How often do power plants get repaired?

Question

just on average

because i need to know how reliable power plants are for a debate im doing :) so the info will really help!

im looking for info just as an average

please post a link if found from a site as a proffesional answering and from an institute could go into my debate speech

thanks

Answer 1

I'm assuming that you're talking about nuclear power plants.  They're actually very reliable.  Since the fuel is so dangerous, there are lots of safety, backup safety, backup backup safety (etc.) systems in place.  The technology has also been refined over the years, making it even safer.  There are no new plants being built in America, though, which means that we aren't taking advantage of the new technology (and we're using technology and equipment that's at least 20 years old).

Given the number of commercial nuclear power plants in operation for 50 or so years, there have only been 2 serious accidents, and a handful of minor ones.  Of the two major accidents, only one of them (Chernobyl) significantly affected the environment and population in the surrounding area, prompting widespread evacuation and leading to increased rates of cancer in affected regions.  

The Three Mile Island accident was also very serious, but thanks to the safety systems built into the plant, the surrounding area wasn't significantly affected.  For example, the building housing the reactor is incredibly sturdy, and kept at lower pressure than the air outside - that way, if there is an accident inside the dome and the structure is damaged, air will be sucked inside, rather than radioactive materials escaping outwards.

As for preventative maintenance, I'm sure there's a set schedule that everyone has to follow.  It's very complicated, though, since some equipment needs to be maintained more often than others.  Most of the systems are redundant, meaning there's a backup for almost everything - so if something breaks down, they can use the backup while they (immediately) begin repairs.  I'm sure that there's also a set date for widespread overhauls every few years too... it's probably when they open up the reactor to replace the fuel rods (the plant wouldn't be able to generate power without the fuel anyways, so it would be a good time for a tune-up).

There's some good information on Wikipedia if you search for it.  You can probably find more specifics at the NRC website.