Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
The Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Erie near Monroe, in Frenchtown Charter Township, Monroe County, Michigan, USA, approximately halfway between Detroit, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio. Two units have been constructed on this site. The first unit's construction started in 1963, and the second unit reached criticality in 1988.
The plant is named after the Italian-born American nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi, most noted for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor, and for the development of quantum theory. Fermi won the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on induced radioactivity.
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[edit] Fermi 1
The 94MWe prototype fast breeder reactor Fermi 1 unit operated at the site from 1957 to 1972. On October 5, 1966 Fermi 1 suffered a partial fuel meltdown. There was no abnormal radiation release to the public, and no one was injured.[1] This reactor accident was attributed to a piece of zirconium that obstructed a flow-guide in the sodium cooling system. Two of the 105 fuel assemblies melted during the incident, but no contamination was recorded outside the containment vessel.[citation needed] Following an extended shutdown that involved fuel replacement and cleanup, Fermi 1 continued to operate until September 22, 1972. It was officially decommissioned December 31, 1975. It is currently in SAFSTOR with a gradual "final" decommissioning in progress. Details of the accident are verified by the book FERMI-1 NEW AGE FOR NUCLEAR POWER[2] published by the American Nuclear Society in 1979. It also inspired a book by John Grant Fuller [3] and a song by Gil Scott-Heron, both titled We Almost Lost Detroit.
[edit] Fermi 2
Fermi 2 is a 1098 net MWe General Electric boiling water reactor operated by Detroit Edison and owned by DTE Energy. It was opened in January of 1988 and is currently in operation.
As of March 2008, Fermi 2 is operating at full power.
[edit] Fermi 3
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This article or section contains information about a planned or proposed power plant, or power plant under construction. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the construction and/or completion of the power plant approaches, and more information becomes available. |
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Detroit Edison (DTE ENERGY) has recently expressed their interest in building another nuclear power plant. Detroit Edison has started the process of obtaining approval of a Combined Operating License for the new plant. This process can take up to 5 years. The new plant is supposed to be built on the same site, just slightly to the southwest corner of Fermi 2. The reactor design selected is the the GE designed passive Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR). Building the plant is rumored to start as early as 2010, with completion and being online by 2015-2020. The cost is estimated at 3 billion dollars.
This proposed plant should not be confused with the original Fermi 3 project which was to be a companion unit identical to Fermi 2. The original Fermi 3 was ordered in 1972 and cancelled in 1974. See DOE datapage 67 and WNA Fermi 3 data
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[edit] External links
- Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station is at coordinates Coordinates:
