Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant-
The Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant is located near Harris Lake in New Hill, North Carolina. It is the closest plant to Green Hope High School. The plant is owned by Duke Energy, as are Brunswick and McGuire. The plant renewed their license in 2008, after first receiving their license in 1978.
The capacity of the plant overall is about 900 megawatts, and it uses a Pressurized Water Reactor. Westinghouse is the company that supplies the turbine generator and the nuclear steam supply system for Shearon Harris, Brunswick, and McGuire plants. It cost 3.8 billion dollars to build the plant, and it used 500,000 yards of concrete to build the reactor and the distinctive 526-foot cooling tower, 2,000 miles of cables, and 24 million pounds of reinforced steel. The concrete thickness of the cooling tower is about 4.5 feet, and the fuel used at Shearon Harris, as well as the other plants, is Uranium 235. |
Duke Energy's Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant contains extensive security systems, as well as an armed force that is constantly monitoring the area all day and all night. Fortunately, Green Hope High School, as well as the towns of Cary, Morrisville, and Carpenter, are generally out of the ten mile radius that Shearon Harris has. If one lives in that radius, Duke Energy would have sent them an informational packet explaining what to do in an emergency. Shearon Harris conducts several emergency siren tests per year. The upcoming ones are as follows:
Low-volume tests
Duke Energy and the Town of Apex warn that the test siren can be heard from as far away as Apex.
Low-volume tests
- January 11
- April 12
- July 12
- October 11
- November 8
Duke Energy and the Town of Apex warn that the test siren can be heard from as far away as Apex.
There is a possibility for Duke Energy and Duke Energy Progress to expand their operations at Shearon Harris. Two more units were proposed, but they never followed through. Now that technology has improved drastically, the question of development has risen again. There is not yet any word on future power plants, but with the growing Research Triangle Park/Wake County area, another power plant(s) could be likely.
Shearon Harris Emerplan (PDF) | |
File Size: | 1144 kb |
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Shearon Harris Media Guide (PDF) | |
File Size: | 1768 kb |
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