Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station

Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station
Aerial photograph of the power plant
CountryUnited States
LocationShippingport, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°37′24″N 80°25′50″W / 40.62333°N 80.43056°W / 40.62333; -80.43056
StatusOperational
Construction beganUnit 1: June 26, 1970
Unit 2: May 3, 1974
Commission dateUnit 1: October 1, 1976
Unit 2: November 17, 1987
Construction cost$8.520 billion (2007 USD)
OwnerVistra
OperatorVistra
Nuclear power station
Reactor typePWR
Reactor supplierWestinghouse
Cooling towers2 × Natural Draft
Cooling sourceOhio River
Thermal capacity2 × 2900 MWth
Power generation
Units operational1 × 980 MWe
1 × 960 MWe
Make and modelWH 3-loop (DRYSUB)
Nameplate capacity1826 MW
Capacity factor95.73% (2017)
80.25% (lifetime)
Annual net output14,381 GWh (2021)
External links
CommonsRelated media on Commons

Beaver Valley Power Station is a nuclear power plant on the Ohio River covering 1,000 acres (400 ha) near Shippingport, Pennsylvania, United States, roughly 27 miles (43 km) northwest of Pittsburgh. The plant is operated by Vistra Corp and power is generated by two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors. As of 2023, it is the fourth largest employer in Beaver County.

Beaver Valley 1 was used as the reference design for the French nuclear plant in Fessenheim.

In 2018, the previous owner FirstEnergy Solutions filed for bankruptcy and announced the plant would begin deactivation by 2021. However, upon emergence from bankruptcy in 2020 as new owner Energy Harbor, the shutdown of the plant was reversed largely due to then Governor Tom Wolf's decision to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Energy Harbor and the power plant were acquired by Vistra Corp in 2024.