How much energy does a nuclear power plant produce per hour

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

The NRC regulates and oversees the civilian uses of nuclear materials in the United States by licensing facilities that possess, use, or dispose of nuclear materials; establishing standards; and inspecting licensed facilities. This includes nuclear power plants. The NRC is responsible for implementing the EPA established standards at the facilities they oversee.

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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
A Vital Economic Engine
Reliable Electricity
Uranium Fuel
Economic Benefits
Environmental Benefits
Related Links
Articles and Perspectives About Diablo Canyon
Diablo Canyon Facts
Diablo Canyon Economic Impact Study
Emergency Planning
How much energy does a nuclear plant produce?
How much energy does a nuclear power plant use per day?
How much water does a nuclear power plant use per hour?
How much energy can 1kg of nuclear energy produce?

Most states have signed formal agreements with the NRC, providing the states regulatory responsibility over small quantities of special nuclear material. These states are known as Agreement States. The radioactive materials license can be issued either by the NRC or an Agreement State.

The NRC Agreement State Program
This webpage provides information about the NRC Agreement State program and lists links to additional information.

How the NRC Protects You
This webpage provides information about how the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates and inspects sites where radioactive materials are used.

Nuclear Reactors
This webpage contains links to information about the NRC’s role in the nuclear power industry.

Student’s Corner: Nuclear Energy
This webpage provides information for students about nuclear energy, radiation emergencies, radioactive waste and more.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The EPA uses its authority from the Clean Air Act to set limits on the amount of radioactive material released into the air from nuclear power plants. The EPA sets environmental standards for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel, high-level wastes.

Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Nuclear Power Operations (40 CFR Part 190)
This webpage provides information on the EPA’s environmental radiation protection standards for nuclear power operations, including a summary of the rule, rule history, and a link to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for this rule.

Radiation: Facts, Risks and Realities
In this booklet, you can read about radiation and its health risks. You can learn about natural radiation and radioactive material used in medicine and nuclear power.

Overview of the Clean Air Act and Air Pollution
This webpage provides information about the Clean Air Act and how air is monitored to help protect the public.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

FEMA evaluates state and local emergency response plans for areas around nuclear power plants.

Nuclear Power Plant Emergencies
This webpage provides information on nuclear power plants and potential nuclear emergencies.

Nuclear Power Plant Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 106 K, About PDF)
This fact sheet provides information for people who live near a nuclear power plant, including how to respond during an emergency situation.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

The DOE has oversight responsibilities related to radioactive waste disposal and domestic energy production. The EIA, a branch of the DOE, collects, analyzes, and releases information about different energy sources. They have a role in educating the public about energy.

Nuclear Energy Sources
This webpage provides a background information about nuclear power as an energy source used in the United States. Links are provided to learn more about reactor technologies and nuclear facilities.

Nuclear & Uranium
This webpage provides links to information and data about how much electricity nuclear power plants in the United States generate.

Energy Kids
This webpage provides information on how uranium is used to produce electricity in nuclear power plants.

Nuclear Explained
This webpage provides information about nuclear power in the United States including where it comes from and how much energy is generated.

The States

Each nuclear power plant must have an emergency response plan for incidents that occur on-site. State and local authorities have emergency response plans for incidents that could release radiological material outside the plant property. These emergency response plans are designed to work together. State and local authorities practice their emergency plans every two years at every commercial nuclear power plant.

State Radiation Protection Programs
This webpage provides links and contact information for each state's Radiation Control Program office.

A Vital Economic Engine

PG&E’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant is a vital local economic engine and brings significant benefits to San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara counties.
Diablo Canyon contributed $919.8 million to the region in 2011 (direct, indirect and induced benefits).
Diablo Canyon helps to make PG&E the largest private employer in the area with more than 1,400 workers and a payroll of $202 million in 2011.
Diablo Canyon spent $22 million locally in 2011 on goods and services.
The plant is the largest property taxpayer in San Luis Obispo County - $25 million for the fiscal year 2011/2012 which helps fund schools, public work projects, public safety, and health and other vital services.

Safety

U.S. nuclear energy facilities are held to the highest of standards by independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors, who conduct ongoing oversight at each reactor every day.
To maintain high levels of safety, plant officials plan for the unexpected with layer upon layer of redundant safety features.
U.S. nuclear energy facilities have four-foot-thick concrete and steel containment domes that surround the reactor, plus backup safety systems that function in the event of an emergency.
The nuclear energy industry began making immediate safety improvements as part of a self-assessment of U.S. nuclear facilities within days of the 2011 accident at Fukushima Daiichi. The industry has committed to work in the short and long term to ensure that lessons learned are well-understood and that improvements are effectively coordinated and implemented industrywide.

