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Note: The information provided below is from Duke Energy archives and a special edition of The Greenville News, published on Aug. 22, 1975. The arrival of the first nuclear reactor vessel at Duke Energy’s Oconee Nuclear Station in Seneca, S.C., marked...

No matter where you get your electricity, there is a fuel source involved. With solar, the light is collected with photovoltaics to create energy. Fossil-fuel plants burn gas. Nuclear is a bit different: Nuclear plants don’t burn anything to generate...

Being an operator at a nuclear plant is as much a calling as a career. Like any specialized field, becoming an operator requires completing a demanding training regimen with the highest standards. Much like doctors take annual boards to maintain their...

Duke Energy’s six nuclear plants run so efficiently that they’re often unnoticed as they supply a steady flow of electricity to the grid. In 2019, these plants generated more than 50 percent of the electricity delivered to Duke Energy customers in the Carolinas – and as the company moves toward its goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, nuclear will be an even more important energy source.

To celebrate Nuclear Science Week, Duke Energy nuclear employees will host virtual career panels for high school students that focus on a different nuclear power career profile each day throughout the week. 

Continuous learning is part of any profession. Our nuclear professionals are no exception; indeed, no industry requires as much continuous training as commercial nuclear power generation. Training is needed to ensure safe, reliable operations for the generation of life-essential electricity.

One of the many questions we receive from community members is about the startup process of a nuclear reaction in our plants. For those of us who aren’t nuclear operators or engineers, it can seem like a mysterious process. To help shed some light on this mystery, here’s a highly simplified explanation for how it works.

Many people don’t have the chance to see the inside of a nuclear plant. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn how one works. Learn the basics of nuclear energy, then watch the video below to discover how to make your own edible candy reactor. 

Recently, I had the chance to revisit Oconee Nuclear Station’s Unit 2 reactor building – nearly five years after my first experience as a new employee inside containment. I was there in the blink of my two eyes – literally.

At 8:30 a.m., 20 millennials eagerly awaited instructions from senior reactor operators at McGuire Nuclear Station. After a brief demonstration, several engineers, most of who had never been in a nuclear control room before, assumed their positions at the controls.