River Bend Nuclear Generating Station
Encyclopedia
River Bend Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power station on a 3300 acres (13.4 km²) site near St. Francisville, Louisiana
, approximately 30 mile north of Baton Rouge
. The plant has a General Electric
978 MW boiling water reactor
, which began operation on June 16, 1986.
River Bend is operated by Entergy Nuclear and owned by Entergy Gulf States, Inc.
Unlike the Waterford Nuclear Generating Station
downriver in Hahnville
, River Bend continued operation throughout Hurricane Katrina
in 2005.
The plant was shut down during Hurricane Gustav
in 2008.
(COL) application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) for a new nuclear reactor at River Bend, of the 1,550 MWe Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor
(ESBWR) type.
The reactor's cost is an estimated $6.2 billion.
The NRC's review of the 13,000-page application will take at least 36 months.
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 River Bend was 23,466, an increase of 11.1 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 951,103, an increase of 11.2 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Baton Rouge (25 miles to city center).
In 2008 there was a confirmed tritium
leak.
St. Francisville, Louisiana
St. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:St...
, approximately 30 mile north of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. The plant has a General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
978 MW 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...
, which began operation on June 16, 1986.
River Bend is operated by Entergy Nuclear and owned by Entergy Gulf States, Inc.
Unlike the Waterford Nuclear Generating Station
Waterford Nuclear Generating Station
The Waterford Steam Electric Station, Unit 3, also known as Waterford 3, is a nuclear power plant located on a 3,000-acre plot in Killona, Louisiana, in St. Charles Parish....
downriver in Hahnville
Hahnville, Louisiana
Hahnville is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,792 at the 2000 census...
, River Bend continued operation throughout Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005.
The plant was shut down during Hurricane Gustav
Hurricane Gustav
The name Gustav has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean:* 1984's Tropical Storm Gustav - Spent most of its existence as a tropical depression hovering over Bermuda, no major damage was reported....
in 2008.
Unit 3
On September 25, 2008, Entergy filed a Combined Construction and Operating LicenseCombined Construction and Operating License
The Combined Construction and Operating License replaced the previous Draft Regulatory Guide 1145 as the licensing process for new nuclear power plants in the United States...
(COL) application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear 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...
(NRC) for a new nuclear reactor at River Bend, of the 1,550 MWe Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor
Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor
The type of nuclear reactor formally known as the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor is a passively safe generation III+ reactor derived from the predecessor Simplified Boiling Water Reactor and the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor...
(ESBWR) type.
The reactor's cost is an estimated $6.2 billion.
The NRC's review of the 13,000-page application will take at least 36 months.
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 River Bend was 23,466, an increase of 11.1 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 951,103, an increase of 11.2 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Baton Rouge (25 miles to city center).
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 River Bend was 1 in 40,000, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.Safety record
In 1994 junk was found accumulated in an emergency water pool, posing a potential clogging danger.In 2008 there was a confirmed tritium
Tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium contains one proton and no neutrons...
leak.