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Powering Our Lives: Nuclear Power

Nuclear power is safe, steady and emissions-free

October 2024

The two-unit 2,258-megawatt Catawba Nuclear Station is located on the Catawba River in York County, S.C.

North Carolina’s electric cooperatives invested early in nuclear power, and in the nearly 40 years since, it’s proved to be a key part of our mission to provide members with affordable, reliable power. Here’s what has made nuclear power pay off as a sound investment:

Nuclear power is sustainable

Nuclear power plants emit nothing but water vapor, making them a carbon-free generation source. They also produce more electricity on less land than any other clean-air source.

Nuclear power is safe

Nuclear plants have strong federal oversight, including permanent onsite inspectors. Multiple systems, protocols and design features keep the plant safe, including a large, expertly trained onsite security force and advanced cybersecurity measures.

Nuclear power is reliable

The Catawba plant is the workhorse of the co-op generation fleet, providing steady “baseload” power 24/7 at a very low cost. It can run 18 months at a time without having to be refueled.

Did you know?

Uranium, used to power the reactors, is an abundant metal available at a very stable price.
One pellet of fuel, about the size of your fingertip, contains the same amount of energy as 1 ton of coal or 149 gallons of oil.
Nuclear energy generates nearly 20% of the 4.18 trillion kilowatt-hours of U.S. electricity generation.
More than half of the electricity NC electric co-ops provide to members is from nuclear energy, most of which is generated at the Catawba Nuclear Station in York County, South Carolina, operated by Duke Energy.
The volume of fuel used across the entire U.S. nuclear fleet for almost five decades, if stacked end to end, would cover an area the size of a football field to a depth of less than 10 yards.