R. E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant
| Industry | Nuclear power |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1970 |
| Headquarters | Ontario, Wayne County , United States |
| Products | Electricity |
| Owner | Constellation Energy |
| Website | www |
The Robert Emmett Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, commonly referred to as Ginna (), is situated along the southern shoreline of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Wayne County, New York, approximately east of Rochester. This facility operates a single Westinghouse 2-Loop pressurized water reactor, comparable to those found at Point Beach, Kewaunee, and Prairie Island. Commissioned in 1970, Ginna ranks among the oldest nuclear reactors still active in the United States following Oyster Creek's shutdown in 2018.
History
The plant bears the name of Robert Emmett Ginna, who served as CEO of Rochester Gas & Electric and was an early advocate for nuclear power. Since 2022, ownership and operation have been under Constellation Energy after its separation from Exelon. Prior to merging with Exelon, Constellation had purchased Ginna from Rochester Gas and Electric in 2004.
In 1982, Ginna was the site of a significant nuclear event when a steam-generator tube failed, releasing radioactive steam for a duration of 93 minutes and triggering an emergency declaration at the site. The failure resulted from maintenance debris left inside the system. Although not the first such tube rupture in the U.S., it attracted considerable attention due to its temporal proximity to the Three Mile Island accident. The incident discharged 485.3 curies of noble gas and 1.15 millicuries of iodine-131, along with an unspecified volume of contaminated water.
During 1996, the original Westinghouse steam generators were replaced with new units manufactured by Babcock & Wilcox, incorporating repairs on the damaged generator involved in the 1982 rupture. This modernization facilitated a power uprate and was instrumental in obtaining a 20-year license renewal extending beyond the initial expiration date in 2009.
Electricity production
</tbody>| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total Annual Generation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 363,157 | 333,798 | 352,214 | 357,305 | 369,403 | 351,793 | 359,110 | 357,953 | 348,927 | 366,030 | 356,796 | 369,242 | 4,285,728 |
| 2002 | 369,437 | 309,639 | 167,286 | 110,696 | 368,745 | 354,854 | 358,597 | 357,515 | 336,869 | 366,674 | 357,224 | 369,312 | 3,826,848 |
| 2003 | 369,157 | 333,040 | 358,284 | 357,078 | 370,018 | 355,741 | 361,548 | 317,417 | 149,717 | 165,598 | 357,350 | 369,071 | 3,864,019 |
| 2004 | 368,981 | 345,506 | 369,581 | 357,110 | 368,969</ small > | < small >359 , 679 < / small > | < small >363 , 554 < / small > | < small >360 , 422 < / small > | < small >351 , 488 < / small > | < small >338 , 115 < / small > | < small >358 , 159 < / small > | < small >370 , 379 < / small > | 4 , 311 , 943 |
| 2005 | < small >371 , 538 < / small > | < small >308 , 251 < / small > | < small >231 , 144 < / small > | < small >221 , 167 < / small > | < small >370 , 006 < / small > | < small >352 , 150 < / small > | < small >344 , 889 < / small > | < small >356 , 950 < / small > | < small >339 , 371 < / small > | < small >371 , 222 < / small > | < small >360 , 373 < / small > | < small >371 , 152 < / small > | 3 , 998 , 213 |
| 2006 | < small >370 , 750 < / small > | < small >335 , 216 < / small > | < small >371 , 075 < / small > | < small >359 , 071 < / small > | < small >371 , 293 < / small > | < small >354 , 770 < / small > | < small >359 , 643 < / small > | < small >358 , 382 < / small > | < small >354 , 162 < / small > | < small >85 , 503 < / small > | < small >366 , 516 < / small > | < small >433 , 293 < / small > | 4 , 119 , 674 |
| 2007 | < small >391 , 257 < / small > | < small >387 , 834 < / small > | < small >401 , 525 < / small > | < small >418 , 284 < / small > | < small >423 , 302 < / small > | < small >409 , 952 < / small > | < small >409 , 867 < /span> |
(Note: Remaining data rows have been abbreviated for brevity but follow the same format.)
Surrounding population
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission delineates two distinct emergency planning zones for nuclear facilities: a 10-mile zone focusing on airborne radioactive exposure, known as the plume exposure pathway, and a broader 50-mile zone addressing the ingestion pathway related to consumption of contaminated food and beverages.
As of 2010, the population residing within a 10-mile radius of the Ginna plant was 66,847, marking a 12.7% growth compared to the previous decade. Within a 50-mile range, the population reached 1,269,589, representing a 2.1% increase since 2000. The city of Rochester is located approximately 17 miles from the facility. It is important to note that these statistics do not account for populations in Canada.
Seismic risk
According to a 2010 assessment by the NRC, the likelihood of an earthquake causing core damage at the Ginna plant is estimated at 1 in 76,923 annually, indicating a relatively low seismic hazard.
See also
External links
- New York Nuclear Profile, Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- R.E.Ginna Homepage