Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station

For the nuclear power station in Trino Vercellese, Italy, see Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plant (Italy).

Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station
The Fermi Station (NRC image)
Official name	Fermi Power Plant
Country	United States
Location	Frenchtown Charter Township, Monroe County, Michigan
Coordinates	41°57′46″N 83°15′27″W
Status	Operational
Construction began	Unit 1: August 8, 1956 Unit 2: September 26, 1972
Commission date	Unit 1: August 7, 1966 Unit 2: January 23, 1988
Decommission date	Unit 1: November 29, 1972
Construction cost	$6.110 billion (2007 USD)
Owner(s)	DTE Energy
Operator(s)	DTE Energy
Nuclear power station
Reactor type	BWR/4
Reactor supplier	General Electric
Cooling towers	2 × Natural Draft
Cooling source	Lake Erie
Thermal capacity	1 × 3486 MWth
Power generation
Units operational	1 × 1202 MW
Make and model	Unit 1: Liquid Metal FBRTooltip Fast Breeder Reactor Unit 2: BWR/4 (Mark 1)
Units planned	1 × 1520 MW ESBWR
Units decommissioned	1 × 61 MW Liquid Metal FBRTooltip Fast Breeder Reactor
Nameplate capacity	1150 MW
Capacity factor	99.01% (2019) 76.3% (lifetime, excluding Unit 1)
Annual net output	9,369 GWh (2021)
External links
Website	Fermi 2 Power Plant
Commons	Related media on Commons

The Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Erie near Monroe, in Frenchtown Charter Township, Michigan on approximately 1,000 acres (400 ha). All units of the plant are operated by the DTE Energy Electric Company and owned (100 percent) by parent company DTE Energy. It is approximately halfway between Detroit, Michigan, and Toledo, Ohio. It is also visible from parts of Amherstburg and Colchester, Ontario as well as on the shore of Lake Erie in Ottawa County, Ohio. Two units have been constructed on this site. The first unit's construction started on August 4, 1956 and reached initial criticality on August 23, 1963, and the second unit received its construction permit on September 26, 1972. It reached criticality (head on) on June 21, 1985 and was declared commercial on November 18, 1988. The plant is connected to two single-circuit 345 kV Transmission Lines and three 120 kV lines. They are operated and maintained by ITC Transmission.

The plant is named after the Italian nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi, most noted for his work on the development of the first nuclear reactor as well as many other major contributions to nuclear physics. Fermi won the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on induced radioactivity.

On October 5, 1966, Fermi 1, a prototype fast breeder reactor, suffered a partial fuel meltdown, although no radioactive material was released. After repairs it was shut down by 1972.

On August 8, 2008, John McCain was taken on a 45-minute tour of the plant, becoming the first actively campaigning presidential candidate to visit a nuclear plant.

Fermi 1

Main article: Fermi 1

The 69 MWe prototype fast breeder reactor Fermi 1 unit was under construction and development at the site from 1956 to 1963. Initial criticality was achieved on August 23, 1963. On October 5, 1966 Fermi 1 suffered a partial fuel meltdown. Two of the 92 fuel assemblies were partially damaged. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), there was no abnormal radioactivity released into the environment.

Fermi 1 was a liquid metal (sodium) cooled fast breeder reactor design. It was capable of producing 200 megawatts thermal (MWt) power or 69 MW electrical power with 26% enriched metallic uranium fuel. The enriched uranium section of the reactor (core) was a 30 inch in diameter cylinder by 30 inches high and contained 92 fuel assemblies. The core was surrounded by 548 additional assemblies containing depleted uranium. These assemblies were about 2.5 inches square by about 8 feet tall. Only the core section contained the enriched uranium while depleted uranium was placed above and below within the assemblies. The core also contained 2 control rods and 8 safety rods. The plant was designed for 430 MWt and 125 MWe using a newer uranium oxide fuel, but the plant was closed before the fuel was ever ordered.

A 168 MWe oil-fired boiler was added in 1966 to utilize the turbine-generator during periods when the reactor was not producing power.

The main cause of the partial meltdown was a temperature increase caused by a blockage in one of the lower support plate orifices that allowed the flow of liquid sodium into the reactor. The blockage caused an insufficient amount of coolant to enter the fuel assembly; this was not noticed by the operators until the core temperature alarms sounded. Several fuel rod subassemblies reached high temperatures of around 700 °F (370 °C) (with an expected range near 580 °F, 304 °C), causing them to melt.

