Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant
The Harris Nuclear Plant is a nuclear power plant with a single Westinghouse designed pressurized-water nuclear reactor operated by Duke Energy. It was named in honor of W. Shearon Harris, former president of Carolina Power & Light (predecessor of Progress Energy Inc.). Located in New Hill, North Carolina, in the United States, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Raleigh, it generates 900 MWe, has a 523-foot (160 m) natural draft cooling tower, and uses Harris Lake for cooling. The reactor achieved criticality in January 1987 and began providing power commercially on May 2 of that year.
| Harris Nuclear Plant | |
|---|---|
Shearon Harris Unit 1 | |
| Official name | Harris Nuclear Plant |
| Country | United States |
| Location | New Hill, Wake County, North Carolina |
| Coordinates | 35°38.0′N 78°57.3′W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | January 28, 1978 |
| Commission date | May 2, 1987 |
| Construction cost | $4.115 billion (2007 USD) |
| Owner(s) | Duke Energy |
| Operator(s) | Duke Energy |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | PWR |
| Reactor supplier | Westinghouse |
| Cooling towers | 1 × Natural Draft |
| Cooling source | Harris Lake |
| Thermal capacity | 1 × 2900 MWth |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1 × 928 MW |
| Make and model | WH 3-loop (DRYAMB) |
| Units cancelled | 3 × 900 MW 2 × 1117 MW AP1000 |
| Nameplate capacity | 928 MW |
| Capacity factor | 101% (2017) 89.0% (lifetime) |
| Annual net output | 7986 GWh (2021) |
| External links | |
| Website | Harris Nuclear Plant Fact Sheet |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
The Shearon Harris site was originally designed for four reactors (and still has the space available for them), but only one was built. The final cost approached $3.9B, including safety upgrades mandated after the Three Mile Island accident.
On November 16, 2006, the operator applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a renewal and extension of the plant's operating license. The NRC granted the renewal on December 17, 2008, extending the license from forty years to sixty.