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Salem Nuclear Power Plant

Coordinates: 39°27′46″N 75°32′8″W / 39.46278°N 75.53556°W / 39.46278; -75.53556
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Salem Nuclear Power Plant
The entire PSEG nuclear complex as seen from the Delaware Bay.
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationLower Alloways Creek, Salem County, New Jersey
Coordinates39°27′46″N 75°32′8″W / 39.46278°N 75.53556°W / 39.46278; -75.53556
StatusOperational
Construction beganSeptember 25, 1968 (1968-09-25)
Commission dateUnit 1: June 30, 1977
Unit 2: October 13, 1981
Construction cost$4.283 billion (2007 USD)[1]
OwnersConstellation Energy (43%)
PSEG (57%)
OperatorPSEG
Nuclear power station
Reactor typePWR
Reactor supplierWestinghouse
Cooling sourceDelaware River
Thermal capacity2 × 3459 MWth
Power generation
Units operational1 × 1169 MW
1 × 1158 MW
Make and modelWH 4-loop (DRYAMB)
Nameplate capacity2327 MW
Capacity factor88.55% (2017)
70.50% (lifetime)
Annual net output19,062 GWh (2021)
External links
WebsiteSalem Generating Station
CommonsRelated media on Commons
[edit on Wikidata]

The Salem Nuclear Power Plant is a two-unit pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by PSEG Nuclear LLC of the Public Service Enterprise Group and Constellation Energy.

In 2019, New Jersey began providing the state's nuclear plants Zero-Emission Certificates worth $300 million a year to keep them in service. The subsidy was ended in 2024, effective June 1, 2025, as the Inflation Reduction Act provides alternative tax credits to support clean energy.[2]

Location

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The Salem Nuclear Generating Station is located about 18 miles south of Wilmington, Delaware. It shares an artificial island in the Delaware Bay with the Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plant. Together, they form the third largest nuclear generating site in the United States.[3][4]

The Salem facility has two operating units, both pressurized water reactors (PWRs) built by Westinghouse. Construction began on September 25, 1968. Salem Unit 1 began commercial operations on June 30, 1977, and Unit 2 on October 13, 1981. The complex covers about 740 acres.[4][5]

Reactors

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The reactors, both PWRs, were built by Westinghouse, and began commercial operation in 1977 (Unit 1) and 1981 (Unit 2). The two-unit plant has a capacity of 2,275 MWe. In 2009, PSEG applied for 20-year license renewals for both units, which were approved by the NRC in 2011.[6][7]

Unit 1 is now licensed to operate until August 13, 2036 and Unit 2 is licensed to operate until April 18, 2040.

Surrounding population

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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.[8]

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Salem was 52,091, an increase of 54.1 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 5,482,329, an increase of 7.6 percent since 2000.

Cities within 50 miles:

Safety issues

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In the 1990s, the Salem nuclear reactors were shut down for two years due to maintenance issues, according to The New York Times.[10] Consultants identified several problems, including a leaking generator, unreliable reactor controls, and a workplace culture where employees feared retaliation for reporting issues. In 2004, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) increased oversight and monitoring of the Salem plants.[10]

An extensive NRC investigation, along with a review by independent consultants, later identified minor issues such as inadequate routine maintenance and low employee morale. However, the plant was found to be safe.[11]

On August 22, 2013, the Salem plant was temporarily shut down following a leak of slightly radioactive water. The spill was contained within the plant’s containment building, and regulators stated there was no risk to the public.[12] The plant resumed operations less than 48 hours later, on August 24.[13]

In May 2014, during a scheduled refueling outage at Salem 2, broken bolts from a cooling pump were discovered inside the reactor vessel. Westinghouse inspected the site and found additional bolts at the bottom of the cooling pumps and the reactor vessel. Salem Unit 2 returned to service on July 11, 2014.[14][15]

Environmental concerns

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Cooling system and fish mortality

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The Salem Nuclear Generating Station has faced ongoing environmental concerns related to its cooling system. The plant draws billions of gallons of water daily from the Delaware River to cool steam produced during nuclear fission, returning the water to the estuary at elevated temperatures.[16]

Environmental groups, including the Delaware Riverkeeper Network led by Maya van Rossum, have criticized the system for causing high fish mortality. Estimates suggest that approximately 3 billion adult fish, along with additional eggs and larvae, are killed each year. According to van Rossum, the plant kills about 48% of the striped bass population in the Delaware River annually.[16][17][18]

