Basic Facts:
- Location: Oak Harbor, Ohio
- Owner: Cleveland Electric & Toledo Edison
- Operator: FirstEnergy Nuclear
- Construction Cost: $2.7B (2018$)
- Plant Output: 900 MW
- Property Size: 950 acres
- Status: At Risk of Closure
- Employees: 700
- Current DTF Balance: $580M (2018$)
- DTF Balance Prior to Decommissioning: $870M (2018$)
- Decommissioning Cost Estimate: $490M (2018$)
- Spent Nuclear Fuel on Site: 599 metric tons
Background
The Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station is home to a single, 900 MW pressurized water reactor located in Oak Harbor, Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie between Toledo and Sandusky. Plant construction began in 1970 and in 1977, the plant received its first operating license. In 2015, the NRC approved a license renewal application thereby allowing the plant to operate until 2037.
In March of 2018, citing economic considerations, plant ownership announced that Davis-Besse would be permanently shut down by 2020. On July 26, 2019, FirstEnergy Solutions rescinded its shutdown notice after the Ohio legislature passed H.B. 6, a bill that would subsidize the plant and keep it open. Although the parts of the bill which provided subsidies to the plant have since been repealed after the bill was cited as being part of a bribery scandal, FirstEnergy has not announced any changes to the plant's operating status.
Socioeconomics
The Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station is located within Ottawa County, Ohio. As of 2016:
- Population: 41,000
- Per Capita Annual Income: $47,000
- Unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted): 6.7%
Davis-Besse is one of Ottawa County’s largest employer and taxpayer. In 2016, Davis-Besse contributed $11M in state and local taxes.
Contact Information
Economic Development Administration Representative:
- Kyle Darton, Chicago Regional Office, t: (312) 789-9752, e: [email protected]
University Center
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Viktoria Mitlyng, Sr. Public Affairs Officer, t: (630) 829-9662, e: [email protected]
- Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station
Unless specific costing information has been provided, decommissioning costs were derived from 2017 Decommissioning Funding Status Report.
Information herein obtained from public sources. Corrections are welcome and may be directed to [email protected].
Additional Information
NRC to hold public meeting on Davis Besse annual safety assessment
NRC to hold public meeting on Davis Besse annual safety assessmentOAK HARBOR – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will discuss the agency’s annual safety performance assessment of the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant during a hybrid public meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 17. The single-unit plant, located in Oak Harbor, Ohio, is operated by Energy Harbor Nuclear […]
Read MoreAuthorities launch ‘special inspection’ at Davis-Besse plant following second piping failure incident
Authorities launch ‘special inspection’ at Davis-Besse plant following second piping failure incident The second fire protection piping failure was discovered in March 2023. OAK HARBOR, Ohio – Authorities with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have launched a “special inspection” into the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio after learning of piping failures in […]
Read MoreOhio legislature close to revoking nuclear power subsidy
Ohio legislature close to revoking nuclear power subsidy NEW YORK (Reuters) – Ohio’s Senate amended and unanimously passed a House bill that would repeal nuclear subsidies for Energy Harbor Corp’s Davis-Besse and Perry reactors in the state. House Bill 128 (HB128), which the Senate passed on Wednesday, would confirm what state courts have already done […]
Read MoreOhio House expected to ax nuclear subsidies in piecemeal repeal of House Bill 6 on Wednesday
Ohio House expected to ax nuclear subsidies in piecemeal repeal of House Bill 6 on Wednesday COLUMBUS – Lawmakers in the Ohio House are expected to repeal a $1 billion bailout for two nuclear plants that federal investigators say was at the heart of a state bribery scandal. In a dramatic shift from 2019, state […]
Read MoreOhio Senate votes to repeal nuclear subsidies in House Bill 6
Ohio Senate votes to repeal nuclear subsidies in House Bill 6 COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to repeal the nuclear subsidies that are one of the central components of House Bill 6, the bailout law that’s at the center of an ongoing federal corruption probe.
Read MoreMultiple approaches floated on fate of nuclear bailout law
Multiple approaches floated on fate of nuclear bailout law COLUMBUS – A House committee on Wednesday dove into multiple competing measures to repeal all or parts of the $1 billion nuclear plant bailout law now …
Read MoreOwners of two Ohio nuclear plants may decline subsidies
Owners of two Ohio nuclear plants may decline subsidies COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The new owners of two Ohio nuclear power plants have given indications they are no longer interested in receiving as much as $1 billion in subsidies handed out in a tainted energy bill, according to two state lawmakers. One of the lawmakers, […]
Read MoreCorporation at heart of bribery scheme pleads guilty
Corporation at heart of bribery scheme pleads guilty COLUMBUS – The nonprofit corporation at the heart of a $61 million Statehouse bribery scandal pleaded guilty Friday to a federal racketeering charge and …
Read MoreTowns on edge over nuclear plants after bribery scandal
Towns on edge over nuclear plants after bribery scandal For much of the past four years, the residents of a pair of villages along Lake Erie have been on edge over the fate of their nuclear plants, which generate enough tax money to pay for nicer schools than their neighbors.
Read MoreGovernor would sign nuclear bailout delay bill
Governor would sign nuclear bailout delay bill COLUMBUS – Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday that he will sign a bill that could be headed to his desk by week’s end to put off the effects of the state’s …
Read More