PSEG executives announced plans for a 200-MW uprate at the Salem nuclear power plant in Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey, during the utility’s Nov. 2 third-quarter earnings call. PSEG Nuclear owns 57 percent of Salem and would receive roughly 112 MW from the planned increase; Constellation owns the remaining 43 percent.
What it means
Salem has two reactor units, with listed capacities of 1,146 MWe for Unit 1 and 1,139 MWe for Unit 2. The co-located Salem and Hope Creek plants produce more than 40 percent of New Jersey’s electricity; Hope Creek has a listed capacity of 1,172 MWe.
PSEG said an October inspection during Salem-1’s scheduled refueling outage found degradation in the reactor vessel thermal shield. The company began additional testing and expects the Salem-1 outage to be extended.
PSEG has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it intends to seek 20-year operating license extensions for Salem and Hope Creek. The Salem site is one of six U.S. sites with an NRC early site permit.
Key facts
- Planned Salem uprate: 200 MW.
- PSEG Nuclear ownership of Salem: 57 percent.
- Constellation ownership of Salem: 43 percent.
- PSEG share of the planned uprate: roughly 112 MW.
- Salem Unit 1 capacity: 1,146 MWe.
- Salem Unit 2 capacity: 1,139 MWe.
- Hope Creek capacity: 1,172 MWe.
- PSEG forecast 2026 nuclear generation of 30 TWh to 32 TWh.
Source: News article, reporting PSEG third-quarter earnings call