The bay anchovy, an important species in the local ecosystem, has also reportedly experienced population declines. Van Rossum has referred to the plant as the “largest predator in the Delaware estuary.” These concerns have been the subject of extended legal disputes between environmental organizations and regulatory agencies.[16][18]

Water permit disputes

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In October 2013, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, New Jersey Sierra Club, and Clean Water Action filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) over delays in renewing the Salem plant’s water discharge permit. The case focused on NJDEP’s failure to act on PSE&G’s 2006 application for a New Jersey Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NJPDES) permit and whether cooling towers should be required to reduce fish deaths.[17][18]

In November 2014, the parties settled. NJDEP agreed to issue a draft discharge permit by June 30, 2015. The permit, when released, did not mandate the construction of cooling towers at Salem Units 1 and 2, a measure that would have cost about $1 billion.[19]

Electricity production

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Generation (MWh) of Salem Nuclear Power Plant (Nuclear Only)[20]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual (Total)
2001 1,628,101 1,476,038 1,636,734 898,461 956,394 1,555,773 1,635,714 1,640,717 1,340,729 1,216,108 1,572,067 1,648,210 17,205,046
2002 1,488,857 1,488,857 1,379,434 892,102 1,179,097 1,593,794 1,645,258 1,640,861 1,580,364 1,058,506 1,384,535 1,667,409 16,999,074
2003 -- 1,491,748 1,499,538 1,544,442 1,645,766 1,602,610 1,578,978 1,562,350 1,167,010 958,594 810,053 1,653,057 15,514,146
2004 1,646,987 1,571,693 1,621,231 781,182 520,553 1,398,370 1,446,170 1,708,616 1,349,519 1,713,702 1,658,472 780,544 16,197,039
2005 1,735,382 1,573,110 1,741,799 875,865 1,387,424 1,648,504 1,704,117 1,676,623 1,632,572 1,144,062 1,495,383 1,729,597 18,344,438
2006 1,740,543 1,555,055 1,638,043 1,672,530 1,716,863 1,650,329 1,677,674 1,664,945 1,566,550 1,086,234 1,638,970 1,741,231 19,348,967
2007 1,742,364 1,572,703 1,569,646 936,155 1,392,982 1,593,517 1,698,054 1,647,440 1,639,591 1,718,133 1,686,017 1,631,592 18,828,194
2008 1,712,247 1,622,282 1,096,556 841,672 1,298,550 1,662,476 1,700,993 1,717,567 1,632,594 1,221,757 1,273,312 1,758,719 17,538,725
2009 1,773,789 1,595,891 1,681,961 1,701,558 1,733,739 1,672,693 1,726,023 1,716,463 1,673,182 1,231,232 1,375,976 1,766,821 19,649,328
2010 1,639,182 1,598,270 1,739,970 892,605 1,734,660 1,610,038 1,224,576 1,706,759 1,651,289 1,465,828 1,704,223 1,764,399 18,731,799
2011 1,766,487 1,595,472 1,699,347 885,545 1,419,677 1,545,819 1,493,822 1,700,565 1,453,030 1,467,788 1,047,417 1,758,277 17,833,246
2012 1,769,542 1,661,594 1,650,173 1,685,401 1,545,209 1,664,519 1,704,092 1,706,029 1,662,898 1,177,993 909,265 1,707,670 18,844,385
2013 1,763,960 1,594,976 1,761,823 1,231,680 938,582 1,677,435 1,711,099 1,651,564 1,674,978 1,738,730 1,698,788 1,764,607 19,208,222
2014 1,741,462 1,497,633 1,754,020 936,092 734,169 826,915 1,272,464 1,713,875 1,660,745 1,378,846 1,011,872 1,755,042 16,283,135
2015 1,756,614 1,546,196 1,362,166 1,652,963 1,732,355 1,665,366 1,690,924 1,584,137 1,661,112 1,470,197 794,652 1,676,947 18,593,629
2016 1,745,954 1,477,108 1,743,093 1,221,654 861,781 743,685 33,362 1,428,389 1,284,570 1,741,491 1,666,431 1,749,118 15,696,636
2017 1,752,226 1,558,083 1,686,867 1,227,730 874,729 1,649,555 1,692,972 1,704,628 1,592,457 1,169,309 1,325,320 1,741,290 17,975,166
2018 1,744,791 1,577,669 1,735,539 1,686,643 1,655,340 1,650,424 1,691,007 1,681,399 1,391,247 1,045,889 1,293,387 1,741,707 18,895,042
2019 1,713,154 1,541,262 1,559,671 1,050,539 849,412 1,118,327 1,687,304 1,591,030 1,651,381 1,725,138 1,680,788 1,742,256 17,910,262
2020 1,743,928 1,512,141 987,287 1,098,063 1,201,045 1,658,761 1,683,423 1,662,313 1,659,121 913,481 838,307 1,187,566 16,145,436
2021 1,752,658 1,583,539 1,746,500 1,692,936 1,733,797 1,655,602 1,691,582 1,692,328 1,583,540 879,156 1,309,930 1,740,433 19,062,001
2022 1,739,247 1,574,370 1,740,619 1,058,949 1,201,411 1,657,545 1,690,064 1,694,026 1,657,698 1,727,566 1,687,375 1,691,254 19,120,124
2023 1,752,270 1,577,844 1,667,278 893,520 1,734,382 1,667,146 1,697,885 1,703,433 1,609,279 1,013,927 1,328,114 1,751,973 18,397,051
2024 1,739,729 1,612,947 1,730,431 1,680,298 1,719,576 1,646,979 1,674,429 1,675,213 1,630,973 955,949 897,175 1,746,642 18,710,341
2025 1,667,582 1,578,313 --

