Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station

Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear and gas-fired power plant located on a 3,300-acre (1,300 ha) site two miles east of Homestead, Florida, United States, next to Biscayne National Park located about 25 miles (40 km) south of Miami, Florida near the southernmost edge of Miami-Dade County. The facility is owned by Florida Power & Light.

Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station
Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station in Homestead, Florida
Official name	Turkey Point
Country	United States
Location	Homestead, Florida, U.S.
Coordinates	25°26′3″N 80°19′50″W
Status	Operational
Construction began	Unit 3–4: April 27, 1967
Commission date	Unit 1: April 1967 Unit 2: April 1968 Unit 3: December 14, 1972 Unit 4: September 7, 1973 Unit 5: May 2007
Construction cost	Units 3–4: $1.013 billion (2007 USD)[1] Unit 5: $200 million (2007 USD)[2]
Owner(s)	Florida Power & Light
Operator(s)	Florida Power & Light
Nuclear power station
Reactor type	PWR
Reactor supplier	Westinghouse
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Natural gas
Secondary fuel	Distillate fuel oil
Tertiary fuel	Residual fuel oil
Turbine technology	Steam turbine (Units 1–2, Unit 5), gas turbine (Unit 5)
Cooling source	Canal system (Units 1–2) Canal system (Units 3–4) Mechanical Draft 22-cell cooling tower (Unit 5)
Combined cycle?	No (Units 1–2) Yes (Unit 5)
Thermal capacity	2 × 2644 MWth (nuclear)
Power generation
Units operational	2 × 802 MW (nuclear) 1 × 1150 MW (CCGT)
Make and model	2 × WH 3-loop (DRYAMB) 4 × 170–180 MW GE 7FA gas turbines 4 × Nooter gas-fired heat recovery steam generators 1 × 470 MW steam turbine
Units planned	2 × 1117 MW AP1000
Units decommissioned	2 × 404 MW Foster-Wheeler fuel oil/natural gas/used oil/propane steam turbines
Nameplate capacity	2754 MW (1604 MW nuclear, 1150 MW CCGT)
Capacity factor	74.71% (2017, 90.51% nuclear, 52.65% CCGT)
Annual net output	13,904 GWh (2021 - Nuclear) 5,431 GWh (2021 - CCGT)
External links
Website	Turkey Point Nuclear Plant
Commons	Related media on Commons

Including the two nuclear reactors, Turkey Point operates three power-generating units. It comprises two retired 404 megawatt fuel oil/natural gas/used oil/propane-fired generation units (Units 1 and 2), two 802 MW_e Westinghouse pressurized water reactors (Units 3 and 4), and a 1,150 MW combined-cycle gas-fired Unit 5.^[3] With a combined operational capacity of 2754 MW, the site is the third largest generating station in Florida and the eleventh largest power plant in the United States.^[4]

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized its staff to issue combined licences for Florida Power and Light to build and operate two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors at its Turkey Point site.^[5]

Construction

The two pressurized water reactors were completed in 1972 and 1973.^[6]

Expansion

In 2002, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) extended the operating licenses for both nuclear reactors from forty years to sixty years. In 2006, Florida Power & Light (FPL) informed the NRC that they planned to apply for new units to be built at Turkey Point. FPL filed an initial proposal for increased capacity with the Florida Public Service Commission in October 2007.^[7] The proposal was approved by the PSC in March 2008.^[8]

FPL also planned to spend about $1.5 billion to increase the capacity of its existing four reactors at Turkey Point and the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant by a total of about 400 MW by 2012.^[9]

On June 30, 2009, FPL submitted a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) application for two 1,117-MWe Westinghouse AP1000 reactors (Units 6 and 7).^[10] FPL had considered building two 1,550-MWe GE ESBWR reactors.^[3] Construction was expected to begin in 2012, with the new units going online in 2017 and 2019. FPL estimated the total overnight costs of the power plants, including first fuel load, at $6.8–$9.9 billion, and the total project cost at $12.1–$17.8 billion.^[11] The COLs for units 6 and 7 were authorized by the NRC in April 2018.^[12]

Criticism of expansion

The expansion received criticism from some South Florida mayors over concerns about water usage, insufficient evacuation zones and increased risks from rising sea levels. However, the mayor of Homestead, the closest community to the FPL facilities, support it.^[13]

Electricity production

Generation (MWh) of Turkey Point Nuclear Generation Station (Nuclear Only)^[14]

