as a reference point in the pricing of electricity across the southwest United States. Many 500 kV power lines from companies like Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric send power generated at the plant to Los Angeles and San Diego via Path 46, respectively. Power line redirects here. ... Southern California Edison, the largest subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE: EIX), is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. ... San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is the utility that provides natural gas and electricity to San Diego County and southern Orange County in southern California. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... “San Diego” redirects here. ... Path 46, also called West of Colorado River, Arizona-California West-of-the-River Path (WOR), is a set of many high voltage electrical power tranmission lines that are located in southeast California and Nevada up to the Colorado River. ...


The site was granted a construction permit for two additional units in the late 1970's, however these units were cancelled in the mid-1980s for economical risk reasons. Contrary to popular belief, the two additional units would not have been on the same arc as the three existing units - they would have been arranged south of Unit 3 on a north-south axis. As originally conceived they would have used dry cooling towers rather than the forced-draft wet cooling towers used in the existing design.


Security

Palo Verde was of such strategic importance, due to a variety of its features, that it and Phoenix were documented by the former Soviet Union as target locations in the event of nuclear conflict during the Cold War. In March 2003, National Guard troops were dispatched to protect the site during the launch of the Iraq war amidst fears of a terrorist attack. Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country State County Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States National Guard is a significant component of the United States armed forces military reserve. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... Terrorist redirects here. ...


The site team and nearby town of Wintersburg remain a key focus of work in regards to homeland security, ranking in importance along with Arizona's major cities, military bases, ports of entry, and tourist sites.


Safety Concerns

In an Arizona Republic article dated February 22, 2007, it was announced that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had decided to place Palo Verde into Category 4, making it the most monitored nuclear power plant in the United States. The decision was made after the NRC discovered that electrical relays in a diesel generator did not function during tests in July and September of 2006.


The finding came as the "final straw" for the NRC, after Palo Verde had several citations over safety concerns and violations over the preceding years, starting with the finding of a 'dry pipe' in the plant's emergency core-cooling system in 2004.[1]


Incidents

On November 2, 2007, a contract worker's truck was found to have a small pipe bomb. The plant was put on lockdown, but was otherwise operating as usual. [2] This does not cite its references or sources. ...


References

  1. ^ http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0222biz-paloverde22-ON.html Palo Verde on 'most monitored' nuclear plant list
  2. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-11-02-az-plant_N.htm Official: Nuclear plant contractor had pipe bomb

See also

External links



 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.