Waterford 3
Refueling Outage (trip-initiated) · Day 6Entergy·Killona, LA·PWR·1,165 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.
0%
Power
OFFLINE (6 Days)
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Days of continuous operation since the last outage ended. Ranked against all operating units.
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Current Run
offline
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Longest recorded period of continuous operation between outages.
583
Record Run
days
#49 of 95
Mid Quartile
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Breaker-to-Breaker runs — continuous operation exceeding the cycle-adjusted threshold (450 days for this 18-month cycle unit) with no trips to 0% power.
3
B2B Runs
#71 of 86
Bottom 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.
87.1%
Capacity Factor
#82 of 95
Bottom 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). These are authoritative actuals, not an estimate.
9.87 TWh
Net Generation
EIA-923 · 12 mo to 2026-07
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Total NRC-reported scram events (emergency reactor shutdowns). Ranked fleet-wide — fewer scrams = better rank.
11
Scrams
#80 of 94
Bottom Quartile
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Years since commercial operation began. License remaining: 18.2 years.
41.1
Operating Age
years
18.2 yrs remaining
Excellence Score, Records & Plant Facts
Breaker-to-Breaker Runs 3 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.
Waterford 3 has logged 3 breaker-to-breaker runs, continuous stretches from one refueling to the next with no trip to zero power. Its longest ran 524 days, and its runs average 509 days.
524
Best Run (days)
RFO 21 (2017-07-30) → RFO 22 (2019-01-05)
509
Avg Run (days)
All Runs
| 2017-07-30 | 2019-01-05 | 524 days | RFO 21 → RFO 22 |
| 2009-12-03 | 2011-04-06 | 489 days | RFO 16 → RFO 17 |
| 2003-11-21 | 2005-04-17 | 513 days | RFO 12 → RFO 13 |
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: Waterford Nuclear Generating Station.
Waterford Steam Electric Station Unit 3 is at Killona in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, about 25 miles west of New Orleans, on roughly 3,000 acres along the Mississippi River, which is its cooling source.
Read more
The plant has one Combustion Engineering two-loop pressurized water reactor with a dry ambient pressure containment building. Construction began on November 14, 1974, and commercial operation began on September 24, 1985. On August 28, 2005, the plant was shut down ahead of Hurricane Katrina and declared an unusual event, the least serious of the emergency levels, and it restarted shortly afterward. It was shut down again ahead of Hurricane Ida on August 28 to 29, 2021, and declared an unusual event on August 29 after losing offsite power.
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.
Waterford 3 has operated for about 41.1 years and averaged a 87.1% lifetime capacity factor, generating roughly 246.8 TWh of electricity. Its longest unbroken run reached 583 days.
Lifecycle & Tenure
Operating Age: 41.1 Yrs
Build Time: 10.9 Yrs
Lic. Remaining: 18.2 Yrs
Production & Power
Lifetime CF: 87.1%
Efficiency: 31.4%
Generated: 246.8 TWh
Reliability & Outages
Record Run: 583 Days
Refuelings: 19
Avg Startup: 6.1 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.
ETR
Entergy Corporation
NYSE
$106.08
▲ +0.92 (+0.87%)
Previous Close
105.16
Day's Range
105.52 – 106.49
52-Week Range
90.87 – 118.45
Volume
2,403,635
Delayed quote as of Oct 21, 2026 4:00 PM ET.
Source: Yahoo Finance.
Full quote on Yahoo Finance
Operational Excellence Score Subscribers
Waterford 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 11 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.
Waterford 3 has recorded 11 reactor scrams, or emergency shutdowns, since 2011 (9 automatic, 2 manual). On average the unit was back to full power about 8.6 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 CE
Turbine Supplier:
WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION IAEA
Thermal Power:
3716 MWt
Net Capacity:
1165 MWe
Gross Capacity:
1,250 MWe IAEA
Design Capacity:
1,104 MWe IAEA
Efficiency:
31.4%
Status:
Operating
Lifetime Output:
340.4 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 #:
05000382
License #:
NPF-38
License Type:
OL-FP
Const. Permit:
1974-11-14
Construction Start:
1974-11-14 IAEA
Operating Lic:
1985-03-16
First Criticality:
1985-03-04 IAEA
Grid Connection:
1985-03-18 IAEA
Commercial Op:
1985-09-24
License Renewed:
2018-12-27
License Exp:
2044-12-18
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:
SERC
— SERC Reliability Corporation
Census Region:
WSC
— West South Central
Balancing Authority:
MISO
— Midcontinent Independent System Operator (ISO/RTO)
Market Structure:
Regulated
— Rate-regulated utility (cost-of-service pricing)