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Indian Point Energy Center
Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC) is a now defunct three-unit nuclear power station located in Buchanan, just south of Peekskill, in Westchester County, New York. It sits on the east bank of the Hudson River, about 36 miles (58 km) north of Midtown Manhattan. The facility permanently ceased power operations on April 30, 2021. Before its closure, the station's two operating reactors generated about 2,000 megawatts (MWe) of electrical power, about 25% of New York City's usage. The station is owned by Holtec International, and consists of three permanently deactivated reactors, Indian Point Units 1, 2, and 3. Units 2 and 3 were Westinghouse pressurized water reactors. Entergy purchased Unit 3 from the New York Power Authority in 2000 and Units 1 and 2 from Consolidated Edison in 2001.
The original 40-year operating licenses for Units 2 and 3 expired in September 2013 and December 2015, respectively. Entergy had applied for license extensions and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was moving toward granting a twenty-year extension for each reactor. However, due to a number of factors including sustained low wholesale energy prices that reduced revenues, as well as pressure from local anti-nuclear groups and then-Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, it was announced that the plant would shut down by 2021. The plant permanently stopped generating energy on April 30, 2021. About 1,000 employees lost their jobs as a result of the shutdown.
As a result of the permanent shutdown of the plant, three new natural-gas fired power plants were built: Bayonne Energy Center, CPV Valley Energy Center, and Cricket Valley Energy Center, with a total capacity of 1.8 GW, replacing 90% of the 2.0 GW of low-carbon electricity previously generated by the plant. As a consequence, New York is expected to struggle to meet its climate goals. New York City's greenhouse gas emissions from electricity have increased from approximately 500 to 900 tons of CO2 per MWh from 2019 to 2022 as a result of the closure.
Unit 3 currently holds the world record for the longest uninterrupted operating period for a light water commercial power reactor. This record is 753 days of continuous operation, and was set on April 30, 2021 for the operating cycle beginning on April 9, 2019. Unit 3 operated at or near full output capacity for the entire length of the cycle. This record was previously held by Exelon's LaSalle Unit 1 with a record of 739 continuous days, set in 2006.
Indian Point 1, built by ConEdison, was a 275-megawatt Babcock & Wilcox supplied pressurized water reactor that was issued an operating license on March 26, 1962 and began operations on September 16, 1962. The first core used a thorium-based fuel with stainless steel cladding, but this fuel did not live up to expectations for core life. The thorium-based core shut down in October 1965. The plant was operated with uranium dioxide fuel for the remainder of its life. The reactor was shut down on October 31, 1974, because the emergency core cooling system did not meet regulatory requirements. All spent fuel was removed from the reactor vessel by January 1976, but the reactor still stands. The licensee, Entergy, plans to decommission Unit 1 when Unit 2 is decommissioned.
Indian Point 2 and 3 are four-loop Westinghouse pressurized water reactors both of similar design. Units 2 and 3 were completed in 1974 and 1976, respectively. Unit 2 had a gross generating capacity of 1,032 MWe, and Unit 3 had a gross generating capacity of 1,051 MWe. Both reactors used uranium dioxide fuel of no more than 4.8% U-235 enrichment. The reactors at Indian Point are protected by containment domes made of steel-reinforced concrete that is 40 inches (1.0 m) thick, with a carbon steel liner.
Prior to their respective shutdowns, Units 2 and 3 were among six operating nuclear energy sources at four nuclear power stations in New York state. New York was one of the five largest states in terms of nuclear capacity and generation, accounting for approximately 5% of the national totals and Indian Point provided 39% of the state's nuclear capacity. In 2017, Indian Point generated approximately 10% of the state's electricity needs, and 25% of the electricity used in New York City and Westchester County. The New York Power Authority, which supplies the subway, airports, public schools, and housing in New York City and Westchester County, built Unit 3 but they stopped buying electricity from Indian Point in 2012. As a result, Entergy sold all of Indian Point's output into the NYISO-administered electric wholesale markets and into New England. New York state has among the highest average electricity prices in the United States. Fully half of the state's power demand is in the New York City area and about two-fifths of the state's generation originates there.
Units 2 and 3 were each refueled on a two-year cycle. At the end of each fuel cycle, one unit was brought offline for refueling and maintenance activities. On March 2, 2015, Indian Point 3 was taken offline for 23 days to perform its refueling operations. Entergy invested $50,000,000 in the refueling and other related projects for Unit 3, of which $30,000,000 went to employee salaries. The unit was brought back online on March 25, 2015.