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual (Total)
2001	1,028,970	906,412	1,047,676	1,047,676	1,008,498	1,039,397	988,861	911,070	1,033,977	522,648	1,056,886	1,040,054	11,632,125
2002	1,074,567	957,010	944,157	860,165	1,005,008	952,667	1,113,038	1,029,094	995,835	1,033,784	1,032,952	1,075,207	12,073,484
2003	1,004,383	874,861	555,963	981,470	1,002,420	1,008,644	1,034,623	1,011,900	997,385	569,042	939,734	1,027,621	11,008,046
2004	1,082,337	1,004,424	1,073,628	1,029,183	897,705	927,920	1,028,562	1,022,239	920,897	527,908	511,232	780,502	10,806,537
2005	913,433	960,892	975,070	613,091	528,896	704,986	769,997	1,023,700	1,014,634	712,457	796,178	1,025,245	10,038,579
2006	1,072,761	937,361	615,305	832,169	994,493	1,014,367	1,048,683	1,030,588	1,013,079	1,005,524	519,531	879,537	10,963,398
2007	1,075,874	917,791	1,060,406	1,011,865	1,049,013	731,540	934,832	1,036,810	526,504	761,285	1,045,076	1,075,908	11,226,904
2008	1,082,163	878,513	979,115	517,859	830,864	986,121	1,043,844	899,368	1,020,880	1,001,805	1,049,505	1,082,828	11,372,865
2009	1,083,583	957,038	783,960	507,254	808,660	1,010,699	1,035,955	1,035,596	1,009,139	936,630	516,252	990,616	10,675,382
2010	1,018,294	967,376	1,083,397	1,030,569	1,051,048	998,213	1,040,869	1,026,391	799,817	532,177	807,035	950,215	11,305,401
2011	1,083,606	970,186	723,049	509,797	753,423	1,018,828	1,042,821	1,042,777	1,009,929	787,503	930,189	1,035,504	10,907,612
2012	1,077,256	816,872	532,927	515,458	514,979	507,690	513,086	503,943	577,674	804,287	633,161	613,143	7,610,476
2013	596,329	256,221	298,366	621,162	782,224	1,172,266	1,211,502	1,203,378	1,163,634	1,188,498	1,187,251	1,225,113	10,905,944
2014	1,231,305	1,092,018	903,771	619,754	1,098,761	1,060,762	1,073,923	1,017,330	944,911	714,650	1,156,771	1,136,740	12,050,696
2015	1,227,341	1,114,180	1,168,151	1,138,166	999,560	1,156,650	1,194,915	1,193,646	1,171,287	956,099	599,068	1,127,589	13,046,652
2016	1,254,763	1,176,451	1,177,979	601,461	1,208,604	1,181,410	1,164,217	1,181,456	1,177,964	1,160,402	1,203,317	1,245,436	13,733,460
2017	1,253,203	1,125,418	974,846	642,437	1,228,267	1,185,500	1,214,936	1,216,600	971,665	669,622	983,053	1,252,752	12,718,299
2018	1,260,447	1,126,975	1,251,370	1,199,303	1,239,581	1,178,649	1,214,570	1,191,902	1,167,430	616,413	1,020,714	1,282,414	13,749,768
2019	1,276,919	1,143,527	829,018	979,419	1,222,199	1,212,671	1,249,833	1,252,019	1,202,349	1,262,984	1,232,959	1,278,541	14,142,438
2020	1,279,903	1,191,328	1,201,311	685,036	1,264,461	1,213,943	946,810	1,096,412	1,207,649	669,685	756,185	1,106,259	12,618,982
2021	1,287,050	1,112,321	1,171,014	1,248,415	1,283,540	1,238,944	1,270,435	1,144,505	1,229,922	795,442	819,222	1,303,794	13,904,604
2022	1,305,312	1,178,579	862,737	990,489	1,290,736	1,242,758	1,280,667	1,279,337	1,240,396	1,295,361	1,254,947	1,257,225	14,478,544
2023	1,298,124	1,186,109
2024

Generation (MWh) of Turkey Point Nuclear Generation Station (Natural Gas Only)^[14]

