State Overview

There are three operating nuclear power plants in North Carolina:

Brunswick in Brunswick County

• Between 2002 and 2005, Progress Energy added 244 MW in new capacity at units 1 and 2 through uprates.
• In 2003, Unit 1 set a world record for continuous operation of a boiling water reactor (BWR), 707 days.

Shearon Harris in Wake County

• The last construction permit issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission went to the Harris Plant on January 27, 1978.
• On February 19, 2008, Progress Energy applied to the NRC to build two AP1000 reactors at the Harris plant. The application is currently under review.

McGuire in Mecklenburg County

• In the summer of 2007, much of the southeastern United States experienced severe drought. Lake Norman dropped from 98.2 feet to 93.7 feet, less than a foot above the minimum needed for one of the plant's backup systems.
• On December 5, 2003, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved the license renewal application covering both McGuire and Catawba.

Contribution of Nuclear Power

North Carolina’s nuclear capacity, which accounts for nearly 5% of the national total, ranks 6th among the 31 States that have operating commercial nuclear reactors.

North Carolina’s nuclear capacity is nearly 20% of the State’s total capacity but still ranks third behind coal and natural gas.

Nuclear generation accounts for roughly a third of North Carolina’s total generation, the other two-thirds coming from coal and natural gas.

Nearly all States with similarly sized nuclear industries are electricity exporters; however, North Carolina is a net importer of electricity, importing 10% of its electric energy use.

License Renewals

• Brunswick: Units 1 and 2 were approved for a 20-year license extension in June 2006. These licenses will now expire September 2036 and December 2034 respectively.
• Shearon Harris: In December 2008, Shearon Harris was approved for a 20-year license extension. This license will now expire October 2046.
• McGuire: In December 2003, McGuire was approved for a 20-year license extension. The license will now expire March 2043.

New Applications

• Shearon Harris: Progress Energy Carolinas submitted a COL application to the NRC in February 2008 to construct and operate two additional reactors at the Shearon Harris site. The reactor design will be Westinghouse’s AP1000. According to Progress, commercial operations would begin no earlier than 2018.

North Carolina Total Electric Power Industry, Summer Capacity and Net Generation, by Energy Source, 2008
Primary Energy Source	Summer Capacity (MW)	Share of State Total (Percent)	Net Generation (Thousand MWh)	Share of State Total (Percent)
Nuclear	4,958	17.9	39,776	31.8
Coal	13,069	47.2	75,815	60.5
Hydro and Pumped Storage	2,041	7.4	2,913	2.3
Natural Gas	6,679	24.1	4,177	3.3
Other1	47	0.2	316	0.3
Other Renewable1	342	1.2	1,922	1.5
Petroleum	558	2.0	320	0.3
Total	27,694	100.0	125,239	100.0
1Municipal Solid Waste net generation is allocated according to the biogenic and non-biogenic components of the fuel; however, all Municipal Solid Waste summer capacity is classified as Renewable. Notes: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Other: Blast furnace gas, propane gas, other manufactured and waste gases derived from fossil fuels, non-biogenic municipal solid waste, batteries, chemicals, hydrogen, pitch, purchased steam, sulfur, tire-derived fuel, and miscellaneous technologies. Other Renewable: Wood, black liquor, other wood waste, biogenic municipal solid waste, landfill gas, sludge waste, agriculture byproducts, other biomass, geothermal, solar thermal, photovoltaic energy, and wind. Sources: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report."

North Carolina Nuclear Power Plants, Summer Capacity and Net Generation, 2008
Plant Name/Total Reactors	Summer Capacity (MW)	Net Generation (Thousand MWh)	Share of State Nuclear Net Generation (Percent)	Owner
Brunswick Unit 1, Unit 2	1,858	14,885	37.4	Progress Energy Carolinas Inc
Harris Unit 1	900	7,821	19.7	Progress Energy Carolinas Inc
McGuire Unit 1, Unit 2	2,200	17,070	42.9	Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
3 Plants 5 Reactors	4,958	39,776	100.0
Note: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Sources: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report."

