POWER Magazine names top nuclear plants for 2015

POWER Magazine announced the winners of their Top Plants for 2015 in nuclear generation on Monday.

The two plants that received recognition this year were the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Wintersburg, Arizona, and the Central Nuclear Néstor Kirchner, formerly known as Atucha II, in Lima, Argentina.

For the Atucha II plant, the magazine notes the restarting of its construction beginning in 2006 after initiating the project in 1981. Economic challenges in the country inhibited the progress of the plant’s construction. The plant would reach 100 percent operational capacity in Nov. 2014. The magazine also states that the completion brought new life and workforce training for the national nuclear industry. The plant is named after former Argentine president, Néstor Kirchner, who died in 2010.

The Palo Verde plant is reported to be the only power plant on a global scale to be able to produce approximately 30 million megawatt hours -- and has done so 10 times. The plant has also been consistent in having refueling outages that are completed within a 30-day period. The Palo Verde’s three plants have been approved to increase the generating capacity up to 1,311, 1,314 and 1,312 megawatts, respectively. The magazine also reports that the NRC has extended operating licenses for each unit through 2045, 2046 and 2047, respectively.