Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
The Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (CCNPP) is a nuclear power plant located on the western shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland. The plant has two 2700 megawatt thermal (MWth) Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactors. Each generating plant (CCNPP 1&2) produces approximately 1000 megawatt electrical (MWe) net. As a saturated steam plant (non-superheated) it is approximately 38% efficient. Only the exhaust of the single High Pressure Main Turbine is slightly superheated by a two stage reheater before delivering the superheated steam in parallel to the three Low Pressure Turbines. Almost two thirds of the heat produced by the reactor is returned to the bay which is its heat-sink for cooling.
In 2000, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission extended the license of the plant for 20 additional years, making Calvert Cliffs the first nuclear plant in the United States to receive such an extension. President George W. Bush visited the plant in June 2005, the first time a president had visited a nuclear power plant in nearly three decades.
Constellation Energy, owner of Calvert Cliffs, announced it will probably build a new advanced U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR) at this site using the services of UniStar Nuclear Energy. It's planned that UniStar Nuclear Energy will be jointly owned by Constellation Energy (CEG) and Electicite de France (EdF), the builder and supplier of nuclear power plants in Europe. This proposed single nuclear unit will produce approximately twice the energy of each individual existing plant. See Nuclear Power 2010 Program.
An environmental report, the first principle component of a combined construction and operating license application to build the UniStar EPR, was submitted to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission by UniStar on 13 July 2007. The other main component would be a safety analysis.[1]
On July 31, 2007 Constellation Energy filed an application to the NRC to review its plans to build a new nuclear power plant, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant 3 (CCNPP 3) based on the U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor. This is the first application made in the US in almost 30 years. CCNPP 3's reactor will be rated at 3800 MWth/1600MWe. The plant will be located south of the existing CCNPP 1&2 and will be set back from the shoreline. Although only a single unit, its power plant footprint will be almost 4 times the size of the twin units CCNPP 1&2. It will have a closed-loop cooling system using a cooling tower. Units 1&2 use an open-cycle heat dissipation system (no cooling towers).
Other information
Unit 1 went into commercial service in 1975 and Unit 2 in 1977. The total cost of the two units was approximately 766 million USD.
The estimated cost of the new proposed unit will be around 4 billion USD. It's estimated it will take 6 years to place the new proposed unit into service.
Unit 1 had its two steam generators replaced in 2002. Unit 2 had its two steam generators replaced in 2003.
Unit 1 had its reactor vessel closure head replaced in 2006. Unit 2 had its reactor vessel closure head replaced in 2007.
The water around the plant (see lower-right-center of photograph) is a very popular place for anglers. The plant takes in baywater (from the fenced-in area) to cool its steam driven turbine condensers plus other bay water cooled primary and secondary system heat exchangers. It is pumped out at a nominal flow rate of 1.2 million gallons per minute (75,000 L/s) for each unit steam turbine condenser, no more than 12 °F (6.7 °C) warmer than the bay water. Unlike many other nuclear power plants, Calvert Cliffs did not have to utilize water cooling towers to return the hot water to its original temperature, structures which are often associated with nuclear power plants. The warmer water encourages faster growth (relative to the surrounding area) of the small shellfish, plankton, and others at the base of the food chain. These attract the larger fish which are in turn sought after by the anglers. However, as the water comes out very quickly and creates a sort of artificial rip current, it can be a dangerous place to fish.
External links
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