Questions & Answers

In December 2007, Duke Energy submitted a combined construction and operating license (COL) application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a new nuclear station in Cherokee County, S.C. It took approximately two years to prepare the COL and the NRC anticipates it may take up to 42 months to review the application.

While Duke Energy has not decided to build a new nuclear station, we are working now to ensure that clean, new nuclear generation is an available option to meet our customers’ future electricity needs.

Duke Energy evaluated a number of excellent new reactor technologies. Following our thorough evaluation of these technologies, we selected the Westinghouse AP1000 technology (advanced passive pressurized water reactor - PWR). Westinghouse PWR technology is proven technology, and is currently in use at McGuire and Catawba nuclear stations.

Westinghouse is partnering with The Shaw Group Inc., a global engineering, design, construction and operations firm, on engineering work for this project. See our Technology section for more information.

In 2005, we evaluated a number of good options across our service area in the Carolinas. After a comprehensive siting review, we selected a site in Cherokee County, S.C.

Naming the project is part of the license application process. In June 2006, Duke Energy announced the proposed Cherokee County project would be named the William States Lee III Nuclear Station (Lee Nuclear Station). Lee was the former chairman and CEO of Duke Power. He led both national and international efforts to establish standards of nuclear safety and operating excellence, while championing multiple community causes.

Project development activities:

• Demolition work began in 2007 to remove existing structures from previous construction on the Cherokee County site. Since then, we have reused 63, 725 cubic yards of concrete. The concrete has been used for crusher-run in road beds, as well as riprap around site ponds. In addition, we recycled steel from old buildings and sent 6,200 gross tons for reuse.
• We conducted a detailed siting study to select transmission routes to connect existing Duke Energy transmission lines to Lee Nuclear Station.
• Another aspect of our project development work included a detailed assessment of the potential water needs for the proposed plant. This evaluation required analysis of numerous factors, such as available water sources, needs of upstream/downstream water users and station requirements. In light of the drought that affected our region, we worked closely with local, state and federal agencies to conduct an additional review. As a result of this assessment, we determined the addition of a third cooling water source – another industrial pond – would provide additional backup water during a prolonged drought while minimizing impact on other water sources.

The three nuclear stations owned and/or operated by Duke Energy provide about half of our total electric generation in the Carolinas. Over Duke Energy’s nuclear fleet’s operating lifetime, from 1973 through today, the seven units we operate have safely and reliably generated more than 1.4 billion megawatts of electricity. In the United States, nuclear energy provides electricity for one in five homes and businesses.

Nuclear energy is:

• Clean. Nuclear energy is one of the cleanest power sources today. Nuclear power plants produce no greenhouse gases and are America’s largest source of carbon-free electricity.
• Safe and secure. Nuclear power plants are among the most secure facilities in the world. They are designed and operated with extensive safety and security guidelines to protect the public.
• Reliable and affordable. Nuclear energy can reliably provide large amounts of electricity around-the-clock to meet customers’ energy needs. Nuclear power plants are the lowest-cost provider of large-scale electricity, producing electricity for about 1.87 cents per kilowatt-hour.

For more than 35 years, Duke Energy has safely operated its nuclear fleet to cost-effectively power homes, businesses and communities. Our first unit began operating in 1973 at Oconee Nuclear Station near Seneca, S.C. A second and third unit followed in 1974. Oconee’s three nuclear reactors are capable of providing more than 2,538 megawatts of electricity.

In 1981 and 1984, McGuire Nuclear Station’s two units in Huntersville, N.C., began operating, providing 2,200 megawatts of electricity.

In 1985 and 1986, Catawba Nuclear Station’s two units in York, S.C., began operating, providing 2,258 megawatts of electricity. Catawba brought Duke Energy’s nuclear production capability to today’s total of about 7,000 megawatts.

The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licenses U.S. nuclear power plants to operate for 40 years. The NRC chose this license term primarily because it corresponded with utilities’ standard accounting practice of depreciating power plants over 40 years. It was not based on safety, technical or environmental issues.

Current federal regulations permit nuclear plant owners to renew their plants’ operating license for an additional 20 years. To renew a license, the NRC must be satisfied the plant can operate safely for an additional 20 years. Duke Energy’s Oconee Nuclear Station received its extended license in May 2000, making it the second nuclear plant in the U.S. to do so. Catawba and McGuire nuclear stations both received their extended licenses in December 2003.

