Harris expansion plans put on hold

Friday, 3 May 2013

Duke Energy has suspended plans to construct two new reactors at its existing Shearon Harris plant in North Carolina due to slower growth in electricity demand than previously expected.

Shearon Harris will remain a single-unit plant for the foreseeable future (Image: Duke)

The utility has informed the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that it will suspend its combined construction and operating licence (COL) application for the two Westinghouse AP1000 units. Progress Energy, which merged with Duke last year, submitted a COL application for the units in February 2008.

Duke executive vice president Dhiaa Jamil said, "Duke uses an integrated resource planning approach to ensure that it reliably and economically forecasts and plans resources to meet the electricity needs of its customers well into the future. Our most recent forecast indicates two additional nuclear units at Harris will not be needed in the next 15 years."

However, he noted, "The Harris site is well suited for new nuclear generation and has not been eliminated from our long-term consideration as a site to expand our nuclear fleet."

Shearon Harris is a single unit plant, with a 900 MWe pressurized water reactor (PWR), which began operating in 1987. The site was originally planned to have four units.

Duke continues to pursue its COL applications with the NRC for two AP1000 units at both the William States Lee III site in South Carolina and the Levy site in Florida.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News