Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station
| Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station | |
|---|---|
Hope Creek NPP, image courtesy of the NRC | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Lower Alloways Creek, Salem County, New Jersey |
| Coordinates | 39°28′04″N 75°32′17″W / 39.46778°N 75.53806°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | March 1, 1976 |
| Commission date | December 20, 1986 |
| Construction cost | $8.510 billion (2007 USD) |
| Owner | PSEG |
| Operator | PSEG |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | BWR |
| Reactor supplier | General Electric |
| Cooling towers | 1 × Natural Draft |
| Cooling source | Delaware River |
| Thermal capacity | 1 × 3840 MWth |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1 × 1172 MW |
| Make and model | BWR-4 (Mark 1) |
| Units cancelled | 1 × 1067 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 1172 MW |
| Capacity factor | 103.81% (2017) 87.1% (lifetime) |
| Annual net output | 10,658 GWh (2017) |
| External links | |
| Website | Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem County, New Jersey, United States. It sits on Artificial Island alongside the Salem Nuclear Power Plant. The station is owned and operated by PSEG Nuclear LLC, a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group.
It has a single unit, a boiling water reactor (BWR) built by General Electric. Originally planned for two units, the second unit was canceled in 1981. Hope Creek has a generating capacity of 1,268 megawatts electric (MWe). The plant began operation on July 25, 1986, with an initial license to run until 2026. In 2009, PSEG applied for a 20-year license extension, which was granted in 2011, allowing operation until 2046.
Together with the Salem units, the Salem–Hope Creek complex produces 3,572 megawatts, making it the largest nuclear power facility in the Eastern United States and the second largest in the country after the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona. Hope Creek, along with the Salem Nuclear Power Plant, produces approximately 40% of New Jersey’s electricity and 85% of its carbon-free electricity, making it an important part of the state’s energy infrastructure.
Hope Creek is one of three licensed nuclear power reactors in New Jersey. The others are the two units at the adjacent Salem plant. As of January 1, 2005, New Jersey ranked 10th among the 31 states with nuclear capacity for total MWe generated. In 2021, nuclear plants generated 45% of the electricity in the state.
In 2019, New Jersey began providing the state's nuclear plants Zero-Emission Certificates worth $300 million a year to keep them in service. The subsidy was ended in 2024, effective June 1, 2025, as the Inflation Reduction Act provides alternative tax credits to support clean energy.