Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station

Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear and gas-fired power plant located on a 3,300-acre (1,300 ha) site two miles east of Homestead, Florida, United States, next to Biscayne National Park located about 25 miles (40 km) south of Miami, Florida near the southernmost edge of Miami-Dade County. The facility is owned by Florida Power & Light.

Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station
Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station in Homestead, Florida
Official nameTurkey Point
CountryUnited States
LocationHomestead, Florida, U.S.
Coordinates25°26′3″N 80°19′50″W
StatusOperational
Construction beganUnit 3–4: April 27, 1967
Commission dateUnit 1: April 1967
Unit 2: April 1968
Unit 3: December 14, 1972
Unit 4: September 7, 1973
Unit 5: May 2007
Construction costUnits 3–4: $1.013 billion (2007 USD)[1]
Unit 5: $200 million (2007 USD)[2]
Owner(s)Florida Power & Light
Operator(s)Florida Power & Light
Nuclear power station
Reactor typePWR
Reactor supplierWestinghouse
Thermal power station
Primary fuelNatural gas
Secondary fuelDistillate fuel oil
Tertiary fuelResidual fuel oil
Turbine technologySteam turbine (Units 1–2, Unit 5), gas turbine (Unit 5)
Cooling sourceCanal system (Units 1–2)
Canal system (Units 3–4)
Mechanical Draft 22-cell cooling tower (Unit 5)
Combined cycle?No (Units 1–2)
Yes (Unit 5)
Thermal capacity2 × 2644 MWth (nuclear)
Power generation
Units operational2 × 802 MW (nuclear)
1 × 1150 MW (CCGT)
Make and model2 × WH 3-loop (DRYAMB)
4 × 170–180 MW GE 7FA gas turbines
4 × Nooter gas-fired heat recovery steam generators
1 × 470 MW steam turbine
Units planned2 × 1117 MW AP1000
Units decommissioned2 × 404 MW Foster-Wheeler fuel oil/natural gas/used oil/propane steam turbines
Nameplate capacity2754 MW (1604 MW nuclear, 1150 MW CCGT)
Capacity factor74.71% (2017, 90.51% nuclear, 52.65% CCGT)
Annual net output13,904 GWh (2021 - Nuclear)
5,431 GWh (2021 - CCGT)
External links
WebsiteTurkey Point Nuclear Plant
CommonsRelated media on Commons

Including the two nuclear plants, Turkey Point operates three power-generating units. It comprises two retired 404 megawatt fuel oil/natural gas/used oil/propane-fired generation units (Units 1 and 2), two 802 MWe Westinghouse pressurized water reactors (Units 3 and 4), and a 1,150 MW combined-cycle gas-fired Unit 5.[3] It serves the entire southern portion of Florida. With a combined operational capacity of 2754 MW, the site is the third largest generating station in Florida and the eleventh largest power plant in the United States.[4]

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized its staff to issue combined licences for Florida Power and Light to build and operate two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors at its Turkey Point site.[5]

Construction

The two pressurized water reactors were completed in 1972 and 1973.[6]

Expansion

In 2002, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) extended the operating licenses for both nuclear reactors from forty years to sixty years. In 2006, Florida Power & Light (FPL) informed the NRC that they planned to apply for new units to be built at Turkey Point. FPL filed an initial proposal for increased capacity with the Florida Public Service Commission in October 2007.[7] The proposal was approved by the PSC in March 2008.[8]

FPL also planned to spend about $1.5 billion to increase the capacity of its existing four reactors at Turkey Point and the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant by a total of about 400 MW by 2012.[9]

On June 30, 2009, FPL submitted a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) application for two 1,117-MWe Westinghouse AP1000 reactors (Units 6 and 7).[10] FPL had considered building two 1,550-MWe GE ESBWR reactors.[3] Construction was expected to begin in 2012, with the new units going online in 2017 and 2019. FPL estimated the total overnight costs of the power plants, including first fuel load, at $6.8–$9.9 billion, and the total project cost at $12.1–$17.8 billion.[11] The COLs for units 6 and 7 were authorized by the NRC in April 2018.[12]

