Owner/operator: Duke Energy Corp.
Duke Energy’s nuclear fleet provides electricity to approximately half of the utility’s customers in the Carolinas. The 2,538-MW Oconee Nuclear Station is part of that fleet and has been a pacesetter among U.S. nuclear plants since it began operation in 1973. In order to maintain the plant’s productivity and reliability, its staff implemented a comprehensive controls modernization project that spanned a decade. With its new state-of-the-art upgrades, the facility has become a leader in applying digital electronic technology in the nuclear power industry.
The Oconee Nuclear Station (Figure 1) is set in the northwestern corner of South Carolina, which is a land of waterfalls, cool pine forests, and rivers with fast rapids that are popular among whitewater rafters. Fittingly located not far from the Chattooga River, where the movie Deliverance was filmed, the plant for more than 36 years has successfully delivered more than 500 million MWh of electricity to its customers. According to Duke Energy, it is the first nuclear plant to achieve this milestone.
1. Leading by example. Through the years, the Oconee Nuclear Station has excelled in providing safe, reliable energy. For example, it is the first U.S. nuclear plant to successfully deliver more than 500 million MWh of electricity to its customers. Courtesy: Duke Energy Corp.
Looking Back
Duke Energy Corp. designed and constructed Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Units 1 and 2 began commercial operation in 1973, and Unit 3 began operation in 1974. The units have a common Babcock & Wilcox pressurized water reactor design, and each has a rated electrical generating capacity of 885 MW. The original control systems were analog systems, based on standard power plant engineering practices of the time, with no redundancy designed into the systems. During the course of operation through the mid-1990s, plant trips and transients were experienced due to single-point vulnerabilities in the nonsafety control systems. Another problem became evident in the 1980s when original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for control and protection systems began to discontinue support for that equipment.
Recognizing the economic and environmental benefits of operating ONS beyond the original 40-year license, Duke applied for and, in 2000, received a license extension from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) permitting plant operation through 2034. Duke recognized that significant replacements and upgrades would be required to continue operating the facility in a reliable, cost-efficient manner well into the 21st century.
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