Yellow Creek Nuclear Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Yellow Creek Nuclear Power Plant is a canceled nuclear power plant
project near Iuka, Mississippi
. It was originally planned to have two 1,285 MWe boiling water reactor
s built by General Electric
and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA).
Construction on the reactors began in 1978, but in August 1984, the TVA canceled construction of the reactors (with about 30% of the plant complete) because the cost to finish construction had risen dramatically and also because of lower electricity demand.
Following TVA's cancellation, the partially completed site with infrastructure already in place underwent reconstruction as a site for NASA
to build solid rocket motors. Construction was about 80% complete when Congress
pulled funding on the site in 1993. The cancellation of this project led to a poor economy and high unemployment
in the area.
Today, some buildings remain on the site including what was to be a reactor, the accompanying turbine building, and a circular base for the plant's cooling tower
.
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...
project near Iuka, Mississippi
Iuka, Mississippi
Iuka is a city in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,059 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Tishomingo County. Woodall Mountain, the highest point in Mississippi, is located just south of Iuka.- History :...
. It was originally planned to have two 1,285 MWe 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...
s built by 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...
and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
(TVA).
Construction on the reactors began in 1978, but in August 1984, the TVA canceled construction of the reactors (with about 30% of the plant complete) because the cost to finish construction had risen dramatically and also because of lower electricity demand.
Following TVA's cancellation, the partially completed site with infrastructure already in place underwent reconstruction as a site for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
to build solid rocket motors. Construction was about 80% complete when Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
pulled funding on the site in 1993. The cancellation of this project led to a poor economy and high unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
in the area.
Today, some buildings remain on the site including what was to be a reactor, the accompanying turbine building, and a circular base for the plant's cooling tower
Cooling tower
Cooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or in the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers rely...
.
See also
- Nuclear power in the United States
- List of canceled nuclear plants in the United States