Kennewick, WA – May 9, 2023. Hi Tech Solutions (HTS) has deployed our personnel across the U.S., playing a key role in supporting spring 2023 nuclear refueling outages directly and with our partners to keep the fleet running and producing reliable, baseload, zero emission electricity.
HTS is currently supporting refuel outages at the following nuclear power generation stations: Beaver Valley (PA, Energy Harbor), Braidwood (IL, Constellation), Catawba (SC, Duke Energy), Clinton (IL, Constellation), Columbia (WA, Energy Northwest), Comanche Peak (TX, Luminant), DC Cook (MI, AEP), Limerick (PA, Constellation), Monticello (MN, Xcel Energy), Quad Cities (IL, Constellation), Salem (NJ, PSEG), Surry (VA, Dominion), Turkey Point (FL, FP&L), VC Summer (SC, Dominion).
U.S. nuclear power plants typically refuel every 18 to 24 months, during the spring and fall when electricity demand is lower. Plants optimize this time by scheduling facility upgrades, repairs, and other balance of plant maintenance work while the nuclear reactor is offline. Refuel outages typically last from 20 – 60 days, with the average length of an outage in the U.S. decreasing from 44 days in 2000 to 32 days in 2021 (EIA).
Even with refueling outages, nuclear power runs nearly 93% of the time (capacity factor), day and night, windy and calm, cold and hot, by far the highest of all energy sources (solar – 25%, wind 35%, natural gas – 55%).