Tour of Harris Nuclear Plant
Our consent-based siting team with Dr. Robert Hayes from North Carolina State University and the Tribal Consent-Based Coalition were honored to tour Duke Energy’s Harris Nuclear Plant in Cary, NC.
We received a royal welcome from the team at Harris, and after a brief introductory presentation, set about exploring the plant. One of the most interesting things about this site is that there were originally plans for four units, but only one was built. It’s a bit sad for us all to think about how much more emission-free electricity could have been generated by this facility, and as we look into one of the areas that might have housed another reactor vessel, we wish the that piping propping up our walkway had actually been used as tunnels for cooling water, as originally envisioned.
Used fuel transfer car, on tracks.
Doors where used fuel transfer carts would enter the fuel handling building for transfer into the spent fuel pool.
One of the most amazing things, and a large part of the motivation for our visit here, was getting to see the actual rail cars, transport canisters, and tracks that allowed used fuel to be transported from other nuclear plants around the state to Harris for storage. Because Harris was designed for four units, the used fuel pools were built to accommodate, and the decision was made to store fuel from other sites in these large pre-existing pools.
In the control room with the Shift Manager
Harris Nuclear Plant’s renewed NRC license, issued Dec 17, 2008, which extended operation from 40 years to 60 years. Guess what’s coming up in 2028? Second relicensing!!
Thank you so much to the Duke Energy team for hosting us, and for so graciously sharing their site, employees’ time, and photos.