Decommission date 1966 | Opened June 1963 | |
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Similar Humboldt Bay Nuclear P, Big Rock Point Nuclear P, Connecticut Yankee Nuclear P, Brunswick Nuclear Generatin, Fort St Vrain Generatin | ||
The Piqua Nuclear Power Facility was a nuclear power plant which operated just outside the southern city limits of Piqua, Ohio in the United States. The plant contained a 45.5-megawatt (thermal) organically cooled and moderated nuclear reactor (terphenyl, a biphenyl like oil). The Piqua facility was built and operated between 1963 and 1966 as a demonstration project by the Atomic Energy Commission. The facility ceased operation in 1966. It was dismantled between 1967 and 1969, and the radioactive coolant and most other radioactive materials were removed. The remaining radioactive structural components of the reactor were entombed in the reactor vessel under sand and concrete.
Contents
Background
The plant was first proposed February 1, 1956 when the local public utility company in Piqua, Ohio proposed to build a 12,500 kilowatt nuclear power plant using an organically moderated reactor by asking to join the U.S. government's small reactor construction program which provided joint government-utility participation. Seven power plant applications were received by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The municipalities were revealed when Senator Clinton P. Anderson of New Mexico accused the AEC of trying to impose an 'absolute Iron Curtain around thought' regarding nuclear secrecy. At the same committee meeting the locations of the seven proposed power plants were announced:
By September 27, 1956 the AEC authorized contract negotiations for the $8M plant. $4M would come from the AEC to finance the reactor construction and $4M would be from the city of Piqua for facilities, land and building. The Atomics International division of North American Aviation was selected to design the plant.
Plant operating events
As the plant was only in operation for three years, a summary of key operating events is included
Technical problems
In 1966, problems with control rods and fouling in cooling surfaces led to ceased operations. The neutron flux within the reactor core induced polymerization of Terphenyl, leading to increased viscosity of the coolant and fouling.
Plant decommissioning
After the plant ceased operations in 1966, the site's buildings were decontaminated, except for the containment vessel, which was entombed in concrete.
Ongoing environmental inspections and dose reconstruction projects have been undertaken by the CDC and other entities.
Site Today
The facility's buildings that were not entombed are now used as a warehouse and office space for the City of Piqua.