U.S. Energy Information Agency - Uranium - 2020

Nuclear Power Industry

Electricity Net Generation,1957–2019

Nuclear Share of Electricity Net Generation,1957–2019

Nuclear Electricity Net Generation–July

Capacity Factor, Monthly

Nuclear Energy Overview
Total
Operable
Unitsa,b
Net Summer
Capacity of
Operable Unitsb,c Nuclear Electricity
Net Generation
Nuclear Share
of Electricity
Net Generation Capacity Factord
Number Million Kilowatts Million Kilowatthours Percent

a) Total of nuclear generating units holding full-power licenses, or equivalent
permission to operate, at end of period. See Note 1, "Operable Nuclear Reactors,"
at end of section.
b) At end of period. c For the definition of "Net Summer Capacity," see Note 2, "Nuclear Capacity,"
at end of section.

c) Beginning in 2011, monthly capacity values are estimated in two steps:

1) uprates and derates reported on Form EIA-860M are added to specific months; and
2) the difference between the resulting year-end capacity (from data reported on Form EIA-860M) and final capacity (reported on Form EIA-860) is
allocated to the month of January.

d) Beginning in 2008, capacity factor data are calculated using a new methodology.
For an explanation of the method of calculating the capacity factor, see Note 2, "Nuclear Capacity," at end of section.
E=Estimate. NA=Not available. (s)=Less than 0.05%.

Notes:

• For a discussion of nuclear reactor unit coverage, see Note 1, "Operable Nuclear Reactors," at end of section.
• Nuclear electricity net generation totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding.
• Geographic coverage is the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Web Page: See http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/#nuclear  (Excel and CSV files) for all available annual data beginning in 1957 and monthly data beginning in 1973.

Sources: 
152 U. S. Energy Information Administration / Monthly Energy Review October 2020 Figure 8.2 Uranium Overview Domestic Production
Purchased Imports

Production and Trade, 1949–2019

Domestic Supplies
Electric Plants

Inventories, End of Year 1981–2019

Purchased Imports

Domestic Purchases

Average Prices, 1981–2019

[a] Prices are not adjusted for inflation. See “Nominal Dollars” in Glossary.
Note: See “Uranium Oxide” in Glossary.
Web Page: http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/#nuclear.

Uranium Overview
Domestic
Concentrate
Production
Purchased
Imports
Export
Sales
Electric Plant
Purchases
From Domestic
Suppliers
Loaded Into
U.S. Nuclear
Reactors
Inventories Average Price
Domestic
Suppliers
Electric
Plants Total
Purchased
Imports
Domestic
Purchases

Buyer imports and exports prior to 1982 are believed to be small. Does not include any fuel rods removed from reactors and later reloaded. 

Prices are not adjusted for inflation. See "Nominal Dollars" in Glossary.

Value has been rounded to avoid disclosure of individual company data.

Web Page: See http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly#nuclear  (Excel and CSV files) for all available annual data beginning in 1949.
Sources:

• 1949–1966: U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction Office, Statistical Data of the Uranium Industry, Report No. GJO-100, annual reports.
• 1967–2002: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Uranium Industry Annual, annual reports.
• 2003–2017: EIA, "Domestic Uranium Production Report," annual reports; and EIA, "Uranium Marketing Annual Report,"
• 2018 forward: EIA, "2019 Domestic Uranium Production Report" (May 2020), Table 3; and EIA, "2019 Uranium Marketing Annual Report" (May 2020).

Note 1. Operable Nuclear Reactors. A reactor is defined as operable when it possesses a full‐power license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or its predecessor, the Atomic Energy Commission, or equivalent permission to operate, at the end of the year or month shown. The definition includes units retaining full‐power licenses during long, non‐ routine shutdowns that for a time rendered them unable to generate electricity.

Note 2. Nuclear Capacity. Nuclear generating units may have more than one type of net capacity rating, including the following:

a) Net Summer Capacity—The steady hourly output that generating equipment is expected to supply to system load, exclusive of auxiliary power, as demonstrated by test at the time of summer peak demand. Auxiliary power of a typical nuclear power plant is about 5% of gross generation.

b) Net Design Capacity or Net Design Electrical Rating (DER)—The nominal net electrical output of a unit, specified by the utility and used for plant design. Through 2007, the monthly capacity factors are calculated as the monthly nuclear electricity net generation divided by the maximum possible nuclear electricity net generation for that month. The maximum possible nuclear electricity net generation is the number of hours in the month (assuming 24‐hour days, with no adjustment for changes to or from Daylight Savings Time) multiplied by the net summer capacity of operable nuclear generating units at the end of the month. That fraction is then multiplied by 100 to obtain a percentage. Annual capacity factors are calculated as the
annual nuclear electricity net generation divided by the annual maximum possible nuclear electricity net generation (the sum of the monthly values for maximum possible nuclear electricity net generation). For the methodology used to calculate capacity factors beginning in 2008, see U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly,

Appendix C notes on “Average Capacity Factors.”

Total Operable Units and Net Summer Capacity of Operable Units
1957–1982: Compiled from various sources, primarily U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Reactor Programs,
“U.S. Central Station Nuclear Electric Generating Units: Significant Milestones.”

1983 forward: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Form EIA‐860, “Annual Electric Generator Report,” and
predecessor forms; Form EIA‐860M, “Monthly Update to the Annual Electric Generator Report”; and monthly updates as
appropriate. See https://www.eia.gov/nuclear/generation/index.html  for a list of operable units. Nuclear Electricity Net Generation