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual (Total)
2001	26,118	56,918	73,146	102,638	97,483	129,586	117,594	33,265	147,473	192,602	125,118	164,866	1,266,807
2002	136,002	118,181	23,951	96,774	110,521	151,506	171,531	118,963	73,306	181,200	96,476	46,305	1,324,716
2003	30,805	9,784	15,289	7,853	99,988	89,527	41,091	74,370	113,958	82,130	97,662	27,395	689,852
2004	22,902	26,628	47,447	41,135	60,473	8,371	3,119	65,784	118,806	110,965	40,776	33,792	580,198
2005	51,607	14,689	15,817	31,774	22,699	67,482	13,257	44,658	25,716	161,499	138,925	11,376	599,499
2006	65,358	72,074	88,833	117,762	131,770	204,506	154,695	85,965	254,666	166,147	63,774	23,043	1,428,593
2007	39,937	12,311	18,317	279,640	614,605	647,376	632,010	646,381	652,408	646,121	580,769	623,089	5,392,964
2008	561,289	624,752	480,718	676,456	638,484	662,602	629,599	683,347	640,199	260,969	117,024	541,408	6,516,847
2009	511,900	484,854	564,616	648,279	612,300	629,077	652,588	654,454	678,284	641,024	594,038	464,629	7,136,043
2010	520,172	478,803	558,724	377,453	501,805	498,917	553,334	612,923	612,707	559,796	549,643	350,158	6,174,435
2011	484,428	388,725	260,158	708,907	637,179	570,788	590,597	617,766	556,188	415,815	244,955	505,032	5,980,538
2012	527,004	503,630	648,788	687,775	657,334	605,580	661,659	705,176	633,304	605,326	308,223	455,520	6,999,319
2013	543,186	585,555	620,779	640,122	622,102	528,546	604,208	564,951	603,190	599,230	536,003	486,781	6,934,653
2014	484,170	320,979	503,090	585,411	562,074	526,199	642,077	679,599	638,656	642,121	213,299	489,745	6,287,420
2015	524,445	468,566	536,429	575,763	686,497	664,558	649,332	659,663	641,620	678,051	681,424	499,184	7,265,532
2016	496,185	457,439	402,332	600,409	566,580	596,609	650,109	656,336	607,674	603,407	505,944	498,538	6,641,562
2017	524,422	507,375	614,925	590,021	599,683	567,989	597,403	581,642	396,167	148,564	7,314	162,839	5,298,344
2018	296,270	307,867	490,241	493,592	562,822	563,251	634,990	669,099	647,783	605,717	523,645	253,857	6,049,134
2019	397,765	388,185	579,371	533,839	633,981	639,676	628,162	605,435	622,066	0	0	91,309	5,119,789
2020	310,802	451,840	556,513	536,235	487,004	587,490	592,280	608,538	582,836	644,241	606,160	417,881	6,381,820
2021	248,371	361,536	212,147	607,730	150,712	571,417	647,779	663,091	625,985	651,304	379,333	312,050	5,431,455
2022	370,289	357,000	676,376	600,684	591,532	539,666	633,857	628,659	585,435	508,524	343,314	472,902	6,308,238
2023	374,999	318,013
2024

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.^[15]

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Turkey Point was 161,556, an increase of 62.8 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 3,476,981, an increase of 15.1 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Miami (25 miles to city center).^[16]

Incident history

May 8, 1974

A test was performed on all three of the Emergency Feedwater (EFW) pumps serving Unit 3 while the reactor was operating at power. Two of the pumps failed to start as a result of overtightened packing. The third pump failed to start because of a malfunction in the turbine regulating valve pneumatic controller. In an ongoing study of precursors that could lead to a nuclear accident if additional failures were to have occurred, the NRC concluded in October 2005 that this event at Turkey Point Unit 3 was the fifth-highest ranked occurrence.

August 24, 1992

Turkey Point was directly hit by Hurricane Andrew on August 24, 1992, destroying two raw water tanks and portions of the fire protection systems, draining another raw water tank, partially disabling the fire protection systems, causing severe damage to various non-nuclear structures, and cracking the smokestack for fossil-fueled Unit 1. The smokestack later had to be demolished and rebuilt. It also suffered a total loss of offsite power, requiring the use of the onsite emergency diesel generators for several days. No significant damage was done to the plant's nuclear containment buildings.^[17][18] The plant was built to withstand winds of up to 235 mph (380 km/h), greatly exceeding the maximum winds recorded by most category 5 hurricanes.

