Millstone Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Millstone Nuclear Power Station
is the only nuclear power generation site in Connecticut
. It is located at a former quarry (from which it takes its name) in Waterford
. Of the three reactors built here, units two and three are still operating at a combined output rating of 2020 MWe
.
defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16.1 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80.5 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16.1 km) of Millstone was 123,482, an increase of 29.5 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80.5 km) was 2,996,756, an increase of 9.5 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Hartford (41 miles to city center).
and the Atlantic Ocean) as a source of coolant water
.
Although located in Waterford, Millstone is most clearly seen from downtown Niantic. It is visible from the Niantic Boardwalk area and from the Niantic River Bridge
, and is also visible to Amtrak customers on the NEC line which as it skirts Niantic Bay.
Millstone earned OSHA's top award for workplace safety on October 14, 2004, and earned the Top Industry Practice/ Framatone ANP Vendor Award for its work developing novel ultrasonic leak inspection techniques in March 2001.
Millstone Units 2 and 3, both pressurized water reactor
s (one from Westinghouse
and one from Combustion Engineering
), were sold to Dominion by Northeast Utilities
in 2000 and continue to operate.
On November 28, 2005, after a 22-month application and evaluation process, Millstone was granted a 20-year license extension to both units 2 and 3 by the NRC.
boiling water reactor
, producing 660 MWe
, shut down in November 1995 before being permanently closed in July 1998. On February 20, 1996 a leaking valve forced the shutdown of this unit, and unit 2; multiple equipment failures were found.
On April 17, 2005, Millstone plant safely shut down
without incident when a circuit board monitoring a steam pressure line short-circuited, which caused the board to malfunction and indicate an unsafe drop in pressure in the reactor's steam system, when in reality there was no drop in steam pressure. The cause was attributed to "tin whiskers
". In response to this event, Millstone implemented a procedure to inspect for these whiskers at every refueling outage, or 18 months. David Lochbaum, a scientist affiliated with the Union of Concerned Scientists
, while remaining critical of the processes leading to the discovery of the whiskers, praised Millstone for its handling of the situation.
In September, 2009, unit-2 shut down when an electrical storm caused power fluctuations. When workers tried to restart the unit, they discovered a small leak in the reactor coolant pump.
12/21/2009 Millstone Unit 3 Reactor Trip and Shutdown Greater Than 72 Hours.
07/27/2009 Millstone Unit 2 Reactor Trip and Shutdown Greater Than 72 Hours
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
is the only nuclear power generation site in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. It is located at a former quarry (from which it takes its name) in Waterford
Waterford, Connecticut
Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The population was 19,152 at the 2000 census. The town center is listed as a census-designated place .-Geography:...
. Of the three reactors built here, units two and three are still operating at a combined output rating of 2020 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
.
Surrounding population
The Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16.1 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80.5 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16.1 km) of Millstone was 123,482, an increase of 29.5 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80.5 km) was 2,996,756, an increase of 9.5 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Hartford (41 miles to city center).
Background
The Millstone site covers about 500 acres (2 km²). The power generation complex was built by a consortium of utilities, using Niantic Bay (which is connected to Long Island SoundLong Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
and the Atlantic Ocean) as a source of coolant water
Coolant
A coolant is a fluid which flows through a device to prevent its overheating, transferring the heat produced by the device to other devices that use or dissipate it. An ideal coolant has high thermal capacity, low viscosity, is low-cost, non-toxic, and chemically inert, neither causing nor...
.
Although located in Waterford, Millstone is most clearly seen from downtown Niantic. It is visible from the Niantic Boardwalk area and from the Niantic River Bridge
Niantic River Bridge
Niantic River Bridge, also known as Amtrak Bascule Bridge No. 116.74, is a railroad bridge carrying Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line across the Niantic River between East Lyme, Connecticut and Waterford, Connecticut...
, and is also visible to Amtrak customers on the NEC line which as it skirts Niantic Bay.
Millstone earned OSHA's top award for workplace safety on October 14, 2004, and earned the Top Industry Practice/ Framatone ANP Vendor Award for its work developing novel ultrasonic leak inspection techniques in March 2001.
Millstone Units 2 and 3, both pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
s (one from Westinghouse
Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC is a nuclear power company, offering a wide range of nuclear products and services to utilities throughout the world, including nuclear fuel, service and maintenance, instrumentation and control and advanced nuclear plant designs...
and one from Combustion Engineering
Combustion Engineering
Combustion Engineering was an American engineering firm and leading firm in the development of power systems in the United States with approximately 30,000 employees in about a dozen states at its peak. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, C-E owned over two dozen other companies including...
