Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant

Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant
Name	Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant
Location	Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States
Coordinates	44°29′N 87°31′W
Owner	Dominion Energy (formerly Dominion Resources)
Operator	Dominion Energy (formerly Nuclear Management Company)
Reactor type	Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)
Reactor model	Combustion Engineering (CE) System 80-derived
Capacity	566 MW_e (net)
Construction start	1968
Commission date	1974
Shutdown date	2013 (permanent)
Decommissioning	under way (post-2013)

Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant is a single-unit nuclear power facility in northeast Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Michigan, originally operated to supply baseload electricity to regional utilities and industrial customers. The plant played a role in Midwestern energy infrastructure, interfacing with transmission systems and regional markets, before an early permanent shutdown driven by economic and regulatory factors. Its lifecycle includes decades of operation, post-shutdown decommissioning planning, and community-level economic and environmental considerations.

History

Construction of the facility began in the late 1960s amid a nationwide expansion of commercial nuclear capacity involving companies such as Commonwealth Edison, Duke Energy, and Tennessee Valley Authority projects; the site selection in Kewaunee County followed feasibility studies by utility consortia and state regulators. The reactor entered commercial service in the mid-1970s during an era of projects by vendors like Combustion Engineering and constructors such as Bechtel Corporation, receiving a commercial operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in accordance with Atomic Energy Act provisions. Ownership and operating arrangements evolved through affiliations with entities including Nuclear Management Company, Energy Resources affiliates, and ultimately Dominion Resources (later Dominion Energy), reflecting broader consolidation trends in the U.S. nuclear sector. Economic pressures from low natural gas prices, wholesale market dynamics influenced by MISO and PJM flows, and decisions by parent companies culminated in a 2013 announcement to permanently cease operations despite recent investments and license-term allowances.

Design and Technical Specifications

The facility employed a single pressurized water reactor (PWR) supplied by Combustion Engineering with design lineage related to CE System 80-derived technologies used at plants such as River Bend Station and influenced by vendor work on units at South Texas Project. The reactor produced approximately 566 megawatts electric (net) and incorporated systems common to U.S. PWRs: a primary coolant loop, steam generators, pressurizer, and emergency core cooling systems designed to meet Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements and standards from organizations like the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The balance-of-plant included turbine-generator machinery characteristic of manufacturers such as Westinghouse Electric Company and General Electric, switchyard interconnections to regional transmission owned by utilities including ATC, and on-site support infrastructure for spent fuel handling within a licensed independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI). Safety systems integrated instrumentation and controls influenced by industry guides from the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and compliance frameworks tied to the NRC's reactor oversight process.

Operations and Performance

During commercial operation the unit supplied baseload and intermediate load to customers served by regional utilities and participated in wholesale markets administered by entities like Midcontinent Independent System Operator and neighboring control areas. Capacity factors fluctuated across decades in patterns seen across the U.S. fleet, with periodic refueling outages, equipment upgrades, and thermal performance improvements guided by practices from peers such as Point Beach Nuclear Plant and Dresden Generating Station. The plant implemented maintenance programs, corrective action processes, and workforce training aligned with standards advocated by Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and the Nuclear Energy Institute. Performance metrics were reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and entered public regulatory filings, while plant economics were influenced by fuel cycle costs, regional natural gas prices set by hubs like Henry Hub, and electricity market prices.

Safety, Incidents, and Regulatory Oversight

Regulatory oversight was provided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under operating license conditions and the reactor was subject to the NRC's inspection, event reporting, and enforcement programs. The site experienced routine reportable events typical of civilian reactors; plant-specific incidents were managed under NRC protocols and documented in agency inspection reports. Safety-related systems and events were addressed within corrective action programs and in coordination with regional emergency planning organizations including county and state emergency management authorities such as Wisconsin Emergency Management. The facility participated in industry peer reviews and implemented modifications recommended following national-level studies prompted by events at facilities like Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, adapting emergency procedures, instrumentation upgrades, and seismic/backup power assessments as part of ongoing licensing and safety enhancements.

Decommissioning and Site Restoration

Following the 2013 closure decision by Dominion Energy, the plant entered a decommissioning planning phase under NRC oversight, with options including SAFSTOR and DECON evaluated per NRC guidance and precedents such as decommissioning at Zion Nuclear Power Station and Fort Calhoun Station. Spent fuel was transferred into an on-site Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) using dry cask storage systems similar to those deployed at other U.S. sites, with NRC approvals for loading campaigns. Decommissioning activities have included removal of non-radioactive systems, radiological characterization, and demolition planning while maintaining security and environmental monitoring under state regulators including the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and federal oversight. Long-term site restoration considers potential reuse alternatives informed by case studies at former sites like Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant and constraints from federal policy on long-term fuel disposition awaiting consolidated interim storage or repository decisions by entities such as the Department of Energy.

Environmental and Economic Impact

The plant's operations affected regional environmental and economic landscapes: thermal discharges to Lake Michigan required permits and cooling assessments comparable to rules overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies, while baseline radiological monitoring was reported to regulators and community stakeholders. Economically, the facility contributed jobs, tax revenues, and local procurement consistent with impacts documented in studies of nuclear plants in communities like Vermont Yankee and Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, and its closure prompted analyses of lost payroll, reduced municipal tax bases, and workforce transition programs coordinated with entities such as the U.S. Department of Labor and state workforce agencies. Decommissioning and site restoration generate contracting and remediation work that partially offsets economic transitions, and ongoing spent fuel management remains a focal point for federal and state energy policy discussions.

Category:Nuclear power stations in Wisconsin Category:Former nuclear power stations in the United States