Following an extended shutdown that involved fuel replacement, repairs to vessel, and cleanup, Fermi 1 restarted in July 1970 and reached full power. Due to lack of funds and aging equipment, it was finally shut down permanently on November 27, 1972, and was officially decommissioned December 31, 1975, under the definition of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Later, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) replaced the AEC and under their new definitions, Fermi was re-designated as being in SAFSTOR due to some remaining radioactivity at the site. On May 16, 1996, decommissioning was restarted. However, by November 2011 with very little activity remaining, a decision was made to halt further work. It is currently in SAFSTOR.

Fermi 2

Fermi 2 is a 1,202 MWe General Electric boiling water reactor owned and operated by DTE Energy. Plans to build were announced in July 1968. Initial criticality was achieved in July 1985, and full commercial operation commenced on January 23, 1988.

The reactor vessel holds 764 fuel assemblies and 185 control rods which modulate the power. The fuel assemblies are about 6 inches (15 cm) square by about 12 feet (3.7 m) long. The original turbine generator was an English Electric unit. After a turbine blade incident in 1993, the company replaced the turbine with a General Electric unit. Water flowing through the reactor vessel changes to saturated steam and then travels to the main turbine-generator to produce electricity. After that, the steam drops into a main condenser where it is condensed to liquid water and is recycled. A secondary loop of water which enters the tube side of the condenser is non-radioactive. It flows to two large cooling towers which stand 400 feet (120 m) tall where the hot water is cooled by natural circulation with ambient air. This is a closed loop with only a small amount of make-up water needed from Lake Erie to replace any evaporation.

Two 345 kV lines send power to the customers. Those same lines are used to supply electricity to the site's safety equipment. Three additional 120 kV lines are also available to supply any needed back-up power to safety equipment. Additionally, four diesel generators and four combustion turbine generators are on site to power plant safety equipment during an emergency.

Fermi 3

The original Fermi 3 project was to be a companion unit identical to Fermi 2. It was ordered in 1972 and cancelled in 1974. See DOE data Archived 2018-07-24 at the Wayback Machine page 67 and WNA Fermi 3 data.

In September 2008, Detroit Edison filed an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) for a third reactor. The new unit is supposed to be built on the same site, slightly to the southwest of Fermi 2. The reactor design selected is the 1,550 MWe GE-designed passive Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR). Review of the 17,000-page application could take four years, after which construction could take six years. The cost is estimated at as much as $10 billion. CEO Anthony Earley said that DTE's analysis "so far shows that nuclear power will, over the long term, be the most cost-effective baseload option for our customers, ... We expect nuclear to remain the low-cost option, but we will continue to evaluate nuclear against other resources and will commit to proceeding with construction only at the right time and at the right cost".

In March 2009, a coalition of citizen groups asked federal regulators to reject plans for Fermi 3, contending that it would pose a range of threats to public health and the environment. The groups have filed 14 contentions with the NRC, claiming that a new plant would pose "radioactive, toxic and thermal impacts on Lake Erie's vulnerable western basin."

In May 2015, the NRC approved a combined construction and operating license for Fermi 3, but DTE Energy stated there were no plans for construction at that time.

Electricity Production

Enrico Fermi generated 9,369 GWh in 2021.

Generation (MWh) of Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station (Nuclear Only)

