Affordable and Sustainable

Nuclear power plants emit nothing but water vapor, making them a carbon-free generation source. Uranium, used to power the reactors, is an abundant metal available at a very stable price.

Plentiful, Reliable Power

The Catawba plant is the workhorse of the co-op generation fleet, designed to operate over a long period and provide steady “baseload” power 24/7 at a very low cost. It can run 18 months at a time, without having to be refueled. A small amount of uranium packs a lot of punch: one fuel pellet, about the size of your fingertip, contains the same amount of energy as 1 ton of coal or 149 gallons of oil.

Safety: The Highest Priority

All nuclear plants in the United States are subject to strict federal oversight. Multiple systems, protocols and design features keep the plant safe, including a large, expertly trained onsite security force.

Tap a number below to learn more about each part of the nuclear site.

1 Used fuel storage
Used fuel rods are cooled in large pools for an average of 10 years before being transferred to 18-foot tall, long-term storage canisters, engineered to keep fuel safe without power or moving parts. All fuel used at Catawba since coming online in 1985 is still onsite.

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2Cooling towers
Huge, circular concrete structures, 7 stories high with 13 fans on top, cool water used in power production and emit only water vapor.

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3 Turbine decks
Steam created by the reactor turns turbines, which, in turn, spin generators to produce electricity.

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4Reactor buildings
The reactors are encased in layers of steel and concrete. Each reactor building is made of nearly 4-foot-thick, steel-reinforced concrete, one-third of which is buried underground.

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5Substation and transmission lines
Combined, both units can produce 2,310 megawatts of power, or enough to power 1.7 million households—about one-third of all households in North Carolina.

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