Blog

Each morning, every nuclear electrical energy generator in america studies its working standing to the Nuclear Regulatory Fee (NRC). The NRC compiles this data in its Energy Reactor Standing Report, and we current that data in interactive visualizations on our Standing of Nuclear Outages web page. Our evaluation device combines the NRC day by day standing with knowledge gathered from our Annual Electrical Generator Report and Month-to-month Replace to the Annual Electrical Generator Report. The web page consists of two maps displaying the capability and outage standing of U.S. nuclear vegetation.

Nuclear energy reactors are usually refueled each 18 to 24 months. Though the refueling course of might be accomplished in as few as 10 days, outage durations are usually longer due to noncritical upkeep that’s accomplished concurrently with refueling to reduce downtime over the course of the 12 months.

Nuclear turbines usually function at or close to most capability. Nuclear plant operators usually schedule refueling outages for the autumn and spring months, generally known as shoulder months, when the demand for electrical energy is often lowest as a result of demand for heating and cooling is decrease.

Though we launched the Standing of Nuclear Outages web page in 2015, it consists of NRC’s day by day data on nuclear reactor standing again to January 1, 2007. The web page exhibits the magnitude of outages however doesn’t present data on the reason for these outages. The NRC makes further plant standing data out there 4 weeks after the outage is initially reported.

Principal contributor: EIA Workers. Initially printed on EIA’s As we speak in Power weblog.