St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant
| Industry | Nuclear power generation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Florida Power & Light |
| Headquarters | Port St. Lucie , United States |
Area served | Florida |
| Products | Electricity generation (nuclear) |
| Owner | Florida Power & Light (majority), Florida Municipal Power Agency (minority stake in Unit 2), Orlando Utilities Commission (minority stake in Unit 2) |
| Parent | Florida Power & Light |
St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant consists of two nuclear generating units situated on Hutchinson Island, close to Port St. Lucie within St. Lucie County, Florida. Both reactors employ Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactor systems. The plant was brought online in 1976 by Florida Power & Light, which remains the primary operator. Minority stakes in Unit 2 are held by the Florida Municipal Power Agency (8.81%) and the Orlando Utilities Commission (6.08%).
The site features two reactors each enclosed in distinct containment structures, utilizing seawater for cooling rather than the conventional hyperboloid cooling towers typically found at inland nuclear facilities.
In 2003, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted a 20-year extension to the operating licenses: Unit 1’s license now expires on March 1, 2036, and Unit 2’s on April 6, 2043.
Extended power update
The plant underwent an Extended Power Uprate in 2012, which boosted its electrical capacity from approximately 853 MW to 1,002 MW. This enhancement included upgrading critical equipment such as pipes, valves, pumps, heat exchangers, electrical transformers, and generators, some of which dated back to the original installation.
Electricity production
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total Annual Output | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2001 | 1,279,964 | 1,152,193 | 1,191,863 | 707,773 | 1,166,289 | 1,208,322 | 1,224,673 | 1,261,433 | 1,257,951 | 1,225,825 | 1,109,734 | 651,066 | 13,437,086 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | 1,257,614 | 1,132,666 | 1,277,364 | 1,270,433 | 1,226,570 | 1,260,307 | 1,226,180 | 1,258,768 | 1,170,595 | 748,035 | 1,224,764 | 1,277,141 | 14,330,437 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | 1,275,678 | 1,150,578 | 1,267,927 | 897,407 | 634,992 | 845,616 | 1,269,451 | 1,270,333 | 1,213,963 | 1,260,749 | 1,226,294 | 1,079,016 | 13,392,004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | 1,271,564 | 1,179,471 | 1,047,578 | 688,290 | 1,266,052 | 1,218,199 | 1,261,575 | 1,256,661 | 459.372 | 1.114.226 | 1.219.307 | 1.123.434 | 13.105.729 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | 657.658 | 811.664 | 1263.896 | 1219.975 | 1255.421 | 1214.753 | 1251.099 | 1211355 | 1200.381 | 839.092 | 601.381 | - !2006 |1143.473 |1140.647 |1262.519 |1038.256 |636.101 |886.443 |1253.609 |1254.528 |1205.302 |1246.023 |1202.625 |1239.695 !13.509.221 |- !2007 |1261653 |1143553 |1259140 |609350 |676573 |1210873 |1248036 |943668 |1168004 |626719 |616172 |625754 !11.389495 |- !2008 |1111351 |1026980 |1254363 |1230022 |1272167 |1140516 |1274735 |1139404 |1220223 |1008012 |800697 |1281862 !13.760332 |- !2009 |1284034 |1162264 |1256792 |1074529 |638925 |923915 |918838 |1255686 |790957 |1245577 |1222384 |1280857 !13.054758 |- !2010 |1268012 |1163128 |1232898 |506871 | 633376 | 648540 | 1115468 | 1107521 | 1162957 | 1268851 | 1237392 | - !2011 | 665606 | 577883 | 637182 | 593443 | 996384 | 1210703 | 1285712 | 1131161 | 1241306 | 1063997 | 1040228 | - !2012 | 662475 | 893828 | 645408 | 654923 | 891513 | 1150263 | 1029895 | 791423 | 661022 | 708426 | 790334 | - !2013 | 1504421 | 1358823 | 1030537 | 1428195 | 1469986 | 1327843 | 1497946 | 1487721 | 1393654 | 746636 | 1075620 | - !2014 | 1503609 | 1360573 | 787237 | 858892 | 1494246 | 1417842 | 1336427 | 1353070 | 1419951 | 1479589 | 1303884 | - !2015 | 1506481 | 1237641 | 1252070 | 593003 | 1485412 | 1440480 | 1499099 | 1420471 | 867682 | 847970 | 1431959 | - !2016 | 1493947 | 1409324 | 1497913 | 1449012 | 1490928 | 1432343 | 1481288 | 789413 | 1298258 | 543538 | 1198890 | - !2017 | 1482601 | 957494 | 882240 | 1448133 | 1494814 | 1449325 | 1494275 | 1484117 | 1382972 | 1399853 | 1449723 | - !2018 | 1511420 | 1356200 | 1010416 | 1163105 | 1494768 | 1443949 | 1472587 | 1256690 | 705987 | 1200465 | 1445422 | 1501572 !15.562581 |- !2019 | 1507966 | 1366005 | 1506782 | 1314475 | 745160 | 940204 | 1491455 | 1482733 | 1071040 | 1045921 | 990694 | 1503193 !14.965628 |- !2020 | 1505458 | 1076922 | 1032815 | 1453359 | 1495624 | 1442615 | 1471461 | 1476561 | 1418384 | 1480741 | 1439715 | 1506715 !16.800370 |- !2021 | 1411571 | 1360091 | 1501864 | 935022 | 1061074 | 1439066 | 1481220 | 1373682 | 708539 | 1441954 | 1439600 !14.153683 |- !2022 | 1131926 | 1352129 | 1488798 | 1440765 | 1489330 | 1410683 | 1475801 | 1478304 | 750791 | 1375940 | 1402500 | - !2023 | 1495043 | 1074270 | 1034279 | 1444507 | 1485557 | 1429982 | 1445283 | 1478483 | 1420496 | 1480388 | 1433522 | - !2024 | 1294660 | 1407137 | 928579 | 1107948 | 1470946 | 1171234 | 1401958 | 1352899 | 709854 | 898172 | 1370889 | - !2025 | 1507401 | 1355094 | 1498754 | 1420513 | 1496021 |
Surrounding population
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission identifies two distinct emergency planning zones around nuclear facilities: a 10-mile radius plume exposure pathway zone, which addresses airborne radioactive hazards, and a broader 50-mile ingestion pathway zone, which focuses on the risk of consuming contaminated food and beverages.
As of 2010, the number of residents living within 10 miles of Saint Lucie reached 206,596, representing a growth of 49.7% compared to the previous decade. The population within a 50-mile radius was recorded at 1,271,947, marking a 37.0% increase since 2000. Cities in close proximity include Port St. Lucie (7.8 miles away), Ft. Pierce (8 miles), Stuart, and West Palm Beach (42 miles).
Seismic risk
According to a 2010 assessment by the NRC, the likelihood of an earthquake causing core damage at Saint Lucie is estimated at one in 21,739 annually.
Hurricane risk
The St. Lucie Power Plant ceased operations during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. However, it remained fully functional and undamaged throughout Hurricane Irma in 2017.