Duke Energy said this week that its nuclear plants set company and industry records in 2015.
Across the company’s fleet of 11 nuclear reactors produced approximately 88 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2015, which the company said kept approximately 66 million tons of carbon emissions out of the atmosphere.
“Our employees proved they are among the best in the business by taking personal ownership to ensure our equipment is well-maintained and operates reliably,” Bill Pitesa, Duke Energy’s chief nuclear officer, said. “Our nuclear stations play a significant role in ensuring our customers have the electricity they depend on every day.”
The company also said the fleet had a capacity factor of 94.21 percent, beating the national average of 91.9 percent. Capacity factor measures the amount of electricity generated over the maximum capacity allowed by nuclear reactors being measured if they were to run on a constant basis. That mark also extended the company’s record of achieving a 90-plus percent capacity factor to 17 consecutive years.
Duke’s Oconee Nuclear Station, near Seneca, South Carolina, reached a capacity factor of 98 percent last year, an industry record, Duke Energy said.