Criticism of expansion

The expansion received criticism from some South Florida mayors over concerns about water usage, insufficient evacuation zones and increased risks from rising sea levels.[13]

Electricity Production
Generation (MWh) of Turkey Point Nuclear Generation Station (Nuclear Only)[14]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual (Total)
2001 1,028,970 906,412 1,047,676 1,047,676 1,008,498 1,039,397 988,861 911,070 1,033,977 522,648 1,056,886 1,040,054 11,632,125
2002 1,074,567 957,010 944,157 860,165 1,005,008 952,667 1,113,038 1,029,094 995,835 1,033,784 1,032,952 1,075,207 12,073,484
2003 1,004,383 874,861 555,963 981,470 1,002,420 1,008,644 1,034,623 1,011,900 997,385 569,042 939,734 1,027,621 11,008,046
2004 1,082,337 1,004,424 1,073,628 1,029,183 897,705 927,920 1,028,562 1,022,239 920,897 527,908 511,232 780,502 10,806,537
2005 913,433 960,892 975,070 613,091 528,896 704,986 769,997 1,023,700 1,014,634 712,457 796,178 1,025,245 10,038,579
2006 1,072,761 937,361 615,305 832,169 994,493 1,014,367 1,048,683 1,030,588 1,013,079 1,005,524 519,531 879,537 10,963,398
2007 1,075,874 917,791 1,060,406 1,011,865 1,049,013 731,540 934,832 1,036,810 526,504 761,285 1,045,076 1,075,908 11,226,904
2008 1,082,163 878,513 979,115 517,859 830,864 986,121 1,043,844 899,368 1,020,880 1,001,805 1,049,505 1,082,828 11,372,865
2009 1,083,583 957,038 783,960 507,254 808,660 1,010,699 1,035,955 1,035,596 1,009,139 936,630 516,252 990,616 10,675,382
2010 1,018,294 967,376 1,083,397 1,030,569 1,051,048 998,213 1,040,869 1,026,391 799,817 532,177 807,035 950,215 11,305,401
2011 1,083,606 970,186 723,049 509,797 753,423 1,018,828 1,042,821 1,042,777 1,009,929 787,503 930,189 1,035,504 10,907,612
2012 1,077,256 816,872 532,927 515,458 514,979 507,690 513,086 503,943 577,674 804,287 633,161 613,143 7,610,476
2013 596,329 256,221 298,366 621,162 782,224 1,172,266 1,211,502 1,203,378 1,163,634 1,188,498 1,187,251 1,225,113 10,905,944
2014 1,231,305 1,092,018 903,771 619,754 1,098,761 1,060,762 1,073,923 1,017,330 944,911 714,650 1,156,771 1,136,740 12,050,696
2015 1,227,341 1,114,180 1,168,151 1,138,166 999,560 1,156,650 1,194,915 1,193,646 1,171,287 956,099 599,068 1,127,589 13,046,652
2016 1,254,763 1,176,451 1,177,979 601,461 1,208,604 1,181,410 1,164,217 1,181,456 1,177,964 1,160,402 1,203,317 1,245,436 13,733,460
2017 1,253,203 1,125,418 974,846 642,437 1,228,267 1,185,500 1,214,936 1,216,600 971,665 669,622 983,053 1,252,752 12,718,299
2018 1,260,447 1,126,975 1,251,370 1,199,303 1,239,581 1,178,649 1,214,570 1,191,902 1,167,430 616,413 1,020,714 1,282,414 13,749,768
2019 1,276,919 1,143,527 829,018 979,419 1,222,199 1,212,671 1,249,833 1,252,019 1,202,349 1,262,984 1,232,959 1,278,541 14,142,438