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Indian Point Energy Center
Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC) is a now defunct three-unit nuclear power station located in Buchanan, just south of Peekskill, in Westchester County, New York. It sits on the east bank of the Hudson River, about 36 miles (58 km) north of Midtown Manhattan. The facility permanently ceased power operations on April 30, 2021. Before its closure, the station's two operating reactors generated about 2,000 megawatts (MWe) of electrical power, about 25% of New York City's usage. The station is owned by Holtec International, and consists of three permanently deactivated reactors, Indian Point Units 1, 2, and 3. Units 2 and 3 were Westinghouse pressurized water reactors. Entergy purchased Unit 3 from the New York Power Authority in 2000 and Units 1 and 2 from Consolidated Edison in 2001.
The original 40-year operating licenses for Units 2 and 3 expired in September 2013 and December 2015, respectively. Entergy had applied for license extensions and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was moving toward granting a twenty-year extension for each reactor. However, due to a number of factors including sustained low wholesale energy prices that reduced revenues, as well as pressure from local anti-nuclear groups and then-Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, it was announced that the plant would shut down by 2021. The plant permanently stopped generating energy on April 30, 2021. About 1,000 employees lost their jobs as a result of the shutdown.
As a result of the permanent shutdown of the plant, three new natural-gas fired power plants were built: Bayonne Energy Center, CPV Valley Energy Center, and Cricket Valley Energy Center, with a total capacity of 1.8 GW, replacing 90% of the 2.0 GW of low-carbon electricity previously generated by the plant. As a consequence, New York is expected to struggle to meet its climate goals. New York City's greenhouse gas emissions from electricity have increased from approximately 500 to 900 tons of CO2 per MWh from 2019 to 2022 as a result of the closure.
Unit 3 currently holds the world record for the longest uninterrupted operating period for a light water commercial power reactor. This record is 753 days of continuous operation, and was set on April 30, 2021 for the operating cycle beginning on April 9, 2019. Unit 3 operated at or near full output capacity for the entire length of the cycle. This record was previously held by Exelon's LaSalle Unit 1 with a record of 739 continuous days, set in 2006.
Indian Point 1, built by ConEdison, was a 275-megawatt Babcock & Wilcox supplied pressurized water reactor that was issued an operating license on March 26, 1962 and began operations on September 16, 1962. The first core used a thorium-based fuel with stainless steel cladding, but this fuel did not live up to expectations for core life. The thorium-based core shut down in October 1965. The plant was operated with uranium dioxide fuel for the remainder of its life. The reactor was shut down on October 31, 1974, because the emergency core cooling system did not meet regulatory requirements. All spent fuel was removed from the reactor vessel by January 1976, but the reactor still stands. The licensee, Entergy, plans to decommission Unit 1 when Unit 2 is decommissioned.
Indian Point 2 and 3 are four-loop Westinghouse pressurized water reactors both of similar design. Units 2 and 3 were completed in 1974 and 1976, respectively. Unit 2 had a gross generating capacity of 1,032 MWe, and Unit 3 had a gross generating capacity of 1,051 MWe. Both reactors used uranium dioxide fuel of no more than 4.8% U-235 enrichment. The reactors at Indian Point are protected by containment domes made of steel-reinforced concrete that is 40 inches (1.0 m) thick, with a carbon steel liner.
Prior to their respective shutdowns, Units 2 and 3 were among six operating nuclear energy sources at four nuclear power stations in New York state. New York was one of the five largest states in terms of nuclear capacity and generation, accounting for approximately 5% of the national totals and Indian Point provided 39% of the state's nuclear capacity. In 2017, Indian Point generated approximately 10% of the state's electricity needs, and 25% of the electricity used in New York City and Westchester County. The New York Power Authority, which supplies the subway, airports, public schools, and housing in New York City and Westchester County, built Unit 3 but they stopped buying electricity from Indian Point in 2012. As a result, Entergy sold all of Indian Point's output into the NYISO-administered electric wholesale markets and into New England. New York state has among the highest average electricity prices in the United States. Fully half of the state's power demand is in the New York City area and about two-fifths of the state's generation originates there.
Units 2 and 3 were each refueled on a two-year cycle. At the end of each fuel cycle, one unit was brought offline for refueling and maintenance activities. On March 2, 2015, Indian Point 3 was taken offline for 23 days to perform its refueling operations. Entergy invested $50,000,000 in the refueling and other related projects for Unit 3, of which $30,000,000 went to employee salaries. The unit was brought back online on March 25, 2015.