# How close is your nearest nuke power plant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098 "2011-03-18T01:21:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/1 "2011-03-18T01:21:37Z")
For me it’s 9 miles which means we are in the official 10 mile evacuation zone. Every year we get a booklet about evacuation. I don’t worry about it. I used to live about 12 miles away so we did not have to evacuate from that house. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/2 "2011-03-18T01:31:59Z")
I am 33 miles from the troubled Ferrmi plant in Monroe ,Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/3 "2011-03-18T01:34:05Z")
We also have loud sirens that are tested about once a year but it’s during the day so I have never heard them. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/4 "2011-03-18T01:44:10Z")
I have no idea. I don’t really care. I was about 10 miles away from one when I lived in Illinois though. ---
**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/5 "2011-03-18T01:49:15Z")
30 miles from the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, but not worried a bit. Also, it’s a CANDU reactor, so there’s even less reason to worry. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/6 "2011-03-18T01:53:24Z")
60 miles South of the Savannah River Plant (S Carolina coast). I don’t think there’s much chance of an earthquake here though, and it should withstand a hurricane pretty easily if it ever got hit. ---
**Author:** ![BuzzSaw101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a3d4f5/32.png) [@BuzzSaw101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuzzSaw101)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/7 "2011-03-18T01:57:13Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > 60 miles South of the Savannah River Plant (S Carolina coast). I don’t think there’s much chance of an earthquake here though, and it should withstand a hurricane pretty easily if it ever got hit. A 7.3 magitude earthquake hit Charleston, S.C. in 1886. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/8 "2011-03-18T01:59:22Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I am 33 miles from the troubled Ferrmi plant in Monroe ,Michigan. I’m about 50 miles from this one. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/9 "2011-03-18T02:03:46Z")
Hmmm… some Googling suggests about 5000 miles or so. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/10 "2011-03-18T02:15:49Z")
Also there is a research reactor at NC State campus about 15 miles away. I actually stood on top of that one when I was in junior high - it was turned off. Other kids saw it when it was on. It only puts out 1 megawatt of power. Commercial plants put out 900 megawatts or more. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/11 "2011-03-18T02:21:40Z")
Indonesia I think so it would be around 1500 miles. Other than that probably India or South Africa. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/12 "2011-03-18T02:29:59Z")
[30 kilometres](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koeberg_Nuclear_Power_Station) (20 miles). ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/13 "2011-03-18T02:32:12Z")
About 60 miles downwind of the [largest](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_Verde_Nuclear_Generating_Station) Nuke plant in the country. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/14 "2011-03-18T02:32:59Z")
Active or decommissioned? The closest one to me at the moment is[Ft. St. Vrain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._Vrain_Generating_Station) about 330 miles north, in Platteville, CO. It was announced in '65, and the first commercial power generated at the end of '76. It ran until '89 when it was closed due to continuing problems and expense, and too high a cost of needed repair parts. Decommissioning was completed in '92, and the plant was converted to a gas turbine plant which went operational in mid '96. In February 2001, the plant exceeded the power output of the nuclear plant over its entire 13-year lifetime. Cool beaners. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/15 "2011-03-18T02:42:54Z")
From the [SLOWPOKE](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SLOWPOKE_reactor) research reactor at the UofA, about 4km. From any decently sized one… a few thousand k at least. For a while there was talk of refining tarsands with nuclear power; that’d be the closest if it got off the ground. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/16 "2011-03-18T02:43:01Z")
There’s a research reactor 190 miles east. And a commercial one about 250 miles to the northwest…some concern there, as I’m located directly downwind from that one. Pretty safe here though, not even any coal-fired plants to sully the air. There are however a number of very large hydro dams nearby, some of which could do some serious devastation if they failed. Seems like none of the major power-producing systems are risk-free. Personally, instead of always trying to build more generating capacity, I’d rather we’d get serious about finding good ways to use less. SS ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/17 "2011-03-18T02:51:43Z")
I live about 45 miles from the plant in Monticello, MN, but I drive past it regularly on the way up to the cabin. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/18 "2011-03-18T02:59:21Z")
About 70 miles more or less from the Comanche Peak station in Somervell county, Texas. I’ve gone dove hunting nearby for the past 3 years, but that’s about the only time I get out that direction. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/19 "2011-03-18T03:19:56Z")
> [@bump](#): > > About 70 miles more or less from the Comanche Peak station in Somervell county, Texas. > > I’ve gone dove hunting nearby for the past 3 years, but that’s about the only time I get out that direction. I’m about 55 miles from that plant. I live in Bedford, where do you live? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098/20 "2011-03-18T03:30:19Z")
There aren’t any in Australia, but I’m about 35km from the sole nuclear reactor. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-is-your-nearest-nuke-power-plant/575098.md?page=2)