Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant

Harris Nuclear Plant
Shearon Harris Unit 1
Official name	Harris Nuclear Plant
Country	United States
Location	New Hill, Wake County, North Carolina
Coordinates	35°38.0′N 78°57.3′W / 35.6333°N 78.9550°W / 35.6333; -78.9550
Status	Operational
Construction began	January 28, 1978 (1978-01-28)
Commission date	May 2, 1987
Construction cost	$4.115 billion (2007 USD)[1]
Owner(s)	Duke Energy
Operator(s)	Duke Energy
Nuclear power station
Reactor type	PWR
Reactor supplier	Westinghouse
Cooling towers	1 × Natural Draft
Cooling source	Harris Lake
Thermal capacity	1 × 2900 MWth
Power generation
Units operational	1 × 928 MW
Make and model	WH 3-loop (DRYAMB)
Units cancelled	3 × 900 MW 2 × 1117 MW AP1000
Nameplate capacity	928 MW
Capacity factor	101% (2017) 89.0% (lifetime)
Annual net output	7986 GWh (2021)
External links
Website	Harris Nuclear Plant Fact Sheet
Commons	Related media on Commons
[edit on Wikidata]

The Harris Nuclear Plant is a nuclear power plant with a single Westinghouse designed pressurized-water nuclear reactor operated by Duke Energy. It was named in honor of W. Shearon Harris, former president of Carolina Power & Light (predecessor of Progress Energy Inc.).^[2] Located in New Hill, North Carolina, in the United States, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Raleigh, it generates 900 MWe, has a 523-foot (160 m) natural draft cooling tower, and uses Harris Lake for cooling. The reactor achieved criticality in January 1987 and began providing power commercially on May 2 of that year.

The Shearon Harris site was originally designed for four reactors (and still has the space available for them), but only one was built. The final cost approached $3.9B, including safety upgrades mandated after the Three Mile Island accident.

On November 16, 2006, the operator applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a renewal and extension of the plant's operating license.^[3] The NRC granted the renewal on December 17, 2008, extending the license from forty years to sixty.^[4]