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Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station

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Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station
Company typePower generation facility
IndustryEnergy
Founded1967
Headquarters
Homestead, Florida
,
United States
Area served
Florida, United States
ProductsElectricity generation (nuclear and gas-fired)
OwnerFlorida Power & Light

Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station is a combined nuclear and gas-powered facility situated on a 3,300-acre plot approximately two miles east of Homestead, Florida, adjacent to Biscayne National Park and roughly 25 miles south of Miami. The plant is owned and managed by Florida Power & Light.

The site comprises two decommissioned units (Units 1 and 2) each rated at 404 MW and fueled by a mix of fuel oil, natural gas, used oil, and propane; two active 802 MW Westinghouse pressurized water reactors (Units 3 and 4); as well as a 1,150 MW combined-cycle gas-fired Unit 5. With an aggregate operational output of 2,754 MW, Turkey Point stands as Florida’s third-largest power generation facility and ranks eleventh nationwide.

Florida Power & Light has received authorization from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to construct and operate two additional Westinghouse AP1000 reactors at this location, aligning with the company’s strategy to expand its nuclear energy portfolio.

Construction

The two pressurized water reactors became operational in 1972 and 1973 respectively.

Expansion

In 2002, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission extended the licenses for both reactors from the original forty years to sixty years. Subsequently, in 2006, Florida Power & Light announced intentions to pursue new reactor units at Turkey Point. The company submitted a proposal for increased capacity to the Florida Public Service Commission in October 2007, which received approval in March 2008.

FPL also planned an investment of approximately $1.5 billion aimed at raising output by around 400 MW across its four reactors at Turkey Point and the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant by the year 2012.

On June 30, 2009, FPL filed a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) application for two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors (Units 6 and 7), each rated at 1,117 MWe. This decision followed consideration of two larger 1,550-MWe GE ESBWR units. Construction was projected to commence in 2012 with commercial operations anticipated in 2017 and 2019. FPL estimated overnight costs including fuel between $6.8 billion and $9.9 billion, with total project expenditures ranging from $12.1 billion to $17.8 billion. The NRC granted the COLs for these units in April 2018.

Criticism of expansion

Some mayors in South Florida voiced opposition to the expansion plans due to concerns about water consumption, restricted evacuation zones, and heightened vulnerability to sea-level rise. Conversely, the mayor of Homestead—the community nearest the plant—expressed support for the development.

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission establishes two emergency planning zones around nuclear facilities: a 10-mile plume exposure pathway zone focused on airborne radioactive hazards, and a broader 50-mile ingestion pathway zone concerned with contaminated food or liquids.

As of 2010, the population residing within ten miles of Turkey Point was 161,556—a growth of 62.8% over ten years. Within fifty miles, this number reached 3,476,981, marking a 15.1% increase since 2000. Notable urban centers within this radius include Miami, located approximately 25 miles away.

May 8, 1974

While conducting a test on Unit 3's Emergency Feedwater pumps during power operation, two pumps failed due to excessively tight packing and one failed because of a turbine valve malfunction. In October 2005, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission identified this incident as the fifth most significant precursor event potentially leading to a nuclear accident.

August 24, 1992

Turkey Point sustained a direct impact from Hurricane Andrew, resulting in the destruction of two raw water storage tanks and damage to fire suppression systems as well as various non-nuclear facilities. The smokestack of the fossil-fueled Unit 1 developed cracks and was subsequently reconstructed. During the storm, the plant lost its offsite power supply and operated on emergency diesel generators for several days. The nuclear containment structures did not suffer any major damage. The facility was engineered to endure wind speeds up to 235 mph, surpassing the typical velocities experienced in category 5 hurricanes.

March 18, 2017

An electrical fault occurred on March 18, 2017, within a Unit 3 switchgear room, causing the loss of a safety-related electrical bus and initiating a reactor trip. Despite this, other safety mechanisms functioned as intended, ensuring sufficient reactor cooling. There was no threat posed to nearby communities or the environment, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) alert was lifted later that day. The fault produced an arc flash, which led to a minor burn injury for one employee who required hospital care. On March 22, the NRC commenced a special inspection to investigate the electrical bus failure that triggered the alert.

2008 Florida electricity blackout

On February 26, 2008, both reactors at Turkey Point shut down following a loss of off-site power during a widespread blackout affecting approximately 700,000 customers across South Florida.[1] The incident began at 1:08 PM with a fire that caused an automatic plant shutdown and led to outages extending as far north as Daytona Beach and Tampa. Power service was restored by 4:30 PM. Investigations into the cause of this cascading failure were ongoing several days after the event.[2]

Critical infrastructure impacted by the blackout included Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando International Airport, and Miami International Airport. The total number of people without power reached at least 2.5 million.[2]

The blackout originated from an overheated voltage switch that ignited at a Miami substation located roughly 23 miles from Turkey Point.[2] Although protective relays were designed to isolate such faults automatically, an engineer addressing substation issues had temporarily disabled these safety systems in violation of Florida Power & Light (FPL) policy. Additional protection mechanisms eventually isolated the substation after a delay of approximately 1.7 seconds; during this interval, power fluctuations caused multiple generators—including those at Turkey Point—to trip offline.[3]

In the aftermath, David Hoffman, a nuclear supervisor at Turkey Point, resigned and faced legal action from Florida Power & Light seeking repayment of a bonus. Hoffman responded with a countersuit claiming he was pressured to restart reactors under unsafe conditions—specifically during xenon dead time—which would have necessitated continuous control rod adjustments to safely regulate output. FPL dismissed these allegations as being driven by personal motives.[4][5]

Ecology

Turkey Point encompasses an extensive wildlife preserve on its premises. The facility has played a role in aiding the American crocodile's status improvement from endangered to vulnerable.

Cooling canals

Rather than utilizing cooling towers, the facility relies on an extensive canal system spanning five miles by two miles (approximately 10 square miles), encompassing nearly 6,000 acres. This canal network has been associated with several challenges, such as contamination risks to adjacent national parks and the Biscayne Aquifer, thermal pollution, and concerns related to radioactive substances. In 2014, elevated temperatures within this system resulted in two reactor shutdowns. Beginning in September 2016, a contentious remediation effort was initiated, which involved injecting highly saline water deep beneath the aquifer and altering certain unlined sections of the canals. Daily, about 600,000 pounds of salt are introduced into the canal network, with pollution spreading up to four miles westward and potentially reaching Biscayne Bay.

Seismic risk

According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's 2010 assessment, the likelihood of an earthquake causing core damage at Turkey Point is estimated at one in 100,000 annually. The plant is situated in a zone that the United States Geological Survey classifies as having minimal earthquake hazard.

Reactor data

Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station currently operates two reactors and has plans for two additional units.

Reactor unit Reactor type Capacity (MW) Construction started Grid connection date Commercial operation date Decommissioned
Net Gross
Turkey Point-3 Westinghouse 3-loop 693 729 27.04.1967 02.11.1972 14.12.1972
Turkey Point-4 21.06.1973 07.09.1973
Turkey Point-6 (planned) AP1000 1117 - Licensed
Turkey Point-7 (planned)

In 2019, the NRC granted a second extension of twenty years to the operating licenses for units 3 and 4, representing the first approval for an operational lifespan of up to eighty years.

Name

The designation Turkey Point was first recorded in 1865 and is believed to be derived from the presence of anhinga birds native to the region.

See also

External links

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named reuters-expand
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named sun sentinel
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named PACRpt
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FPL-lawsuit
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FPL-lawsuit-2
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