), were sold to Dominion by Northeast Utilities
Northeast Utilities
Northeast Utilities is a publicly-traded, Fortune 500 energy company headquartered in Berlin, Connecticut, with several regulated subsidiaries offering retail electricity and natural gas service to more than 2.1 million customers in New England....
in 2000 and continue to operate.
On November 28, 2005, after a 22-month application and evaluation process, Millstone was granted a 20-year license extension to both units 2 and 3 by the NRC.
Unit 1
Millstone 1 was a General ElectricGeneral Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
boiling water reactor
Boiling water reactor
The boiling water reactor is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor , also a type of light water nuclear reactor...
, producing 660 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
, shut down in November 1995 before being permanently closed in July 1998. On February 20, 1996 a leaking valve forced the shutdown of this unit, and unit 2; multiple equipment failures were found.
- Construction Permit Issued: May 19, 1966
- Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) Filed: November 1, 1968
- Provisional Operating License Issued: October 7, 1970
- Full Term Operating License Issued: October 31, 1986
- Full Power License: October 7, 1970
- Initial Criticality: October 26, 1970
- Synchronized to the Grid: November 1970
- Commercial Operation: December 28, 1970
- 100% Power: January 6, 1971
- Leaking valve forced shutdown multiple equipment failures detected: February 20, 1996
- Permanently Ceased Operations: July 21, 1998
Unit 2
Millstone 2 is a Combustion Engineering plant built in the 1970s, and has a maximum power output of 2700 MWth (870 MWe). It has 2 steam generators, and 4 reactor cooling pumps (RCP). It is currently undergoing an upgrade to its safe shutdown system which already met NRC standards. During its refueling outage in October 2006, the operator installed a new pressurizer.- Construction Permit Issued: December 11, 1970
- Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) Filed: August 15, 1972
- Full Term Operating Licensing Issued: September 26, 1975
- Full Power License: September 26, 1975
- Initial Criticality: October 17, 1975
- Commercial Operation: December 26, 1975
- 100% Power: March 20, 1976
- “Stretch Power”: June 25, 1979
- Operating License Extension Requested: December 22, 1986
- Operating License Extension Issued: January 12, 1988
- Full Term Operating License Expires: December 11, 2010
- Operating License Expires: July 31, 2015
- Extended Operating License Expires: July 31, 2035
Unit 3
Millstone 3 is a Westinghouse plant that started operating in 1986, and has a maximum power output of 3411 MWth (1150 MWe). Recently, the NRC approved a power uprate for Unit 3 that will increase its electrical output 7.006% to 3650 MWth (1230 MWe). The increase will take effect by the end of 2008.- Construction Permit Issued: August 9, 1974
- Initial Criticality: January 23, 1986
- Commercial Operation: April 23, 1986
- Operating License Expires: November 25, 2025
- Extended Operating License Expires: November 25, 2045
Events
On February 26, 1996, A leaking valve forced the shutdown of units 1 and 2, multiple equipment failures were found.On April 17, 2005, Millstone plant safely shut down
Scram
A scram or SCRAM is an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor – though the term has been extended to cover shutdowns of other complex operations, such as server farms and even large model railroads...
without incident when a circuit board monitoring a steam pressure line short-circuited, which caused the board to malfunction and indicate an unsafe drop in pressure in the reactor's steam system, when in reality there was no drop in steam pressure. The cause was attributed to "tin whiskers
Whisker (metallurgy)
Metal whiskering is a crystalline metallurgical phenomenon involving the spontaneous growth of tiny, filiform hairs from a metallic surface. The effect is primarily seen on elemental metals but also occurs with alloys....
". In response to this event, Millstone implemented a procedure to inspect for these whiskers at every refueling outage, or 18 months. David Lochbaum, a scientist affiliated with the Union of Concerned Scientists
Union of Concerned Scientists
The Union of Concerned Scientists is a nonprofit science advocacy group based in the United States. The UCS membership includes many private citizens in addition to professional scientists. James J...
, while remaining critical of the processes leading to the discovery of the whiskers, praised Millstone for its handling of the situation.
In September, 2009, unit-2 shut down when an electrical storm caused power fluctuations. When workers tried to restart the unit, they discovered a small leak in the reactor coolant pump.
12/21/2009 Millstone Unit 3 Reactor Trip and Shutdown Greater Than 72 Hours.
07/27/2009 Millstone Unit 2 Reactor Trip and Shutdown Greater Than 72 Hours
Seismic risk
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Millstone was Reactor 2: 1 in 90,909; Reactor 3: 1 in 66,667, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.See also
- George GalatisGeorge GalatisGeorge Galatis was a senior nuclear engineer and whistleblower who reported safety problems at the Millstone 1 Nuclear Power Plant, relating to reactor refueling procedures, in 1996...
- List of anti-nuclear groups in the United States#Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone