In1957 the country’s first commercial nuclear power plant began generating electricity. Shippingport Power Station reliably supplied nuclear energy to the Pittsburgh area for 25 years before being retired in 1982.
Shippingport broadened opportunities for atomic research and paved the way for new nuclear plant construction in the 1960s and 70s. Duke Energy and Progress Energy played integral roles during this era, building a total of seven nuclear plants. The closing of the Duke Energy and Progress Energy merger created one of the largest nuclear fleets in the country. Click here to find out more about the combined fleet.
The oldest plant in Duke Energy’s nuclear fleet broke ground in 1967 and several other plants followed over the next few years. Below are some quick and interesting facts about each plant within the Duke Energy nuclear fleet.
Future of Nuclear
Despite a near halt in new construction after the 1980s, the U.S. nuclear industry has proved nuclear energy is a safe and reliable power source. Currently, 104 nuclear reactors operate in 31 states, generating about 19 percent of electricity in the U.S., including more than 70 percent of the nation’s carbon-free electricity.
To meet future electricity demands, Duke Energy has submitted applications for the construction of new nuclear plants in Cherokee, S.C. and Levy County, Fl. as well as two, new additional units at Shearon Harris. Four units are also expected to be commissioned in the U.S. by the end of the decade. These include two new reactors at Southern Co.’s Vogtle plant in Georgia and two new units at South Carolina Electric & Gas and Santee Cooper’s V.C. Summer plant. These new reactors are among the country’s first to be approved by the NRC in over 30 years.
