McGuire Nuclear Station

McGuire Nuclear Station
McGuire Nuclear Station from Lake Norman
CountryUnited States
LocationMecklenburg County, near Huntersville, North Carolina
Coordinates35°25′57″N 80°56′54″W / 35.43250°N 80.94833°W / 35.43250; -80.94833
StatusOperational
Construction beganApril 1, 1971 (1971-04-01)
Commission dateUnit 1: December 1, 1981
Unit 2: March 1, 1984
Construction cost$4 billion (2007 USD)
OwnerDuke Energy
OperatorDuke Energy
Nuclear power station
Reactor typePWR
Reactor supplierWestinghouse
Cooling sourceLake Norman
Thermal capacity2 × 3411 MWth
Power generation
Units operational2 × 1158 MW
Make and modelWH 4-loop (ICECND)
Nameplate capacity2316 MW
Capacity factor92.65% (2017)
83.40% (lifetime)
Annual net output19,622 GWh (2021)
External links
WebsiteMcGuire Nuclear Station

The McGuire Nuclear Station is a nuclear power plant located about 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina. The plant began construction in 1971, with the two reactors beginning operation in 1981 and 1984. Water from nearby Lake Norman is used to cool the reactor units.

The plant has two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors and can produce 2,250 megawatts of net power. The plant achieved a net generation of 17,514 GW·h in 2005, representing 44% of the total nuclear power generation for the state of North Carolina.