2020 1,279,903 1,191,328 1,201,311 685,036 1,264,461 1,213,943 946,810 1,096,412 1,207,649 669,685 756,185 1,106,259 12,618,982
2021 1,287,050 1,112,321 1,171,014 1,248,415 1,283,540 1,238,944 1,270,435 1,144,505 1,229,922 795,442 819,222 1,303,794 13,904,604
2022 1,305,312 1,178,579 862,737 990,489 1,290,736 1,242,758 1,280,667 1,279,337 1,240,396 1,295,361 11,966,372
2023
Generation (MWh) of Turkey Point Nuclear Generation Station (Natural Gas Only)[14]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual (Total)
2001 26,118 56,918 73,146 102,638 97,483 129,586 117,594 33,265 147,473 192,602 125,118 164,866 1,266,807
2002 136,002 118,181 23,951 96,774 110,521 151,506 171,531 118,963 73,306 181,200 96,476 46,305 1,324,716
2003 30,805 9,784 15,289 7,853 99,988 89,527 41,091 74,370 113,958 82,130 97,662 27,395 689,852
2004 22,902 26,628 47,447 41,135 60,473 8,371 3,119 65,784 118,806 110,965 40,776 33,792 580,198
2005 51,607 14,689 15,817 31,774 22,699 67,482 13,257 44,658 25,716 161,499 138,925 11,376 599,499
2006 65,358 72,074 88,833 117,762 131,770 204,506 154,695 85,965 254,666 166,147 63,774 23,043 1,428,593
2007 39,937 12,311 18,317 279,640 614,605 647,376 632,010 646,381 652,408 646,121 580,769 623,089 5,392,964
2008 561,289 624,752 480,718 676,456 638,484 662,602 629,599 683,347 640,199 260,969 117,024 541,408 6,516,847
2009 511,900 484,854 564,616 648,279 612,300 629,077 652,588 654,454 678,284 641,024 594,038 464,629 7,136,043
2010 520,172 478,803 558,724 377,453 501,805 498,917 553,334 612,923 612,707 559,796 549,643 350,158 6,174,435
2011 484,428 388,725 260,158 708,907 637,179 570,788 590,597 617,766 556,188 415,815 244,955 505,032 5,980,538
2012 527,004 503,630 648,788 687,775 657,334 605,580 661,659 705,176 633,304 605,326 308,223 455,520 6,999,319
2013 543,186 585,555 620,779 640,122 622,102 528,546 604,208 564,951 603,190 599,230 536,003 486,781 6,934,653
2014 484,170 320,979 503,090 585,411 562,074 526,199 642,077 679,599 638,656 642,121 213,299 489,745 6,287,420
2015 524,445 468,566 536,429 575,763 686,497 664,558 649,332 659,663 641,620 678,051 681,424 499,184 7,265,532
2016 496,185 457,439 402,332 600,409 566,580 596,609 650,109 656,336 607,674 603,407 505,944 498,538 6,641,562
2017 524,422 507,375 614,925 590,021 599,683 567,989 597,403 581,642 396,167 148,564 7,314 162,839 5,298,344
2018 296,270 307,867 490,241 493,592 562,822 563,251 634,990 669,099 647,783 605,717 523,645 253,857 6,049,134
2019 397,765 388,185 579,371 533,839 633,981 639,676 628,162 605,435 622,066 0 0 91,309 5,119,789
2020 310,802 451,840 556,513 536,235 487,004 587,490 592,280 608,538 582,836 644,241 606,160 417,881 6,381,820
2021 248,371 361,536 212,147 607,730 150,712 571,417 647,779 663,091 625,985 651,304 379,333 312,050 5,431,455
2022 370,289 357,000 676,376 600,684 591,532 539,666 633,857 628,659 585,435 508,524 5,492,022
2023