March 18, 2017

On March 18, 2017, an electrical fault occurred in a Unit 3 switchgear room, resulting in the loss of a safety related electrical bus and a reactor trip. Other safety systems functioned as required, ensuring adequate reactor cooling. There was no threat to local residents or the environment, and the alert, the second-lowest Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) emergency declaration, was terminated later that same day.^[19] The electrical fault caused an arc flash, resulting in a minor burn of a plant worker who was in the room and was treated at a local hospital.^[20] On March 22, 2017, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it had initiated a special inspection into the failure of the electrical bus that resulted in the plant declaring an alert.^[21]

2008 Florida electricity blackout

Turkey Point Generating Station from the Biscayne National Park visitor center

On February 26, 2008, both reactors were shut down due to the loss of off-site power during a widespread power outage in South Florida, affecting 700,000 customers.^[22]

The fire occurred at 1:08 PM and caused an automatic shutdown of the power plant. This led to a domino effect that caused outages as far north as Daytona Beach and Tampa. Power was restored by 4:30 PM. The reason this malfunction caused such widespread outages was still under investigation a few days later.^[23] Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando International Airport, and Miami International Airport were among the places affected by the outage.^[24] At least 2.5 million people were without power.^[23]

The blackout was initially caused by an overheated voltage switch that soon caught fire at in a power substation in Miami, 23 miles away from the plant.^[23] Although the substation had protective relays to isolate the electrical fault from the broader transmission system, a local engineer was troubleshooting a failure within the substation at the time of the blackout, and had temporarily disabled the protection systems contrary to Florida Power & Light policy.^[25][26] Additional layers of protection eventually removed the substation from service, but required 1.7 s to do so. The long fault duration caused substantial power swings, and many generators tripped off-line to protect themselves from damage; Turkey Point was one such.^[26]

David Hoffman, a nuclear supervisor at Turkey Point, resigned over the incident and was subsequently sued by Florida Power and Light for return of a bonus. Hoffman countersued, claiming he was pressured to restart the reactors while they were in a condition which in his judgment made it unsafe to do so. Upper management wanted the reactors restarted during xenon dead time, which would have led to the operators at the controls having to continuously step control rods to safely manage reactor output. Florida Power and Light responded to the allegation, claiming Hoffman's suit was "self-motivated".^[27][28]

Ecology

The site is home to a large wildlife preserve.

Turkey Point has been a contributing force to the reclassification of the American crocodile from endangered to the less serious category of vulnerable.^[29]

Cooling canals

Instead of a cooling tower, the plant has a large five-by-two mile (10-square-mile (26 km²)) network of canals covering nearly 6,000 acres (2,400 ha).^[30] Several problems have arisen from this, including pollution of nearby national parks or water supply, particularly the Biscayne Aquifer,^[31] issues with overheating, and radioactive material.^[32] Overheating in the canals twice caused the plant to shut down reactors in 2014.^[31] In September 2016, a controversial cleanup process began that included injecting hypersaline water deep into the boulder zone beneath the aquifer and/or making some of the unlined canals more shallow. 600,000 pounds of salt gets into the canal system daily, and the saltwater contamination reaches 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the system as well as possibly into Biscayne Bay.^[33]

Seismic risk

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Turkey Point was 1 in 100,000, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.^[34][35] The plant is located in an area with the lowest earthquake hazard potential described by the USGS.^[36]

Reactor data

The Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station consists of two operational reactors, and two additional units are planned.

Reactor unit[37]	Reactor type	Capacity(MW)		Construction started	Electricity grid connection	Commercial operation	Shutdown
		Net	Gross
Turkey Point-3	Westinghouse 3-loop	693	729	27.04.1967	02.11.1972	14.12.1972
Turkey Point-4					21.06.1973	07.09.1973
Turkey Point-6 (planned)[38]	AP1000	1117	-	Licensed[12]
Turkey Point-7 (planned)[38]

In 2019 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a second 20-year licence extension for units 3 and 4, the first time NRC had extended licences to an 80-year total lifetime.^[39]

Name

Speculation about the name Turkey Point, first known written reference in 1865, suggests that it is because of the presence of the anhinga.^[40]

See also

• Florida portal
• Energy portal
• Nuclear technology portal

• List of largest power stations in the United States
• List of power stations in Florida

