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Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant, more commonly known as Seabrook Station, is a nuclear power plant located in Seabrook, New Hampshire, approximately 40 mi north of Boston and 10 mi (16 km) south of Portsmouth, NH. Initially two units (reactors) were planned, but the second unit was never completed due to construction delays, cost overruns and troubles obtaining financing. The construction permit for the plant was granted in 1976 and construction on Unit 1 was completed in 1986. Full power operation of Unit 1 began in 1990. Unit 2 has been cancelled and most of its major components sold to other plants.
The plant was originally owned by more than 10 separate utility companies serving 5 New England states. In 2002, most sold their shares to FPL Energy (a subsidiary of FPL Group). FPL Energy now owns 88.2% of Seabrook Station. The remaining portion is owned by municipal utilities in Massachusetts.
The station is one of five nuclear generating facilities operated by FPL Group. The other four are St. Lucie Nuclear Plant and Turkey Point Nuclear Plant operated by Florida Power and Light (a regulated utility), and the Duane Arnold Energy Center and Point Beach Nuclear Plant operated by independent power subsidiary FPL Energy.
The Wackenhut Corporation provides plant security to three of the four sites. Seabrook, St. Lucie, and Turkey Point experienced security related problems between 2004 and 2006. At Turkey Point, workers discovered a 1/8-inch hole intentionally drilled in primary side piping which was believed to be sabotage. At Seabrook, US Congressmen and the NRC investigated reports that a newly installed security fence had not worked properly since its installation six months earlier, in addition to reports of overworked security officers.[1][2][3][4][5] At St. Lucie, security officers were alleged to have not performed security tours properly and a weapon with a thermal sight was stolen.
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The 1976 controversy involved the Clamshell Alliance, an anti-nuclear organization formed to protest the construction of the plant. Several small demonstrations at the site occurred in the lead-up to a massive occupation of Seabrook. More than 2,000 members of the Clamshell Alliance occupied the site in April, 1977. 1,414 of the activists were arrested and held for two weeks refusing bail.[6] Opposition to the plant has been generally quiet since construction was completed, although there is some public concern about security.
Another vocal opponent of the plant was former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who blocked the opening for several years, due to environmental issues, as well as that an adequate emergency evacuation plan had not been established to his satisfaction. The NRC had stipulated that workable evacuation plans needed to be in place for all towns within a ten-mile radius of the plant, and the facility is within two miles of the Massachusetts border. Four Massachusetts towns were within the ten mile radius, and thus Governor Dukakis' approval of evacuation plans was required.
- Generation: 1,270 MWe at full power
- One Westinghouse pressurized water reactor
- Cooled by water from Atlantic Ocean
- ^ http://www.seacoastonline.com/2005news/05242005/news/43867.htm
- ^ http://www.seacoastonline.com/2005news/hampton/05272005/news/44592.htm
- ^ http://www.seacoastonline.com/2005news/05292005/editoria/44928.htm
- ^ http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050526/NEWS07/105260111&SearchID=73273473418769
- ^ http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050608/NEWS07/106080059&SearchID=73273473418769
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,918965,00.html
- Information on Seabrook Station, at Florida Power & Light site
- Department of Energy Seabrook Page
- May 2007 Congressman Meehan Press Release: "Meehan Investigates Additional Seabrook Security Concerns: Internal Reports Say Security Guards Overworked, Security Chief Underqualified"
- Seabrook Documents Reporting Security Deficiencies, on Congressman Meehan's Website
- Photo essay on the mass arrests at the Seabrook anti-nuclear rally in 1977 at motherjones.com
- Seabrook, NH Nuclear Plant Occupation Page with timeline, scanned articles 1977-2007, images and links