Palo Verde 3
Online · 100% powerArizona Public Service·Tonopah, AZ·PWR·1,312 MWe
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Composite Operational Excellence Score (0-100) — average percentile rank across 7 dimensions in three sub-scores: Reliability (capacity factor, forced outage days, B2B avg streak), Efficiency (fuel utilization, refuel duration), and Discipline (startup duration, scram count). 5-year window. Higher = more operationally excellent. Click to see the full breakdown.
Excellence
Rank locked · 93 units
Subscribers
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Current reactor power level from the most recent NRC daily report.
100%
Power
ONLINE
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Days of continuous operation since the last outage ended. Ranked against all operating units.
322
Current Run
days
#26 of 95
Mid Quartile
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Longest recorded period of continuous operation between outages.
536
Record Run
days
#77 of 95
Bottom Quartile
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Breaker-to-Breaker runs — continuous operation exceeding the cycle-adjusted threshold (433 days for this 18-month cycle unit) with no trips to 0% power.
6
B2B Runs
#33 of 86
Mid Quartile
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Lifetime capacity factor: average power level across all recorded days (100% = always at full power). Ranked against all NRC-tracked units.
89.2%
Capacity Factor
#59 of 95
Mid Quartile
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Net electricity actually generated over the most recent 12 months reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (Form EIA-923), summed across every unit at this plant. These are authoritative actuals, not an estimate.
31.17 TWh
Net Generation
EIA-923 · 12 mo to 2026-07 · plant total
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Total NRC-reported scram events (emergency reactor shutdowns). Ranked fleet-wide — fewer scrams = better rank.
4
Scrams
#18 of 94
Top Quartile
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Years since commercial operation began. License remaining: 21.1 years.
38.8
Operating Age
years
21.1 yrs remaining
Excellence Score, Records & Plant Facts
B2B CHAMPION
1,774 days without a trip
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6 Career Runs · 2 since last trip
Champion since Jan 17, 2024
Breaker-to-Breaker Runs 6 runs
Breaker-to-breaker runs measure continuous operation between refueling outages using a cycle-adjusted threshold (90% of cycle length minus RFO duration). An active streak means the unit has been running continuously since the last refueling with no trips to 0% power.
Palo Verde 3 has logged 6 breaker-to-breaker runs, continuous stretches from one refueling to the next with no trip to zero power. Its longest ran 513 days, and its runs average 490 days.
513
Best Run (days)
3R23 (2022-11-10) → 3R24 (2024-04-06)
490
Avg Run (days)
★ Double breaker-to-breaker
3R23 → 3R24 → 3R25
All Runs
| 2024-05-13 | 2025-10-04 | 509 days | 3R24 → 3R25 |
| 2022-11-10 | 2024-04-06 | 513 days | 3R23 → 3R24 |
| 2018-07-01 | 2019-10-05 | 461 days | 3R20 → 3R21 |
| 2013-11-26 | 2015-04-04 | 494 days | 3R17 → 3R18 |
| 2001-11-05 | 2003-03-29 | 509 days | 3R9 → 3R10 |
| 1999-01-01 | 2000-04-01 | 456 days | ? → 3R8 |
About This Site
Written by NukeWorker from public records: facts that do not change. Operator, status and capacity come from the live data elsewhere on this page. Sources: Wikipedia: Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station is near Tonopah, Arizona, in the northeastern Sonoran Desert, about 45 miles west of downtown Phoenix. Its wet cooling towers use treated sewage water from nearby cities and towns.
Read more
Construction of Unit 1 began on May 25, 1976, and Units 2 and 3 on June 1, 1976. All three units are Combustion Engineering System 80 pressurized water reactors. They connected to the grid in June 1985, May 1986 and November 1987, and entered commercial operation on January 28, 1986, September 19, 1986 and January 8, 1988. Construction permits were sought in the late 1970s for two further units, but those were cancelled for economic reasons before the permits were issued.