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.[15]

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Turkey Point was 161,556, an increase of 62.8 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 3,476,981, an increase of 15.1 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Miami (25 miles to city center).[16]

Incident history

May 8, 1974

A test was performed on all three of the Emergency Feedwater (EFW) pumps serving Unit 3 while the reactor was operating at power. Two of the pumps failed to start as a result of overtightened packing. The third pump failed to start because of a malfunction in the turbine regulating valve pneumatic controller. In an ongoing study of precursors that could lead to a nuclear accident if additional failures were to have occurred, the NRC concluded in October 2005 that this event at Turkey Point Unit 3 was the fifth-highest ranked occurrence.

August 24, 1992

Turkey Point was directly hit by Hurricane Andrew on August 24, 1992, destroying two raw water tanks and portions of the fire protection systems, draining another raw water tank, partially disabling the fire protection systems, causing severe damage to various non-nuclear structures, and cracking the smokestack for fossil-fueled Unit 1. The smokestack later had to be demolished and rebuilt. It also suffered a total loss of offsite power, requiring the use of the onsite emergency diesel generators for several days. No significant damage was done to the plant's nuclear containment buildings.[17][18] The plant was built to withstand winds of up to 235 mph (380 km/h), greatly exceeding the maximum winds recorded by most category 5 hurricanes.

March 18, 2017

On March 18, 2017, an electrical fault occurred in a Unit 3 switchgear room, resulting in the loss of a safety related electrical bus and a reactor trip. Other safety systems functioned as required, ensuring adequate reactor cooling. There was no threat to local residents or the environment, and the alert, the second-lowest Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) emergency declaration, was terminated later that same day.[19] The electrical fault caused an arc flash, resulting in a minor burn of a plant worker who was in the room and was treated at a local hospital.[20] On March 22, 2017, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it had initiated a special inspection into the failure of the electrical bus that resulted in the plant declaring an alert.[21]

2008 Florida electricity blackout
Turkey Point Generating Station from the Biscayne National Park visitor center

On February 26, 2008, both reactors were shut down due to the loss of off-site power during a widespread power outage in South Florida, affecting 700,000 customers.[22]

At least 2.5 million people were without power. The blackout was initially caused by an overheated voltage switch that soon caught fire in a power substation in Miami, 23 miles away from the plant. The fire occurred at 1:08 PM and caused an automatic shutdown of the power plant. This led to a domino effect that caused outages as far north as Daytona Beach and Tampa. Power was restored by 4:30 PM. The reason this malfunction caused such widespread outages is still under investigation.[23]

Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando International Airport, and Miami International Airport were among the places affected by the outage.[24]

David Hoffman, a nuclear supervisor at Turkey Point, resigned over the incident and was subsequently sued by Florida Power and Light for return of a bonus. Hoffman countersued, claiming he was pressured to restart the reactors while they were in a condition which in his judgment made it unsafe to do so. Upper management wanted the reactors restarted during xenon dead time, which would have led to the operators at the controls having to continuously step control rods to safely manage reactor output.

Florida Power and Light responded to the allegation, claiming Hoffman's suit was "self-motivated".[25][26]

Ecology

The site is home to a large wildlife preserve.

Turkey Point has been a contributing force to the reclassification of the American crocodile from endangered to the less serious category of vulnerable.[27]

Cooling canals

Instead of a cooling tower, the plant has a large five-by-two mile (10-square-mile (26 km2)) network of canals covering nearly 6,000 acres (2,400 ha).[28] Several problems have arisen from this, including pollution of nearby national parks or water supply, particularly the Biscayne Aquifer,[29] issues with overheating, and radioactive material.[30] Overheating in the canals twice caused the plant to shut down reactors in 2014.[29] In September 2016, a controversial cleanup process began that included injecting hypersaline water deep into the boulder zone beneath the aquifer and/or making some of the unlined canals more shallow. 600,000 pounds of salt gets into the canal system daily, and the saltwater contamination reaches 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the system as well as possibly into Biscayne Bay.[31]

Seismic risk

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Turkey Point was 1 in 100,000, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.[32][33] The plant is located in an area with the lowest earthquake hazard potential described by the USGS.[34]

Reactor data

The Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station consists of two operational reactors, and two additional units are planned.

Reactor unit[35] Reactor type Capacity(MW) Construction started Electricity grid connection Commercial operation Shutdown
Net Gross
Turkey Point-3 Westinghouse 3-loop 693 729 27.04.1967 02.11.1972 14.12.1972
Turkey Point-4 21.06.1973 07.09.1973
Turkey Point-6 (planned)[36] AP1000 1117 - Licensed[12]
Turkey Point-7 (planned)[36]

In 2019 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a second 20-year licence extension for units 3 and 4, the first time NRC had extended licences to an 80-year total lifetime.[37]

Name

Speculation about the name Turkey Point, first known written reference in 1865, suggests that it is because of the presence of the anhinga.[38]

