Point Beach Nuclear Plant
| Company type | Nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy |
| Predecessor | Wisconsin Electric Power Company (construction), Nuclear Management Company (former management) |
| Founded | 1966 in Two Creeks, Wisconsin, United States |
| Founder | Wisconsin Electric Power Company |
| Successor | NextEra Energy Resources (owner and operator) |
| Headquarters | Two Creeks , United States |
Area served | Wisconsin, primarily Green Bay region and Southeastern Wisconsin Lake Michigan coastline |
| Products | Electricity generation (nuclear power) |
| Owner | NextEra Energy Resources |
Point Beach Nuclear Plant is a nuclear power plant situated on the shores of Lake Michigan in Two Creeks, Wisconsin, United States. Initially constructed by Wisconsin Electric Power Company (currently We Energies), the facility was formerly managed by the Nuclear Management Company and is now owned and operated by NextEra Energy Resources (previously FPL Energy), headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida.
The plant comprises two two-loop Westinghouse pressurized water reactor units. Construction commenced in 1966 with Unit 1, which began commercial operation in December 1970; Unit 2 followed, going online in September 1972. The total expenditure for construction amounted to $114.9 million (equivalent to roughly $844 million in 2023 dollars).
Covering a total area of 1,050 acres, approximately 70 acres are allocated for the plant itself and its transmission facilities, while the remaining land supports agricultural use and solar energy installations. A visitors' center is maintained near the administrative offices.
History
On December 30, 1965, Wisconsin Electric and its subsidiary Wisconsin Michigan Power Company issued a letter of intent to purchase a 454 megawatt (MW) nuclear unit from Westinghouse Electric Company, including an option for a second identical unit. In May 1966, the location for the plant was designated on a 1,200-acre site in Two Creeks.
Following approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW), groundbreaking occurred on November 28, 1966. The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) granted construction permits for Unit 1 in May 1967 and for Unit 2 approximately one year later. Unit 1 secured its full-term operating license in October 1970 and commenced commercial operations on December 21, 1970—49 months after construction began. Unit 2 obtained its license in March 1973, roughly eighteen months behind the original schedule.
Between December 1979 and October 1983, Unit 1 operated at reduced capacity (75-80%) due to steam generator tube deterioration caused by stress corrosion cracking; replacement steam generators were installed during this period. Unit 2 underwent steam generator replacement between 1996 and 1997.
In 2005, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a license renewal extending operational life from 40 to 60 years. Subsequently, in 2011, the NRC authorized a power uprate of 17% for both units, which involved enhancements to safety systems and turbine-generator equipment.
NextEra Energy Resources purchased the plant from Wisconsin Energy Corporation in October 2007. As part of this transaction, We Energies committed to purchasing all electricity generated for a minimum of twenty years. From 2000 until 2007, operational management was overseen by the Nuclear Management Company.
In November 2020, applications were submitted to the NRC seeking subsequent license extensions from 60 to 80 years. The decision on these extensions was postponed beyond July 2022 pending additional environmental impact assessments; a public meeting was convened in February 2021 to solicit feedback regarding the scope of the review.
The majority of electricity produced supplies the Green Bay region and communities along Southeastern Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan coastline. The plant connects to the electrical grid through four separate 345 kV transmission lines: one extending northwest toward Green Bay and the We Energies North Appleton substation; another linking to the now-defunct Kewaunee Nuclear Generating Station; and two routes heading south toward Milwaukee. Several additional lines at 138 kV provide power to local areas.
In November 2020, the adjacent Two Creeks Solar Park, a 150 MW solar facility located several miles southwest of the nuclear plant, was completed at an investment of $195 million.
Electricity Generation
In 2022, Point Beach produced 10,077 GWh of electricity, representing 16.5% of the total electrical output in Wisconsin.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 747,957 | 634,093 | 750,906 | 433,802 | 562,905 | 693,537 | 728,365 | 707,943 | 569,003 | 742,015 | 734,847 | 739,695 | 8,045,068 |
| 2012 | 885,774 | 829,858 | 881,358 | 804,487 | 895,831 | 817,735 | 823,428 | 818,423 | 830,321 | 888,894 | 430,848 | 876,746 | 9,783,703 |
| 2015 | 894,261 | 807,599 | 889,908 | 865,194 | 894,308 | 862,785 | 890,823 | 886,946 | 848,182 | 471,374 | 826,112 | 870,691 | 10,008,183 |
| 2018 | 900,095 | 811,599 | 897,070 | 867,179 | 897,537 | 864,881 | 892,088 | 883,172 | 851,052 | 565,516 | 873,212 | 825,721 | 10,129,122 |
| 2022 | 896,422 | 809,933 | 782,184 | 534,981 | 897,835 | 868,658 | 891,034 | 880,963 | 852,915 | 893,605 | 871,077 | 897,411 | 10,077,018 |
| Energy Source | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Percentage of 2017 Total | Percentage of 2021 Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal | 35,437 | 32,933 | 26,003 | 23,490 | 27 ,233 | 55.9 | 43.5 |
| Natural gas | 13 ,110 | 16 ,067 | 19 ,514 | 21 ,098 | 20 ,369 | 20.7 | 32.5 |
| Nuclear | 9 ,649 | 10 ,129 | 10 ,030 | 9 ,771 | 9 ,970 | 15.2 | 15.9 |
| Hydroelectric | 2 ,489 | 2 ,251 | 2 ,527 | 2 ,661 | 2 ,023 | 3.9 | 3.2 |
| Wind | 1 ,633 | 1 ,611 | 1 ,849 | 1 ,735 | 1 ,566 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Utility-scale solar | 21 | 35 | 36 | 90 | 363 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Biomass | 842 | 816 | 764 | 686 | 721 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Other | 17 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 23 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Total generation | 63 ,341 | 63 ,995 | 60 ,886 | 59 ,655 | 62 ,584 |
Nearby Population
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission outlines two emergency planning zones surrounding nuclear facilities: a 10-mile radius plume exposure pathway zone addressing airborne radioactive hazards and a 50-mile ingestion pathway zone focusing on contamination through food and liquids.
As of 2010 data shows the population residing within 10 miles of Point Beach was 19,975—a decrease of 6.7% compared to the year 2000. Within a 50-mile radius around the plant lived approximately 777,556 people—an increase of 10% over the same period. Among the significant urban areas within this range is Green Bay at a distance of 28 miles.
Earthquake Risk
The NRC has calculated the yearly likelihood of an earthquake causing core damage at Point Beach as approximately one in 90,909 events. This places the plant at rank 62 out of 104 nuclear power stations in the United States regarding seismic risk.