Water use

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The Salem Nuclear Power Plant, as photographed from Delaware Bay

Salem Units 1 and 2 use water from Delaware Bay for cooling. Water is drawn through an intake building equipped with rotating screens that remove debris, which is later washed away.[21][22] Occasionally, heavy accumulations of grass clog the intakes, causing the reactors to operate at reduced power for extended periods.[21][22] Approximately 2 gigawatts of waste heat from the steam cycle are discharged into the bay. Regulations limit the resulting water temperature increase to less than 1 °C during summer months and 2 °C during the rest of the year. The large closed-cycle cooling tower on the site belongs to the adjacent Hope Creek plant and is not used by the Salem reactors.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "EIA - State Nuclear Profiles". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  2. ^ Johnson, Tom (February 15, 2024). "BPU pulls plug on unpopular nuclear subsidy". NJ Spotlight News.
  3. ^ https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactors/salm1.html
  4. ^ a b https://kids.kiddle.co/Salem_Nuclear_Power_Plant
  5. ^ https://www.qac.org/DocumentCenter/View/734/Salem-Generating-Station-PDF?bidId=
  6. ^ "PSEG seeks licence renewals for two plants". World Nuclear News. August 19, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  7. ^ Gallo, Bill Jr. (July 1, 2011). "Nuclear Regulatory Commission grants 20-year operating license extensions for Salem 1 and 2 reactors in Lower Alloways Creek". Today's Sunbeam. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. ^ "NRC: Emergency Planning Zones". United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  9. ^ "Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors". NBC News. 2011-04-14. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  10. ^ a b Creating the Nation's Largest Utility Company, New York Times, January 29, 2006.
  11. ^ Sullivan, John (October 11, 2004). "Problems cited at nuclear plant in South Jersey". New York Times.
  12. ^ "Salem County nuclear plant back in service after leak | 6abc Philadelphia | 6abc.com". 6abc Philadelphia. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  13. ^ "Local". NBC10 Philadelphia. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  14. ^ Bill Gallo (19 May 2014). "Broken bolt pieces found in pump, reactor vessel delay Salem 2 nuclear plant restart". South Jersey Times. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  15. ^ "After 'trying time' with discovery of broken bolts, Salem 2 nuclear returns to service". 14 July 2014.
  16. ^ a b c Baker, Karl (2024-02-16). "Fish v. electricity: Could Salem nuclear plant be shut down?". Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  17. ^ a b Wehner, Brittany (2014-11-11). "Lawsuit settled between environmental organizations and NJDEP, officials say". nj. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  18. ^ a b c "Lawsuit settled over nuclear plant fish kills". The Washington Times. 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  19. ^ Gallo, Jr., Bill (2015-07-01). "NJDEP draft permit doesn't require cooling towers at Salem 1, 2 nuclear reactors". nj. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  20. ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  21. ^ a b Wald, Matthew L. (May 1, 1994). "U.S. team finds errors at Salem Nuclear Plant". New York Times. Archives.
  22. ^ a b Jeff Montgomery (22 April 2011). "Delaware energy: Grasses force Salem plant shutdown". News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware: Gannett. DelawareOnline. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  23. ^ FR Doc E7-20761
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