References

1. "EIA - State Nuclear Profiles". www.eia.gov. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
2. "COVER FEATURE: Projects of the Year". www.power-eng.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
3. DiSavino, Scott (October 13, 2008). "FPL Fla. Turkey Point 4 reactor shut". Reuters. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
4. "Electricity explained – Electricity in the United States". eia.gov. U.S. Energy Information Administration. July 15, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022. Electricity in the United States is produced (generated) with diverse energy sources and technologies
5. Dalton, David (February 2, 2018). "NRC Gives Go-Ahead For Two AP1000 Reactors At Turkey Point In Florida". The Independent Global Nuclear News Agency. Central Office, NucNet a s b l, Brussels, Belgium.
6. Commission, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory (1990). Nuclear Regulatory Commission Issuances: Opinions and Decisions of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with Selected Orders.
7. "FPL moves to add nuclear plants in S. Dade". Miami Herald. October 17, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.^{[dead link]}
8. John Dorschner; Curtis Morgan (March 19, 2008). "FPL reactor proposal advances". The Miami Herald. Retrieved July 15, 2008. ^{[dead link]}
9. DiSavino, Scott (June 1, 2009). "FPL Fla. Turkey Point 4 reactor back at full power". Reuters. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
10. "Turkey Point, Units 6 and 7 Application". Combined License Applications for New Reactors. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). July 2, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
11. "Application for Florida reactors". World Nuclear News. July 23, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
12. "Regulator approves licences for new Florida units". World Nuclear News.
13. Staletovich, Jenny (April 15, 2015). "Mayors make case against FPL nuclear expansion". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
14. "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
15. "NRC: Backgrounder on Emergency Preparedness for Nuclear Power Plants". Archived from the original on October 2, 2006. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
16. "Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors". NBC News. April 14, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
17. "NRC Information Notice 93-53: Effect of Hurricane Andrew on Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station and Lessons Learned". NRC.gov. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. July 20, 1993. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
18. "NRC Information Notice 93-53, Supplement 1: Effect of Hurricane Andrew on Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station and Lessons Learned". NRC.gov. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. April 29, 1994. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
19. "Nuclear regulators inspecting FPL's Turkey Point plant after small explosion".
20. "Minor electrical fire at Turkey Point injures one". Miami Herald.
21. "Nuclear regulators inspecting FPL's Turkey Point plant after small explosion".
22. DiSavino, Scott (February 26, 2008). "FPL Fla, Turkey Pt reactors shut due to power outage". Reuters. Retrieved February 26, 2008.
23. "FPL mystery: How did small fire knock out power to millions?". Sun-Sentinel. February 27, 2008. Archived from the original on March 1, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
24. "Reasons For Blackout In Central, Southern Florida Remain A Mystery - News Story - WFTV Orlando". Archived from the original on April 3, 2008.
25. Duffy, Claire (Spring 2008). "System power outages". Blackout watch. PAC World. No. 4. pp. 34–35.
26. Duffy, Claire (Winter 2009). "Florida disturbance 2008". Blackout watch. PAC World. No. 7. pp. 36–37.
27. "Court papers reveal nuclear feud at Turkey Point". The Miami Herald. March 12, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2009. ^{[dead link]}
28. "Court papers: Nuclear feud at Fla. plant". UPI.com. March 12, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
29. CBS News. Endangered Crocs Make A Comeback.
30. David A. Chin. "The Cooling-Canal System at the FPL Turkey Point Power Station" (PDF). Miami-Dade County. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
31. Jenny Staletovich (April 25, 2016). "Florida cites FPL for Turkey Point cooling canal violations". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
32. Mary Ellen Klas (July 28, 2016). "Should FPL retire its cooling canals? Report makes the case". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
33. Susan Salisbury (October 27, 2016). "FPL's Turkey Point fix won't solve pollution problems, group says". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
34. "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk". NBC News. March 16, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
35. "The Cooling-Canal System at the FPL Turkey Point Power Station" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
36. "Florida". Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
37. Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA: "United States of America: Nuclear Power Reactors- Alphabetic" Archived June 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
38. "Turkey Point, Units 6 & 7 | NRC.gov".
39. "Turkey Point licensed for 80 years of operation". World Nuclear News. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
40. "Turkey Point Works in Community Partnership". Emergency Management of Monroe County. Florida Power & Light Company. Retrieved December 8, 2019.

External links

• "About Turkey Point". Florida Power & Light Company. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
• "Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station, Florida". U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). August 22, 2008. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
• "Turkey Point 3 Pressurized Water Reactor". Operating Nuclear Power Reactors. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). February 14, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
• "Turkey Point 4 Pressurized Water Reactor". Operating Nuclear Power Reactors. NRC. February 14, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
• FP&L might be fined over nuclear plant security
• Study on the Cooling Canal System at FPL Turkey Point Power Station