Lower Power Prices and High Repair Costs Drive Nuclear Retirements

Today in Energy, July 2, 2013

Since October 2012, electric power companies have announced the retirement of four nuclear reactors at three power plants. The decisions to retire the units involved concerns over maintenance and repair costs and declining profitability. The four reactors have a combined capacity of nearly 3,600 megawatts and their retirements will reduce total U.S nuclear net summer capacity by 3%. However, the loss of nuclear capacity from retirements is expected to be offset by the construction of five nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of more than 5,600 MW. There are also plans for capacity uprates at existing reactors. These plans include approximately 1,000 MW of uprate capacity currently under review by the NRC. However, Exelon Nuclear, which operates 17 reactors, recently announced that uprates previously approved by NRC, at LaSalle units 1 and 2 as well as Limerick units 1 and 2, will be delayed.

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=11931