?
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
ranked of 93
Subscribers
?
Current reactor power level from the most recent NRC daily report.
100%
Power
ONLINE
?
Days of continuous operation since the last outage ended. Ranked against all operating units.
283
Current Run
days
#43 of 95
Mid Quartile
?
Longest recorded period of continuous operation between outages.
536
Record Run
days
#77 of 95
Bottom Quartile
?
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
#34 of 87
Mid Quartile
?
Lifetime capacity factor: average power level across all recorded days (100% = always at full power). Ranked against all NRC-tracked units.
89.1%
Capacity Factor
#60 of 95
Mid Quartile
?
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.
31.19 TWh
Net Generation
EIA-923 · 12 mo to 2026-06 · plant total
?
Community rating score (Bayesian-adjusted). Based on 78 votes. Ranked against all rated facilities.
52.8
Rating
78 votes
#46 of 97
Mid Quartile
?
Total NRC-reported scram events (emergency reactor shutdowns). Ranked fleet-wide — fewer scrams = better rank.
4
Scrams
#15 of 94
Top Quartile
?
Years since commercial operation began. License remaining: 21.2 years.
38.7
Operating Age
years
21.2 yrs remaining
Reactor Status Timeline
Online NRC data, Mon to Fri ? Actual daily reactor status from NRC reports (Mon to Fri) and the current state. What is coming -- the utility's published Scheduled outage and NukeWorker's model Projection -- is part of a subscription. Colored by status. How far ahead you can see depends on your plan.OnlineReduced PowerPower AscensionRefueling Outage
Estimated reactivity remaining in Palo Verde 3's current fuel cycle, shown as a stylized fuel rod that drains as the cycle progresses. The cycle starts when the unit returns to power after its most recent refueling outage, and the gauge represents the fraction of that cycle's typical effective full-power days (EFPD) still available. Days at less than 100% power burn fuel proportionally — so a unit with significant downtime (high burn deficit) drains slower and ends with MORE reactivity left, giving operators margin to coast down (extend the cycle by reducing power) instead of refueling on the calendar. The dashed red line near the bottom marks the rough industry coastdown threshold (~15% remaining). Cycle target is the unit's median recent cycle length. Source: NRC daily reactor status reports cross-referenced against scheduled refuel outage history.
Fuel Burn Down Cycle since Dec 4, 2025
Palo Verde 3 is 280 days into its current fuel cycle with an estimated 45.2% of its fuel left. Its typical cycle runs about 508 days.
Fresh — 100%
Refuel — 0%
45.2% remaining
Mid-cycle
Cycle progress
280 / 508 days
EFPD remaining
229 days
Effective burn
279 EFPD
Burn deficit
1.5 FPD
Palo Verde 3 is mid-cycle with healthy reactivity. Operators have flexibility to defer or advance the next refuel as needed.
Historical Burn-Down (17 completed cycles)
Avg refuel point
4.5% remaining
Avg refuel (3yr)
0.4% remaining
Deepest burn
0.0% (2012-04 → 2013-10)
Most margin
18.2% (2004-12 → 2006-04)
Last 5 cycles at refuel
0%
2018-05
3%
2019-11
2%
2021-05
1%
2022-11
0%
2024-05
~3% coastdown (this unit)
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.
Capacity Factor (365-Day)
100%
Current
82.7%
365-Day Avg
#53
of 94 plants
Min: 0%
Max: 100%
64 days <80%
B2B CHAMPION
1,736 days without a trip
·
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 |
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.
Outage Duration Trend
?Scheduled refueling outage durations over time. Green bars are below average, yellow near average, red above. Dashed line shows the plant's historical average. Shorter outages mean better execution.
Palo Verde 3 has completed 18 scheduled refueling outages on record, averaging 44 days each. The most recent, in Oct 2025, ran 60 days.
Power History (12-Month)
?Daily power output as a percentage of rated capacity over the past 365 days. Green segments indicate full power (90%+), yellow shows reduced output, and red indicates significant power reductions or shutdowns.
Over the past 12 months Palo Verde 3 has run at an average of 82.7% of rated power. On the chart, green stretches are full-power running and dips toward zero mark reduced output or outages.
Outage Days by Year
?Total days spent in outage each year, split by scheduled refueling (blue) and forced/unplanned (red). Lower totals indicate better reliability and outage execution. Hover for details.
Across its recorded history, Palo Verde 3 has spent 796 days in scheduled refueling outages and 165 days in forced or unplanned outages. Taller bars mark the years with the most downtime.
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 38.7 years and averaged a 89.1% lifetime capacity factor, generating roughly 284.0 TWh of electricity. Its longest unbroken run reached 536 days.
Lifecycle & Tenure
Operating Age: 38.7 Yrs
Build Time: 11.6 Yrs
Lic. Remaining: 21.2 Yrs
Production & Power
Lifetime CF: 89.1%
Efficiency: 32.9%
Generated: 284.0 TWh
Reliability & Outages
Record Run: 536 Days
Refuelings: 18
Avg Startup: 4.6 Days
NukeWorker Member Ratings 78 votes
Community ratings from NukeWorker members. Vote to share your experience working at this facility. Score uses a Bayesian average that accounts for vote count — facilities with few votes are pulled toward the fleet average, so rankings reflect confidence, not just raw percentages.
Above Average
28 (35%)
Average
26 (33%)
Below Average
24 (30%)
Facility Map
Interactive satellite map showing the facility's geographic location. Marker color indicates current status: green for online, red for offline, orange for reduced power. Click the header to open in Google Maps satellite view.
33.3878, -112.864
Location & Contact
Physical address, phone number, and website for this facility. Use the directions link to get driving directions via Google Maps.
Phone:
(623) 393-5000
Website:
http://www.aps.com/
Per Diem Rates FY 2026
Per diem covers lodging and meals & incidental expenses (M&IE) for government and contractor travel near this facility. Rates are from GSA for FY 2026. Lodging rates vary by month — click "Show Monthly" to see the breakdown.
$160
Lodging/Night
$113–$229 range
$86
M&IE/Day
$246
Total/Day
Phoenix / Scottsdale, Maricopa County, AZ
Unemployment Benefits AZ
Maximum state unemployment insurance benefits for AZ. Actual benefits depend on your earnings history and may be lower than the maximum. Data as of Jan 2026.
$320
Max Weekly
26
Max Weeks
$8,320
Max Total
7-day waiting period before benefits begin
Jobs at Palo Verde 3 active
Active job listings posted for this specific facility on the NukeWorker job board. Click a job title for details, or the header to see them all.
Photos
Photos of this facility from the NukeWorker photo gallery. Click the header or any photo to browse the full album.
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.
PNW
Pinnacle West Capital Corporation
NYSE
$96.81
▲ +0.22 (+0.22%)
Previous Close
96.59
Day's Range
96.27 – 98.00
52-Week Range
85.32 – 111.16
Volume
107,843
Delayed quote as of Sep 11, 2026 12:08 PM ET.
Source: Yahoo Finance.
Full quote on Yahoo Finance
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
Thermal Power:
3990 MWt
Net Capacity:
1312 MWe
Efficiency:
32.9%
Status:
Operating
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
Operating Lic:
1987-11-25
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)