Nuclear Power Plant Design and Seismic Safety Considerations

"The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power
station and the earthquake that forced the North Anna, VA, nuclear power plant’s temporary
shutdown have focused attention on the seismic criteria applied to siting and designing
commercial nuclear power plants. Some Members of Congress have questioned whether U.S
nuclear plants are more vulnerable to seismic threats than previously assessed, particularly given
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) ongoing reassessment of seismic risks at certain
plant sites..."

State Nuclear Profiles, 2010 Edition
"Capacity and generation of electricity from nuclear sources in the United States:

There are 104 nuclear reactors operating at 65 plants around the nation.
Nuclear capacity (100 GW) is 10 percent of the total U.S. generating capacity.
In comparison, nuclear generation (806 TWh) is almost 20 percent of the total U.S. generation.
The reason: nuclear units operate more often and at higher levels than plants using other energy sources.
The capacity factor for nuclear--over 91 percent--is the highest of any energy source. The energy source with the second highest capacity factor is coal which is 74 percent.
Nuclear capacity tends to increase slightly each year, about 0.2% to 0.4%, despite the fact that no new units have been commissioned in over a decade. These increases are due to uprates of the existing plants..."

NRC ISSUES MID-CYCLE ASSESSMENTS FOR NATION’S NUCLEAR PLANTS
"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued mid-cycle assessment letters to the nation’s 104 operating commercial nuclear power plants. The agency’s most recent assessments show all the plants continue to operate safely.

“We ensure nuclear power plants are safe, inspecting them and rating their performance regularly, as part of our mission to protect people and the environment,” said Fred Brown, Director of the Division of Inspection and Regional Support in the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. “The latest round of assessments shows that 90 percent of the nation’s commercial nuclear power plants require only the basic level of attention by the agency. This is an improvement from a year ago, when only 72 percent of the plants required this lower level of oversight.”

If a nuclear power plant’s performance declines, the NRC assigns additional resources to ensure the plant operator is taking the steps necessary to correct the situation. Only one plant, Palo Verde in Arizona, requires the NRC’s highest level of attention, which will include additional inspections this fall to confirm the plant’s performance issues are being addressed. Five plants require significantly increased NRC attention, and another five plants get some additional attention. These numbers are significantly lower than last year’s mid-cycle assessments."

DOE, NRC Issue Licensing Roadmap For Next-Generation Nuclear Plant
"The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) today delivered to Congress the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Licensing Strategy Report which describes the licensing approach, the analytical tools, the research and development activities and the estimated resources required to license an advanced reactor design by 2017 and begin operation by 2021. The NGNP represents a new concept for nuclear energy utilization, in which a gas-cooled reactor provides process heat for any number of industrial applications including electricity production, hydrogen production, coal-to-liquids, shale oil recovery, fertilizer production, and others that meet significant industrial needs."