fact sheet
OHIO AND NUCLEAR ENERGY
Key Facts
•
Nuclear Energy Facili es
Ohio’s two nuclear power reactors generate 14.2 percent of
the state’s electricity while emi ng no greenhouse gases
•
Nuclear energy is Ohio’s most reliable source, producing
electricity around the clock
•
Ohio’s nuclear energy facili es employ more than 1,400
highly skilled workers
2
1
Reliable, Clean and Safe Nuclear Energy
Ohio is home to two nuclear power reactors that produce 90
percent of the state’s emission-free electricity. These nuclear
energy facili es safely produce electricity while protec ng
our air quality and the environment. America’s nuclear energy
facili es generate 19 percent of our electricity but provide
nearly two-thirds of our emission-free power — the largest
source by far.
Nuclear power plants are also America’s most reliable source of
electricity. Ohio nuclear plants produced power 89 percent of
the me over the past three years. Nuclear energy is a vital part
of a diverse genera ng mix that keeps electricity prices stable
and ensures that consumers are not overly reliant on just one or
two sources of electricity.
Facility
Sources of Electricity in Ohio
0.4%
Hydro
23.8%
Natural
Gas
1.7%
Renewables
Company
Location
1
Davis-Besse
FirstEnergy
Oak Harbor
2
Perry 1
FirstEnergy
Perry
14.2%
Nuclear
State Totals
1
Capacity
(MW)
Capacity
Factor
(%)1
894
91.1
1,240
86.8
2,134
89.0
Capacity factor three-year average is electricity produced compared to the maximum
that could be produced.
Jobs and Economic Benefits
59.6%
Coal
Source: ABB Velocity Suite
/ Energy Informa on
Administra on
•
Nuclear energy facili es in Ohio employ more than 1,400
highly skilled workers. On average, each reactor has an
annual payroll of $40 million. Ohio’s facili es pay more than
$24 million in state and local taxes.
•
Nuclear energy employs more than 100,000 people across
the country at salaries 36 percent higher than average in
the local area.
con nued —
Beaver
Valley 1 & 2
Davis
Besse
Perry
Susquehanna 1 & 2
Limerick
1&2
Davis
Besse
Comparison of Life-Cycle Emissions
Managing Used Nuclear Fuel
Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent per Gigawa -Hour
•
Each nuclear energy facility stores used fuel safely and
securely onsite, awai ng consolidated storage and disposal
by DOE. As of 2015, Ohio has contributed approximately
$386 million to the federal Nuclear Waste Fund.
•
All the used nuclear fuel produced by the nuclear energy
industry over 50 years—if stacked end to end—would cover
an area the size of a football field to a depth of less than
10 yards.
979
Coal
462
Gas
253
Biomass
Solar PV
53
Geothermal
42
Hydro
26
Nuclear
13
Onshore Wind
12
Source: Annex III: Technology-specific cost and performance parameters. In: Climate
Change 2014: Mi ga on of Climate Change. Contribu on of Working Group III to the Fi h
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Edenhofer, O., et.al,
Cambridge University Press, 2014. The numbers shown are the median of studies examined
by the IPCC in grams CO2e per kWh and are converted to tons CO2e per GWh.
Nuclear Is Clean Air Energy
•
The use of nuclear energy in 2015 prevented the emission
of 564 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. This equals
the amount released in a year by 128 million passenger
cars.
•
Nuclear energy is the only clean-air electricity source that
can produce large amounts of electricity around the clock.
•
Numerous studies demonstrate that nuclear energy’s
life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions are comparable to
renewable energy, such as wind and hydropower, and far
less than coal or natural gas-fueled power plants.
•
The na on’s nuclear energy facili es also prevented
the emission of 674,000 short tons of sulfur dioxide and
402,000 short tons of nitrogen oxide in 2015.
Emissions Prevented in Ohio
Quantity Prevented in 2015
Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
23,223 short tons
Nitrogen oxide (NOx)
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
13.33 million metric tons
Used fuel at nuclear energy facili es is cooled in secure steel-lined
concrete pools filled with water
11,720 short tons
Commi ed to Safety
•
America’s nuclear energy facili es are among the safest
and most secure industrial facili es.
•
The independent U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
regulates and monitors plant performance in three areas:
reactor safety, radia on safety and security.
•
A er more than a half-century of commercial nuclear
energy produc on in the United States and more than
4,000 reactor years of opera on, there have been no
radia on-related health effects linked to the opera on of
nuclear energy facili es.
A er the cooling period, nuclear energy facili es store used fuel safely
on site in steel and concrete vaults.
Source: Gutherman Technical Services, 2015
nei.org