See also

References
  1. "EIA - State Nuclear Profiles". www.eia.gov. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  2. "COVER FEATURE: Projects of the Year". www.power-eng.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  3. DiSavino, Scott (October 13, 2008). "FPL Fla. Turkey Point 4 reactor shut". Reuters. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  4. "Electricity explained – Electricity in the United States". eia.gov. U.S. Energy Information Administration. July 15, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022. Electricity in the United States is produced (generated) with diverse energy sources and technologies
  5. Dalton, David (February 2, 2018). "NRC Gives Go-Ahead For Two AP1000 Reactors At Turkey Point In Florida". The Independent Global Nuclear News Agency. Central Office, NucNet a s b l , Brussels, Belgium.
  6. Commission, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory (1990). Nuclear Regulatory Commission Issuances: Opinions and Decisions of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with Selected Orders.
  7. "FPL moves to add nuclear plants in S. Dade". Miami Herald. October 17, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  8. John Dorschner; Curtis Morgan (March 19, 2008). "FPL reactor proposal advances". The Miami Herald. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  9. DiSavino, Scott (June 1, 2009). "FPL Fla. Turkey Point 4 reactor back at full power". Reuters. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  10. "Turkey Point, Units 6 and 7 Application". Combined License Applications for New Reactors. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). July 2, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  11. "Application for Florida reactors". World Nuclear News. July 23, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  12. "Regulator approves licences for new Florida units". World Nuclear News.
  13. Staletovich, Jenny (April 15, 2015). "Mayors make case against FPL nuclear expansion". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  14. "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  15. "NRC: Backgrounder on Emergency Preparedness for Nuclear Power Plants". Archived from the original on October 2, 2006. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
  16. Bill Dedman, Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors, NBC News, April 14, 2011 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42555888 Accessed May 1, 2011.
  17. "NRC Information Notice 93-53: Effect of Hurricane Andrew on Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station and Lessons Learned". NRC.gov. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. July 20, 1993. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  18. "NRC Information Notice 93-53, Supplement 1: Effect of Hurricane Andrew on Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station and Lessons Learned". NRC.gov. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. April 29, 1994. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
  19. "Nuclear regulators inspecting FPL's Turkey Point plant after small explosion".
  20. "Minor electrical fire at Turkey Point injures one". Miami Herald.
  21. "Nuclear regulators inspecting FPL's Turkey Point plant after small explosion".
  22. DiSavino, Scott (February 26, 2008). "FPL Fla, Turkey Pt reactors shut due to power outage". Reuters. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
  23. "FPL mystery: How did small fire knock out power to millions?". Sun-Sentinel. February 27, 2008. Archived from the original on March 1, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
  24. "Reasons For Blackout In Central, Southern Florida Remain A Mystery - News Story - WFTV Orlando". Archived from the original on April 3, 2008.
  25. "Court papers reveal nuclear feud at Turkey Point". The Miami Herald. March 12, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  26. "Court papers: Nuclear feud at Fla. plant". UPI.com. March 12, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  27. CBS News. Endangered Crocs Make A Comeback.
  28. David A. Chin. "The Cooling-Canal System at the FPL Turkey Point Power Station" (PDF). Miami-Dade County. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  29. Jenny Staletovich (April 25, 2016). "Florida cites FPL for Turkey Point cooling canal violations". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  30. Mary Ellen Klas (July 28, 2016). "Should FPL retire its cooling canals? Report makes the case". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  31. Susan Salisbury (October 27, 2016). "FPL's Turkey Point fix won't solve pollution problems, group says". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  32. Bill Dedman, "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk," NBC News, March 17, 2011 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42103936 Accessed April 19, 2011.
  33. "The Cooling-Canal System at the FPL Turkey Point Power Station" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  34. "Florida". Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  35. Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA: "United States of America: Nuclear Power Reactors- Alphabetic" Archived June 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  36. "Turkey Point, Units 6 & 7 | NRC.gov".
  37. "Turkey Point licensed for 80 years of operation". World Nuclear News. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  38. "Turkey Point Works in Community Partnership". Emergency Management of Monroe County. Florida Power & Light Company. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
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