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual (Total)
2001	837,265	749,406	826,737	706,549	820,950	788,950	807,415	809,566	789,928	682,435	4,215	732,887	8,556,303
2002	754,709	747,777	787,517	748,342	803,368	782,676	809,054	812,779	761,983	750,145	809,883	732,979	9,301,212
2003	792,301	739,514	715,929	--	--	--	815,050	648,240	634,507	--	808,049	--	5,153,590
2004	806,600	781,335	820,299	800,541	819,994	788,165	798,836	559,293	690,903	823,176	120,305	639,121	8,448,568
2005	638,981	580,714	836,423	795,663	824,986	651,229	382,163	808,510	787,983	817,561	803,252	829,546	8,757,011
2006	826,481	741,745	628,282	-4,797	351,364	575,267	298,834	778,793	795,729	834,917	811,793	839,455	7,477,863
2007	834,889	758,769	833,817	803,071	824,803	787,182	809,715	808,989	733,388	-4,605	295,390	828,414	8,313,822
2008	824,297	686,958	832,266	801,327	823,731	782,504	808,535	812,030	784,019	825,674	803,223	829,098	9,613,662
2009	832,010	738,825	683,426	-6,302	790,300	701,696	808,091	804,657	753,847	-12,431	482,374	829,396	7,405,889
2010	826,918	749,957	623,748	793,338	813,870	479,778	795,329	794,316	779,145	618,650	-5,398	471,127	7,740,778
2011	534,396	333,482	838,519	806,518	817,992	785,387	801,893	800,318	785,802	826,292	735,304	828,193	8,894,096
2012	834,626	777,830	656,202	-4,115	653,358	600,935	38,178	523,993	419,890	538,867	96,090	-12,871	5,122,983
2013	537,089	489,377	529,843	432,896	357,798	512,759	522,457	526,841	275,104	789,221	791,568	834,597	6,599,550
2014	758,359	199,959	-7,797	418,957	836,073	803,339	833,048	831,399	675,631	824,570	829,874	790,021	7,793,433
2015	858,327	773,618	488,848	717,693	839,345	800,498	827,565	824,871	312,040	-4,519	36,547	856,696	7,331,529
2016	852,242	777,977	810,002	775,356	528,957	795,545	820,778	735,913	781,448	843,802	579,598	849,803	9,151,421
2017	835,785	703,553	456,062	257,629	812,375	813,616	838,126	837,585	815,266	844,960	745,390	736,114	8,696,461
2018	852,280	769,469	864,758	355,038	548,306	804,821	801,144	829,597	556,210	81,351	822,071	135,851	7,420,896
2019	785,062	778,142	854,968	824,948	843,326	801,898	829,239	834,287	806,165	849,249	833,675	845,190	9,886,149
2020	835,210	789,426	542,909	-4,083	-4,972	-10,804	-12,240	605,251	816,375	826,543	824,985	861,768	6,070,368
2021	862,146	778,026	848,825	854,935	606,825	806,004	720,959	823,139	804,551	833,478	816,935	613,543	9,369,366
2022	447,884	61,614	-4,563	-4,680	428,119	708,210	834,963	835,493	807,914	854,823	830,947	861,839	6,662,563
2023	858,302	776,261	858,865	826,438	849,305	806,739	796,212	460,504	589,391	849,139	827,026	857,859	9,356,041

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.

The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) of Enrico Fermi was 4,799,526, a decrease of 3.4 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. Cities within 50 miles (80 km) include Detroit (30 miles (48 km) to city center) and Toledo (27 miles (43 km)). Additional population within 50 miles (80 km) is in Canada, including Windsor, Ontario, 26 miles (42 km).

A 2021 report by the Radiation and Public Health Project (RPHP) found a rise in the rate of death due to cancer with a steadily rising rate in Monroe County during the 2009-2018 decade and attempted to correlate it to Fermi. However numerous studies conducted by respected scientific organizations, such as the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, have shown that living near nuclear power plants "have no adverse impact on cancer rates" and the NRC has stated that numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown no correlation, and that the RPHP's simple observation of a statistical association does not prove causation. In an op-ed Pete Dietrich, Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer at DTE Energy called the report a "dishonest attempt to sway public opinion" and went on to point out that "At all U.S. nuclear plants, including Fermi, radiation is strictly monitored by radiation experts and the NRC."

Seismic risk

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's 2010 estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Fermi was 1 in 238,095 making it the 88th least likely to be damaged of all US nuclear generating stations.

Reactor data

The Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station consists of one operational reactor, one closed unit and one additional is planned.

Reactor Unit	Reactor Type	Electrical Generation Capacity		Construction Start	Initial Criticality	Commercial Operation Start	Permanent Shutdown
		Net	Gross
Fermi 1	LMFBR	60 MW	69 MW	8/8/1956	8/23/1963	7/8/1966	11/29/1972
Fermi 2	BWR-4	1150 MW	1202 MW	9/26/1972	7/2/1985	1/23/1988
Fermi 3 (planned)	ESBWR	1490 MW	1550 MW

References

• We Almost Lost Detroit, John G. Fuller, Ballantine Books, 1976
• Normal Accident, Charles Perrow, Basic Books, 1984
• We Did Not Almost Lose Detroit, Earl M. Page, Published by Detroit Edison Co., 3rd Edition in May 1976
• Some notes written by hands on principal engineer who worked at the site from 1967 to 2006.
• Enrico Fermi Atomic Power Plant Hazards Summary Report
• Enrico Fermi Atomic Power Plant 236 page booklet published by the Atomic Power Development Associates, Inc. (now defunct) in January 1959

External links

• Public Comments "Public Comments at the meeting re: FERMI 3 with the NRC. This includes youtube videos of speakers calling for an end to the new nuclear reactor project. Featured are a Professor from the U of M, Don't Waste Michigan members, Sierra Club members, and other concerned citizens."