Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station

Company type	Nuclear power plant
Industry	Energy
Founded	1966
Headquarters	Peach Bottom Township, York County , United States
Area served	United States
Owner	Constellation Energy (50%), Public Service Enterprise Group (50%)
Parent	Constellation Energy (management)

The Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station is a nuclear energy facility situated in the United States, positioned southeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania within Peach Bottom Township, York County, Pennsylvania. It lies adjacent to the Susquehanna River and approximately three miles north of the Maryland state line.

History

The Philadelphia Electric Company, known later as "PECO," was among the pioneers in the commercial nuclear sector, commissioning Peach Bottom 1 in 1958 soon after the nation's inaugural nuclear facility, the Shippingport Reactor. Unit 1 featured an experimental design utilizing a helium coolant and graphite moderator with mixed ²³²Th-²³⁵U fuel. This unit was operational from 1966 until 1974. The site currently hosts Units 2 and 3, which are General Electric boiling water reactors (BWRs) that commenced service in 1974 and continue functioning on the 620-acre property. Initially, each unit was rated at 3,514 MW_th (approximately 1,180 MW_e), but both were uprated in 2018 to 4,016 MW_th (around 1,382 MW net electric) per reactor. Their licenses, originally set to expire in 2013 and 2014 respectively, were extended to 2033 and 2034, with a subsequent extension in 2020 pushing their operational authorization through 2053 and 2054.

Currently, Constellation Energy—formerly part of PECO's parent company Exelon and previously Baltimore Gas and Electric—manages Peach Bottom. Ownership is shared equally between Constellation (50%) and Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) Power LLC (50%).

The facility was also part of the safety evaluation documented in the NUREG-1150 study.

Electricity production

Annual Generation (MWh) at Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total Annual Generation
2001	1,664,626	1,472,202	1,670,642	1,614,240	1,634,425	1,556,160	1,437,853	1,373,333	1,032,388	1,197,096	1,594,095	1,646,619	17,893,679
2002	1,611,096	1,502,169	1,631,352	1,608,685	1,650,900	1,591,210	1,618,222	1,550,246	992,940	1,567,018	1,623,340	1,539,148	18,486,326
2003	1,678,488	1,467,100	1,690,062	1,568,558	1,548,152	1,620,856	1,510,658	1,632,360	863,614	1,316,151	1,644,917	1,643,804	18,184,720
2004	1475988 | 1695892 | 1629694 | 1670367 | 1617596 | 1659213 | 1612699 | 1154476 | 1396575 | 1644485 | 1563827 | !18819381
2005	1398795 | 1645670 | 1632476 | 1648942 | 1598503 | 1554916 | 1596322 | 1101005 | 1203077 | 1640015 | 1699039 | !18393450
2006	1534525 | 1697491 | 1635262 | 1646452 | 1615009 | 1642621 | 1611988 | 1152794 | 1394900 | 1640511 | 1695805 | !18932677
2007	<shmall >1511891 </shmall>| <shmall >1688236 </shmall>| <shmall >1624237 </shmall>| <shmall >1673642 </shmall>| <shmall >1611518 </shmall>| <shmall >1651388 </shmall>| <shmall >1607209 </shmall>| <shmall >1271760 </shmall>| <shmall >1224953 </shmall>| <shmall >1645705 </shmall>| <shmall >1698295 </shmall>| !18898722
2008
1687531
1473574
1696857
1636080
1667933
1612531
1631312
1567732
1096725
1116824
1647421
1700263
18534783
2009
1475861
1521316
1659915
1626902
1669790
1618891
1660211
1610510
1095254
1321688
1652511
1696980
18609829
- 2010	1679745	1510824	1693816	1643884	1658594	1621294	1650172	1599740	1076368	1444535	1486439	1703970	18759381	-	2011	1688092	1538951	1699432	1634743	1675131	1620931	1643404	1581960	1055235	1273617	1678069	1735372	18824937	-	2012 ... Surrounding population The Nuclear Regulatory Commission identifies two distinct emergency planning zones around nuclear facilities: a 10-mile plume exposure pathway zone that addresses airborne radioactive contamination risks, and a 50-mile ingestion pathway zone concerned with the potential consumption of contaminated food and beverages. As of 2010, the population residing within a 10-mile radius of Peach Bottom stood at 46,536, marking a 7.2% growth over the previous ten years. The population within a 50-mile radius totaled 5,526,343, reflecting a 10.6% increase since 2000. Significant urban centers located within this range include Baltimore (36 miles away), Harrisburg (48 miles), and Wilmington (38 miles). Cities located within 50 miles: Pennsylvania Harrisburg (State Capital) (48mi/78km) Maryland Baltimore (37mi/60km) Delaware Wilmington (38mi/61km) Safety concerns In 1987, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission mandated an indefinite shutdown of Peach Bottom Units 2 and 3 by PECO due to issues involving operator misconduct, corporate wrongdoing, and breaches in safety protocols. Among the primary concerns were security personnel being overburdened—one was discovered asleep during duty—a discharge of 36,000 gallons of slightly radioactive water into the Susquehanna River, incorrect classification of radioactive waste shipments, and a significant fire incident in Unit 3’s turbine building. These complications were attributed by regulators and industry specialists to underlying organizational deficiencies and an inadequate corporate culture. Zack Pate, President of INPO, stressed the necessity for substantial cultural reforms within PECO. NRC Chairman Lando Zech pointed out severe management lapses in addition to operator mistakes. This atmosphere of diminished morale culminated in the resignation of PECO’s President and CEO by April 1988. Robert P. Crosby significantly contributed to PECO Nuclear’s recovery by implementing organizational development frameworks such as The Interpersonal Gap model and Conflict Management strategies to expedite cultural transformation and enhance outage management processes. By 1996, both Limerick and Peach Bottom facilities had achieved outstanding INPO evaluations alongside high Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP) ratings from the NRC. Despite these advancements, PECO Nuclear discontinued its Organization Development roles in 1999 as part of budget reduction measures. Security issues reemerged in 2007 when Kerry Beal documented Peach Bottom security personnel sleeping while on duty, underscoring persistent challenges in maintaining strict operational discipline. Seismic risk According to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission assessment conducted in 2010, the annual probability of an earthquake causing core damage at Peach Bottom is estimated at one in 41,667. See also Exelon Nuclear reactor accidents in the United States Nuclear safety in the United States G4S Secure Solutions (formerly The Wackenhut Corporation) List of the largest nuclear power stations in the United States References Specific General https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/decommissioning/power-reactor/peach-bottom-atomic-power-station-unit.html External links