Plant Profiles

Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant

Brunswick
Unit	Summer Capacity (MW)	Net Generation (Thousand MWh)	Summer Capacity Factor (Percent)	Type	Commercial Operation Date	License Expiration Date
1	938	7,031	85.6	BWR	3/18/1977	9/8/2036
2	920	7,854	97.5	BWR	11/3/1975	12/27/2034
	1,858	14,885	91.5
Data for 2008 BWR = Boiling Water Reactor. Notes: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Sources: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report."

Operator: Progress Energy Carolinas, Inc.

Location and Service Territory: The Brunswick power plant, named for the county in which it is located, covers 1,200 acres at the mouth of the Cape Fear River.

Construction Cost: $2.490 billion (2007 USD)

Reactor Descriptions: Both units are General Electric Type 4 boiling water reactors.

Cooling System: The Brunswick facility is cooled with a once-through system that pulls water from the Cape Fear River and discharges it 2,000 feet out in the Atlantic Ocean.

Shearon Harris Nuclear Generating Station

Harris
Unit	Summer Capacity (MW)	Net Generation (Thousand MWh)	Summer Capacity Factor (Percent)	Type	Commercial Operation Date	License Expiration Date
1	900	7,821	99.2	PWR	5/2/1987	10/24/2046
	900	7,821	99.2
Data for 2008 PWR = Pressurized Light Water Reactor. Notes: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Sources: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report."

Operator: Progress Energy Carolinas, Inc.

Location and Service Territory: The Shearon Harris nuclear power plant (often called the Harris plant) is located near Raleigh, North Carolina on a 10,723-acre site in southwestern Wake County.

Construction Cost: 6.459 billion (2007 USD)

Staffing: There are about 450 Progress Energy employees on site and around 200 contractors.

Reactor Description: The Shearon Harris plant has a Westinghouse three-loop pressurized water reactor.

Cooling System: Cooling is provided by a 526-foot high natural draft cooling tower which draws water from the Harris Reservoir.

McGuire Nuclear Power Plant

McGuire
Unit	Summer Capacity (MW)	Net Generation (Thousand MWh)	Summer Capacity Factor (Percent)	Type	Commercial Operation Date	License Expiration Date
1	1,100	8,357	86.7	PWR	12/1/1981	6/12/2041
2	1,100	8,713	90.4	PWR	3/1/1984	3/3/2043
	2,200	17,070	88.6
Data for 2008 PWR = Pressurized Light Water Reactor. Notes: Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding. Sources: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-923, "Power Plant Operations Report."

Operator: Duke Power Company

Location and Service Territory: This station is located on a 586-acre site near Huntersville, North Carolina. Adjacent to the site is the largest man-made lake in the State, the 32,500-acre Lake Norman.

Construction Cost: $4.000 billion (2007 USD)

Staffing: Approximately 1,250 employees work at McGuire.

Reactor Descriptions: McGuire has twin Westinghouse four-loop pressurized water reactors.

Cooling System: McGuire’s once-through system draws water from Lake Norman.

¹ An Analysis of Nuclear Power Plant Construction Costs, DOE/EIA-0485, Energy Information Administration, 1985, p. 109, Table C2. Costs do not include Allowance for Funds Used During Construction (AFUDC).
² Due to construction delays with TVA’s Watts Bar 1, however, the TVA reactor became the last new commercial reactor to receive an operating license.
³Adjusted to 2007 Dollars using Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index.
⁴ Drought Could Shut Down Nuclear Power Plants: Southeast Water Shortage a Factor in Huge Cooling Requirements, by Jason E. Miczek, Associated Press, January 23, 2008.

see also:
more annual nuclear statistics
projected electricity capacity to 2035
international electricity statistics