Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station

Palo Verde Generating Station
The Palo Verde Generating Station, aerial view.
Map
Official namePalo Verde Generating Station
CountryUnited States
LocationTonopah, Arizona
Coordinates33°23′21″N 112°51′54″W / 33.38917°N 112.86500°W / 33.38917; -112.86500
StatusOperational
Construction beganUnit 1: 25 May 1976 (1976-05-25)
Unit 2: 1 June 1976 (1976-06-01)
Unit 3: 1 June 1976 (1976-06-01)
Commission dateUnit 1: 28 January 1986 (1986-01-28)
Unit 2: 19 September 1986 (1986-09-19)
Unit 3: 8 January 1988 (1988-01-08)
Construction cost$5.9 billion (1986 USD)[1][2]
($13.9 billion in 2023 dollars[3])
OwnersArizona Public Service (29.1%)
Salt River Project (20.2%)
El Paso Electric (15.8%)
So. California Edison (15.8%)
PNM Resources (7.5%)
SCPPA (5.9%)
LADWP (5.7%)
OperatorArizona Public Service
Nuclear power station
Reactor typePWR
Reactor supplierCombustion Engineering
Cooling towers9 × Mechanical Draft[a]
Cooling sourceTreated sewage
Thermal capacity3 × 3990 MWth
Power generation
Units operational3 × 1400 MWe
Make and modelCE80 2-loop (DRYAMB)
Units cancelled2 × 1270 MWe
Nameplate capacity3937 MW
Capacity factor92.55% (2017)
82.80% (lifetime)
Annual net output31,920 GWh (2019)
External links
WebsitePalo Verde Generating Station
CommonsRelated media on Commons

The Palo Verde Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located near Tonopah, Arizona[5] about 45 miles (72 km) west of downtown Phoenix. Palo Verde generates the most electricity of any power plant in the United States per year, and is the largest power plant by net generation as of 2021.[6] Palo Verde has the third-highest rated capacity of any U.S power plant. It is a critical asset to the Southwest, generating approximately 32 million megawatt-hours annually.

Its average electric power production is about 3.3 gigawatts (GW),[5] serving about four million people. Arizona Public Service (APS) owns 29.1% of, and operates the plant. Its other owners are the Salt River Project (20.2%), the El Paso Electric Company (15.8%), Southern California Edison (15.8%), PNM Resources (7.5%), the Southern California Public Power Authority (5.9%), and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (5.7%).[7] APS was granted a 20-year license extension to operate through 2045 for Unit 1, 2046 for Unit 2, and 2047 for Unit 3, with the option to submit a subsequent license renewal application for extended operation.

The Palo Verde Generating Station in the Arizona desert is the only large nuclear power plant in the world that is not near a large body of water. The power plant cools and condenses the steam that it produces by using treated sewage water from several nearby cities and towns.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference cost_audit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "EIA - State Nuclear Profiles". www.eia.gov. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  3. ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  4. ^ "Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Tonopah, AZ". www.wje.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Palo Verde Generating Station". U.S. Energy Information Administration. September 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-03-18. Retrieved 2011-04-26.
  6. ^ "Largest Utility Plants by Net Generation". Energy Information Administration. 24 October 2022. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  7. ^ PNM Resources Archived 2008-03-22 at the Wayback Machine formerly Public Service of New Mexico.


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