Reliable Electricity

One hundred nuclear facilities in 31 states provide nearly 20 percent of all U.S. electricity.
Nuclear energy generated 769.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2012.
Improved efficiency and technologies at U.S. nuclear energy facilities since 1990 have led to an increase in electricity production capable of powering more than 16 million homes, the equivalent of building 24 new nuclear reactors.
The industry has added more than 6,800 megawatts of capacity through facility improvements called uprates - enough to power 4.7 million homes.
Nuclear energy facilities generate electricity 24/7 at an 86 percent capacity factor. This is more efficient than other types of energy - combined-cycle natural gas, with a 56 percent capacity factor; coal-fired at 55 percent; and wind at 31 percent.

Uranium Fuel

One uranium fuel pellet creates as much energy as one ton of coal or 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas.
A typical large nuclear energy facility produces enough electricity for more than 690,000 homes while using only 20 metric tons of uranium fuel each year.
The volume of used nuclear fuel rods created over the past 40 years - 69,720 metric tons - would cover one football field 7 yards deep
The U.S. nuclear industry has built a comprehensive system for safely and securely storing used fuel that keeps the public and environment safe. Used fuel rods are stored safely in steel-lined, water-filled concrete vaults or in concrete and steel containers at each nuclear energy facility site.

Economic Benefits

The average nuclear energy facility pays approximately $16 million in state and local taxes and $67 million in federal taxes annually.
Each nuclear energy facility generates about $470 million annually in sales of goods and services in the local community.
Approximately $40 million is spent annually in wages at each facility.
Nine license applications are being reviewed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for 14 new reactors.
Five new nuclear reactors are under construction in three states: Georgia (Vogtle 3 and 4), South Carolina (V.C. Summer 2 and 3) and Tennessee (Watts Bar 2).
One reactor creates up to 3,500 jobs at peak construction.
A new nuclear energy facility creates 500 permanent jobs per 1,000 megawatts of electricity generating capacity, compared to 190 jobs for a coal plant, 50 for a wind farm and 50 for a natural gas plant.
An equivalent number of additional jobs are expected to be created indirectly with each project.

Environmental Benefits

Nuclear energy produces more clean-air energy than any other source and is the only one that can produce large amounts of electricity 24/7. Nuclear energy produces 64 percent of all U.S. emission-free electricity.
In 2012, nuclear energy facilities prevented 569.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equal to the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from 110 million cars.
Nuclear energy facilities also prevented the emission of 1 million short tons of sulfur dioxide and 0.47 million short tons of nitrogen oxide in 2012.
A nuclear energy facility's life-cycle carbon emissions - including mining and producing fuel and construction of the plant - are among the lowest of any electricity generation source at 17 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per gigawatt-hour, comparable to geothermal (15 tons) and wind (14 tons).
Protecting the environment extends to safely managing used fuel, protecting water quality and preserving and improving habitat for plants and wildlife. All U.S. nuclear energy facilities have extensive environmental monitoring programs, which are under the oversight of the NRC and state regulators.

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Articles and Perspectives About Diablo Canyon

Diablo Canyon Facts

Diablo Canyon Economic Impact Study

Learn about the positive economic benefits of Diablo Canyon.

Emergency Planning

How much energy does a nuclear plant produce?

Nuclear energy has been powering the U.S. grid for the past 6 decades and produces around 1 gigawatt of power per plant on average.

How much energy does a nuclear power plant use per day?

For example, if the R.E. Ginna reactor operates at 582 MW capacity for 24 hours, it will generate 13,968 megawatthours (MWh). If the reactor generated that amount of electricity for 365 days, it would generate 5,098,320 MWh. However, most power plants do not operate at full capacity every hour of every day of the year.

How much water does a nuclear power plant use per hour?

The energy comes in the form of heat and radiation, heating water in order to produce steam. The steam, in turn, powers a generator, spinning a turbine to make electricity.” The Nuclear Energy Institute estimates that, per megawatt-hour, a nuclear power reactor consumes between 1,514 and 2,725 litres of water.

How much energy can 1kg of nuclear energy produce?

Nuclear fusion and nuclear fission result in a mass change, Δm, between the starting and end products. The loss of mass produces energy E = Δm c², where c equals the speed of light. As a consequence of this Einstein relation, the mass of 1 kg can be converted into an energy of about 9 × 10¹⁶ J or 25 × 10⁹ kWh.