St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant

St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant
Overhead view of St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant
CountryUnited States
LocationPort St. Lucie, St. Lucie County, Florida
Coordinates27°20′55″N 80°14′47″W / 27.34861°N 80.24639°W / 27.34861; -80.24639
StatusOperational
Construction beganUnit 1: July 1, 1970
Unit 2: June 2, 1977
Commission dateUnit 1: December 21, 1976
Unit 2: August 8, 1983
Construction cost$4.614 billion (2007 USD)
OwnerFlorida Power & Light
OperatorFlorida Power & Light
Nuclear power station
Reactor typePWR
Reactor supplierCombustion Engineering
Cooling sourceAtlantic Ocean
Thermal capacity2 × 3020 MWth
Power generation
Units operational2 × 940 MW
Make and modelCE 2-loop (DRYAMB)
Nameplate capacity1,880 MW
Capacity factor95.29% (2017)
84.05% (lifetime)
Annual net output14,153 GWh (2021)
External links
WebsiteSt. Lucie Nuclear Plant
CommonsRelated media on Commons

St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant is a twin nuclear power station located on Hutchinson Island, near Port St. Lucie in St. Lucie County, Florida. Both units are Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactors. Florida Power & Light commissioned Unit 1 in 1976 and Unit 2 in 1983 and continues to operate the station. Minor shares of Unit 2 are owned by the Florida Municipal Power Agency (8.81%) and the Orlando Utilities Commission (6.08%).

The plant contains two nuclear reactors in separate containment buildings, and uses nearby ocean water for cooling.

The construction of Unit 2, in 59 months and for $1.42B (1984 USD), has been cited as being partly due to successful project management. Florida Power & Light created a structure which "consisted of both FPL and Ebasco personnel integrated into one organization" .

In 2003 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) extended the operating licenses of the St. Lucie units by twenty years, to March 1, 2036 for Unit 1 and April 6, 2043 for Unit 2. In 2021 an application was filed with the NRC for a subsequent 20 year license renewal.