Power uprates for Oconee units okayed
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved Duke Energy’s February 2020 request to increase the capacity of the Oconee nuclear power plant’s three reactors by approximately 1.64 percent, the agency announced February 3. The agency added that the boost to the units’ heat output could be accomplished largely through more accurate means of measuring feedwater flow. The license amendments authorizing the uprates were issued to Duke on January 26.
Specifics: Located in Seneca, S.C., Oconee houses three two-loop pressurized water reactors. The power uprates will raise the generating capacities of the units as follows:
- Unit 1, from about 909 MWe to 923 MWe
- Unit 2, from about 919 MWe to 933 MWe
- Unit 3, from about 922 MWe to 936 MWe
Duke intends to implement each reactor’s uprate in a phased approach based on refueling schedules, the NRC said.