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.[2]
The reactors, both PWRs, were built by Westinghouse, and began commercial operation in 1977 (Unit 1) and 1981 (Unit 2). The two-unit plant has a capacity of 2,275 MWe. In 2009, PSEG applied for 20-year license renewals for both units, which were approved by the NRC in 2011.[4][5]
Unit 1 is now licensed to operate until August 13, 2036 and Unit 2 is licensed to operate until April 18, 2040.
Electricity Production
Generation (MWh) of Salem Nuclear Power Plant (Nuclear Only)[6]
Year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Annual (Total)
2001
1,628,101
1,476,038
1,636,734
898,461
956,394
1,555,773
1,635,714
1,640,717
1,340,729
1,216,108
1,572,067
1,648,210
17,205,046
2002
1,488,857
1,488,857
1,379,434
892,102
1,179,097
1,593,794
1,645,258
1,640,861
1,580,364
1,058,506
1,384,535
1,667,409
16,999,074
2003
--
1,491,748
1,499,538
1,544,442
1,645,766
1,602,610
1,578,978
1,562,350
1,167,010
958,594
810,053
1,653,057
15,514,146
2004
1,646,987
1,571,693
1,621,231
781,182
520,553
1,398,370
1,446,170
1,708,616
1,349,519
1,713,702
1,658,472
780,544
16,197,039
2005
1,735,382
1,573,110
1,741,799
875,865
1,387,424
1,648,504
1,704,117
1,676,623
1,632,572
1,144,062
1,495,383
1,729,597
18,344,438
2006
1,740,543
1,555,055
1,638,043
1,672,530
1,716,863
1,650,329
1,677,674
1,664,945
1,566,550
1,086,234
1,638,970
1,741,231
19,348,967
2007
1,742,364
1,572,703
1,569,646
936,155
1,392,982
1,593,517
1,698,054
1,647,440
1,639,591
1,718,133
1,686,017
1,631,592
18,828,194
2008
1,712,247
1,622,282
1,096,556
841,672
1,298,550
1,662,476
1,700,993
1,717,567
1,632,594
1,221,757
1,273,312
1,758,719
17,538,725
2009
1,773,789
1,595,891
1,681,961
1,701,558
1,733,739
1,672,693
1,726,023
1,716,463
1,673,182
1,231,232
1,375,976
1,766,821
19,649,328
2010
1,639,182
1,598,270
1,739,970
892,605
1,734,660
1,610,038
1,224,576
1,706,759
1,651,289
1,465,828
1,704,223
1,764,399
18,731,799
2011
1,766,487
1,595,472
1,699,347
885,545
1,419,677
1,545,819
1,493,822
1,700,565
1,453,030
1,467,788
1,047,417
1,758,277
17,833,246
2012
1,769,542
1,661,594
1,650,173
1,685,401
1,545,209
1,664,519
1,704,092
1,706,029
1,662,898
1,177,993
909,265
1,707,670
18,844,385
2013
1,763,960
1,594,976
1,761,823
1,231,680
938,582
1,677,435
1,711,099
1,651,564
1,674,978
1,738,730
1,698,788
1,764,607
19,208,222
2014
1,741,462
1,497,633
1,754,020
936,092
734,169
826,915
1,272,464
1,713,875
1,660,745
1,378,846
1,011,872
1,755,042
16,283,135
2015
1,756,614
1,546,196
1,362,166
1,652,963
1,732,355
1,665,366
1,690,924
1,584,137
1,661,112
1,470,197
794,652
1,676,947
18,593,629
2016
1,745,954
1,477,108
1,743,093
1,221,654
861,781
743,685
33,362
1,428,389
1,284,570
1,741,491
1,666,431
1,749,118
15,696,636
2017
1,752,226
1,558,083
1,686,867
1,227,730
874,729
1,649,555
1,692,972
1,704,628
1,592,457
1,169,309
1,325,320
1,741,290
17,975,166
2018
1,744,791
1,577,669
1,735,539
1,686,643
1,655,340
1,650,424
1,691,007
1,681,399
1,391,247
1,045,889
1,293,387
1,741,707
18,895,042
2019
1,713,154
1,541,262
1,559,671
1,050,539
849,412
1,118,327
1,687,304
1,591,030
1,651,381
1,725,138
1,680,788
1,742,256
17,910,262
2020
1,743,928
1,512,141
987,287
1,098,063
1,201,045
1,658,761
1,683,423
1,662,313
1,659,121
913,481
838,307
1,187,566
16,145,436
2021
1,752,658
1,583,539
1,746,500
1,692,936
1,733,797
1,655,602
1,691,582
1,692,328
1,583,540
879,156
1,309,930
1,740,433
19,062,001
2022
1,739,247
1,574,370
1,740,619
1,058,949
1,201,411
1,657,545
1,690,064
1,694,026
1,657,698
1,727,566
1,687,375
1,691,254
19,120,124
2023
1,752,270
1,577,844
1,667,278
893,520
1,734,382
1,667,146
1,697,885
1,703,433
1,609,279
1,013,927
1,328,114
1,751,973
18,397,051
Surrounding population
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission 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.[7]
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Salem was 52,091, an increase of 54.1 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 5,482,329, an increase of 7.6 percent since 2000.
The New York Times has reported that in the 1990s the Salem reactors were shut down for two years because of maintenance problems.[9] Consultants found several difficulties, including a leaky generator, unreliable controls on a reactor, and workers who feared that reporting problems would lead to retaliation. In 2004, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission took on additional oversight of the Salem plants and increased the monitoring of them.[9]
An extensive investigation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the subsequent review by hired consultants have found many minor problems, such as lack of routine maintenance and low morale among personnel, but declared the plant safe.[10]
On August 22, 2013, the Salem nuclear plant was shut down after a leak of slightly radioactive water. The spill was confined to the plant's containment building, and regulators have said there is no risk to the public.[11] The plant restarted on August 24, after having been shut down for less than 48 hours.[12]
In May 2014 a scheduled refueling outage of Salem 2 was extended after broken bolts from a cooling pump were found in the reactor vessel. Westinghouse dispatched a team to inspect the pumps.[13] The inspection revealed bolts in the bottom of the cooling pumps as well as the bottom of the reactor vessel. Unit 2 was returned to service on July 11, 2014.[14]
Water use
Both reactors use Delaware Bay as a source of cooling water. Salem Units 1 and 2 have a water-intake building with a rotating screen to collect debris that is later washed off. Sometimes thick layers of grass clog the intakes and the reactors run at reduced power for weeks as a result.[15][16] All of the waste heat produced in the steam cycle (about 2 gigawatts) is dumped into the bay. The resultant increase in water temperature is regulated to less than 1 °C in summer months, and to 2 °C the rest of the year. The large closed-cycle cooling tower on site is part of the neighboring Hope Creek plant and is not used by the Salem reactors.[17]