Shippingport, PA

http://www.wqed.org/mag/columns/sebak/2008/0508_shippingport.php I got to see that clock in the article the first time I came out here with Ken. The building was not quite as run down as it is now. That was before all the concrete walls, fences and razor wire were added because of 9-11. The building that is left is a little bit bigger than two ranch houses set side by side. Until it started to decay, the lobby held pictures, plaques, and other memorabilia about Shippingport. When they wanted to tear down the building because it was falling apart, a group of people who used to work there, moved those items to the Training Center at Beaver Valley. That group of people started a community group that has grown and the last time I was here (fall 2007) there was talk of building a museum to hold the artifacts and history. I don't know if that is going to happen or not.

Shippingport went into operation in 1957-8 - it is older than I am (by a year or two depending on what year you use.)! I was born in 1959. No laughs from the peanut gallery - both your Dads are older than I am!). I walked in with a man the other night that worked at Shippingport since it first was started. He said that some of the equipment from Shippingport is still used at Beaver Valley today. He talked about how the Chemistry techs would use old glass pint and quart milk bottles to hold the water samples. Then he surprised me when he said BV chemistry techs still use the same bottles for sampling! There are still a number of people that worked there that are still working at Beaver Valley. Some of them have over 40 years of working since Shippingport.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shippingport_Atomic_Power_Station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shippingport_Atomic_Power_Station Click links for more info


Beaver Valley from Shippingport.

Summer cooling tower design. The baffles that help cool the water are on the outside of the cooling tower instead of on the inside. This design in used in warm weather (southern) states because of the humidity in the air. The water vapor is coming off the baffles. It sounds soothing when I walk past the cooling tower, just like a waterfall. There is a beautiful view from in front of Security looking towards the Ohio River of the cooling tower, the Ohio River, and the bridge that crosses the river. At night you see the barge lights shining on the river.

This is an early picture of Shippingport Atomic plant looking towards the Ohio river. (Picture copied from wikipedia.org.)

Shippingport is circled in red.

Follow the pink line starting at the top of the page. That is where I park, walk through Security, past Unit 1, then back to Unit 2 where the pink circle stops. There are more outbuildings added since this picture was taken, as well as, cement walls, fences, and razor wire around the perimeter. You can see the difference between the two cooling towers.