Facility Statistics
Key performance and lifecycle metrics calculated from NRC operational data. Includes operating age, construction timeline, capacity factor, efficiency, generation totals, and reliability records.
Palo Verde 3 has operated for about 38.8 years and averaged a 89.2% lifetime capacity factor, generating roughly 285.3 TWh of electricity. Its longest unbroken run reached 536 days.
Lifecycle & Tenure
Operating Age: 38.8 Yrs
Build Time: 11.6 Yrs
Lic. Remaining: 21.1 Yrs
Production & Power
Lifetime CF: 89.2%
Efficiency: 32.9%
Generated: 285.3 TWh
Reliability & Outages
Record Run: 536 Days
Refuelings: 18
Avg Startup: 4.8 Days
Ownership & Construction
The utility or company that owns and operates the facility, the architect-engineer responsible for plant design, and the primary construction contractor. Click names to view all facilities by that entity on the map.
Ownership, operation and management history
No change of owner, operator or management company on record. Our history starts in 1999.
PNW
Pinnacle West Capital Corporation
NYSE
$103.17
▲ +2.00 (+1.98%)
Previous Close
101.17
Day's Range
101.96 – 103.47
52-Week Range
86.18 – 111.16
Volume
285,403
Delayed quote as of Oct 20, 2026 12:17 PM ET.
Source: Yahoo Finance.
Full quote on Yahoo Finance
Operational Excellence Score Subscribers
Palo Verde 3 is rated 0 to 100 on how well it actually runs, scored against every other operating reactor in the US fleet from its own operating record. Subscribers see the score, the three sub-scores behind it, and each of the seven measured inputs.
- This unit's composite score and fleet rank
- Reliability, Efficiency and Discipline sub-scores
- All seven measured inputs, with fleet percentiles
- Rank against comparable units, not just the fleet
- Three-year, five-year and lifetime windows
- Five-year trend, and every other operating US reactor
Included with every outage subscription and with NukeWorker Gold membership. Trading the outage rather than working it? The same record, cut by power market, is on NukeGryd.
Scram History 4 events since 2011
Automatic and manual reactor scram (emergency shutdown) events reported to the NRC since 2011. Includes event dates, trip type, and average recovery time. Click the title to view the full fleet scram dashboard.
Palo Verde 3 has recorded 4 reactor scrams, or emergency shutdowns, since 2011 (3 automatic, 1 manual). On average the unit was back to full power about 6 days after each trip.
Technical Specs
Reactor design specifications including type (PWR/BWR), containment design, nuclear steam supply system manufacturer, thermal and electrical power ratings, and current operational status.
Reactor Type:
PWR
Containment:
PWR-DRYAMB
NSS Supplier:
COMB CE80
Turbine Supplier:
GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. IAEA
Thermal Power:
3990 MWt
Net Capacity:
1312 MWe
Gross Capacity:
1,414 MWe IAEA
Design Capacity:
1,304 MWe IAEA
Efficiency:
32.9%
Status:
Operating
Lifetime Output:
365.5 TWh through 2025 IAEA
Licensing
NRC licensing history including docket number, license type and number, construction permit date, operating license issuance, commercial operation date, license renewal, and expiration date.
Docket #:
05000530
License #:
NPF-74
License Type:
OL-FP
Const. Permit:
1976-05-25
Construction Start:
1976-06-01 IAEA
Operating Lic:
1987-11-25
First Criticality:
1987-10-25 IAEA
Grid Connection:
1987-11-28 IAEA
Commercial Op:
1988-01-08
License Renewed:
2011-04-22
License Exp:
2047-11-25
Market & Region
EIA market and grid-region classifications: NERC reliability region, U.S. Census region, balancing authority responsible for grid operations, and whether the unit operates as a rate-regulated utility or a competitive merchant generator. Hover any value for the full name.
NERC Region:
WECC
— Western Electricity Coordinating Council
Census Region:
MTN
— Mountain
Balancing Authority:
SRP
— Salt River Project
Market Structure:
Regulated
— Rate-regulated utility (cost-of-service pricing)