Plant Reliability
Three Mile Island Unit 1 has a proven track record as a reliable source of electricity in the region. The plant has set four separate world records for continuous days of operations for a pressurized water reactor. Continuous runs of keeping the plant online to continually produce electricity for the power grid is an indicator of high levels of equipment reliability, and can be attributed to the safe operations performed by TMI Unit 1’s employees. TMI Unit 1’s latest record runs came in 2005, at 689 days and in 2003, at 680 days.
Three Mile Island Unit 1 is a stable source of electricity compared to other sources, such as coal or natural gas. Another way reliability is measured is by capacity factor, which refers to the amount of electricity annually produced compared with how much electricity would be produced if the plant operated at full capacity 100 percent of the time, expressed as a percentage. In 2006, TMI Unit 1’s capacity factor was 98.6 percent. Below, is how TMI Unit 1 fares compared to the nuclear industry and other fuel types:
As shown in the above graph, TMI Unit 1 is the most reliable source of electricity compared to all other fuel types. Renewing TMI Unit 1’s operating license is imperative to maintain a reliable source of electricity in the region, as well as an electricity source that is friendly to the environment, by emitting zero green house gas emissions.