Dozens of nuclear plants have been granted license renewals already and since no nuclear plant has operated long enough to explore renewal after the additional 20 years, there is still a possibility of further license extension. As the source of approximately 20 percent of our nation’s electricity, nuclear power is clearly a major contributor to our nation’s energy supply, and must continue to be in the future.

The federal government has responsibility for permanently disposing of high-level waste (used nuclear fuel). Until a permanent disposal facility is licensed, used nuclear fuel is safely and securely stored at plant sites in storage pools or specially designed dry storage containers. Duke Energy has more than 35 years of experience handling used nuclear fuel. Our employees are well-trained, environmentally conscious professionals who take pride in their work.

Used nuclear fuel can be recycled to make new fuel. All of the used nuclear fuel generated in every nuclear plant in the past 50 years would fill a football field to a depth of less than 10 yards, and 96 percent of this “waste” can be recycled. President Obama has appointed a Blue Ribbon Commission to re-evaluate fuel storage and we continue to support the government's efforts to fulfill its obligation to accept and manage used nuclear fuel. Until a national repository or recycling is available, utilities will continue to safely and securely store used fuel at nuclear stations.

Radiation is a natural part of our environment. We receive radiation from the sun, minerals in the earth, the food we eat and building materials in our houses. Even our bodies give off small amounts of radiation. Some radiation also comes from manmade sources such as medical and dental X-rays, televisions and smoke detectors.

The amount of radiation a person gets is measured in millirems. The average person receives about 360 millirems of radiation each year – about 80 percent comes from natural sources and the rest from manmade sources. Nuclear power plants contribute a very small amount of radiation to the environment which is carefully monitored, meets established regulations and is reported to the appropriate local, state and federal agencies.

Visit the EPA’s Web site to enter RadTown USA, an interactive tool used to explore a virtual community of houses, schools, laser light shows, construction equipment, flying planes and moving trains. Each place in RadTown helps you learn about radiation sources or radiation- treated items you might find there.

The white cloud – or plume – is simply water vapor being released from the plant’s large cooling towers. Some of our plants in North Carolina and South Carolina use lakes to cool the water, so the large towers are unnecessary. Lake or river water flows through thousands of tubes to cool steam and turn it back into water. It is then discharged down a long canal (for further cooling) and eventually enters the main part of the lake or river.

At other plants, the cooling water is circulated through cooling towers to remove the extra heat it has gained. The water is pumped to the top of the cooling towers and pours down through the structure. At the same time, a set of fans at the top of each tower pulls air up through the condenser water to cool it even more. The condenser water then flows back into the turbine building to begin condensing steam again.

Nuclear stations have numerous safety and security features. An 8-inch-thick steel container – the reactor vessel – surrounds the fuel in a nuclear power plant. Sealing the reactor vessel is a multi-ton steel cap. Outside the steel container is a 3-foot-thick concrete shield, and protecting all of this is a leak-tight, steel-reinforced concrete containment structure with walls about 3 feet thick. In addition, every U.S. nuclear power reactor has layer upon layer of safety systems, an approach known as “safety in depth.”

Nuclear plants must meet stringent security requirements set by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and all U.S. nuclear plants have extensive security programs and features. These include being guarded 24 hours a day by armed, well-trained security forces; physical intrusion barriers consisting of concrete structures and razor wire fences; and advanced surveillance equipment that continually monitors areas surrounding the plant. The industry’s commitment to safety and security is demonstrated by multiple actions and safety approaches. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates the nuclear energy industry and has inspectors at every nuclear plant in the country.

No. It is physically impossible for a commercial nuclear plant to blow up like an atomic bomb. A nuclear power plant does not have enough of the right concentration of fuel (uranium-235) to produce a nuclear explosion. Uranium-235 makes up about 4 percent of the fuel used at commercial nuclear facilities. To have an explosion, uranium-235 must make up nearly 100 percent of the fuel. In addition, the fuel in a reactor is distributed in such a way that it does not release energy instantaneously – instead, it is a controlled reaction that sustains energy production for beneficial purposes.