Carolinas-Virginia Tube Reactor nuclear power plant
Retired United States
Gross capacity
19MW
Carolinas-Virginia Tube Reactor nuclear power plant is a pressurised heavy water reactor unit at Carolinas-Virginia Tube Reactor nuclear power plant in United States rated at 19 MW gross. It is retired. Commercial operation began 18 Dec 1963.
Specification
| Reactor type | Pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | Prototype |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Heavy water |
| Moderator | Heavy water |
| Gross capacity | 19MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 17MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 17MW |
| Thermal output | 65MWt |
| Typical enrichment | Natural uranium, 0.71% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Carolinas-Virginia Tube Reactor nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | not stated |
| Country | United States |
| Owner | Carolinas-Virginia Nuclear Power Association100% |
| Operator | Carolinas-Virginia Nuclear Power Association |
| Coordinates | 34.2625, -81.3292 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Natural uranium dioxide bundles
Enrichment
Natural uranium, 0.71% U-235 no enrichment required
Who makes this assembly
- BWX Technologies CANDU fuel bundles, natural uranium
- Cameco Corporation CANDU fuel bundles, natural uranium
- China North Nuclear Fuel Company CANDU fuel bundles
- KEPCO Nuclear Fuel CANDU fuel bundles
- Nuclear Power Corporation of India PHWR fuel bundles, natural uranium
Upstream
This unit runs on natural uranium, so its fuel chain has no enrichment step at all: mine → mill → conversion → fabrication. That is the shortest fuel chain of any commercial reactor type, and it makes the operator independent of the four organisations that control enrichment worldwide.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units —
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 1 Jan 1960Construction start
- 1 Mar 1963First criticality
- 18 Dec 1963Grid connection
- 18 Dec 1963Commercial operation
- 10 Jan 1967Permanent shutdown
Other Prototype units
5 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| BR3 nuclear power plant 3 | Belgium | Retired | 12 |
| KNK II nuclear power plant | Germany | Retired | 21 |
| Kalpakkam nuclear power plant PFBR | India | Under construction | 500 |
| Pathfinder nuclear power plant | United States | Retired | 63 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-27
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted