2004 looks like the best year ever

摘要

The nuclear electricity output in the U.S. was higher in 2004 than in any previous year, and even allowing for leap year and uprates, the industry-wide capacity factor appears to have been the best ever. The data behind the conclusion were still preliminary, but by early February it had become apparent that power reactors in the United States generated more electricity in 2004 than they had in any previous year. Generation statistics, provided by licensees in monthly operating reports to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, show that nuclear power produced roughly 789 TWh of electricity in 2004, surpassing the old record of 780 TWh in 2002. Also, the nuclear fleet did not simply take advantage of the extra leap-year day in 2004 and the power uprates that have taken place at some reactors. Nuclear News has determined from these statistics that the industry-wide capacity factor in 2004 was very slightly higher in 2004 than it was in any previous year, including 2002.