South Texas 2

Online · 100% power

STP Nuclear Operating·Palacios, TX·PWR·1,280 MWe

Live reactor status, daily power data, outage history & performance charts, scram history, capacity factor & statistics, community ratings, technical specifications, NRC licensing data, photos, nearby jobs, satellite map, contact information, and per diem rates for South Texas 2.

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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.
116
Current Run
days
#63 of 95
Mid Quartile
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Longest recorded period of continuous operation between outages.
727
Record Run
days
#21 of 95
Top Quartile
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Breaker-to-Breaker runs — continuous operation exceeding the cycle-adjusted threshold (456 days for this 18-month cycle unit) with no trips to 0% power.
10
B2B Runs
#13 of 86
Top 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%
Capacity Factor
#61 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.
20.23 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.
6
Scrams
#38 of 94
Mid Quartile
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Years since commercial operation began. License remaining: 22.1 years.
37.3
Operating Age
years
22.1 yrs remaining

Excellence Score, Records & Plant Facts

About This Site

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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: South Texas Nuclear Generating Station.

South Texas Project Electric Generating Station is in Matagorda County, Texas, near Bay City and about 90 miles southwest of Houston, on a 12,200-acre site west of the Colorado River. A 7,000-acre reservoir filled from the river serves as its cooling source.

Read more

Houston Lighting & Power led the project with Central Power and Light, the City of Austin and the City of San Antonio, and Brown & Root was the original architect and construction firm. Construction began on December 22, 1975. The plant has two Westinghouse four-loop pressurized water reactors, with commercial operation on August 25, 1988, for Unit 1 and June 19, 1989, for Unit 2. Both units were taken offline in February 1993 over problems with auxiliary feedwater pumps, and returned in March 1994 and May 1994.

12 miles south-southwest of Bay City, Texas Forum Lodging tips

Facility Statistics

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Key performance and lifecycle metrics calculated from NRC operational data. Includes operating age, construction timeline, capacity factor, efficiency, generation totals, and reliability records.
South Texas 2 has operated for about 37.3 years and averaged a 89% lifetime capacity factor, generating roughly 277.6 TWh of electricity. Its longest unbroken run reached 727 days.
Lifecycle & Tenure
Operating Age: 37.3 Yrs
Build Time: 13.5 Yrs
Lic. Remaining: 22.1 Yrs
Production & Power
Lifetime CF: 89%
Efficiency: 33.2%
Generated: 277.6 TWh
Reliability & Outages
Record Run: 727 Days
Refuelings: 18
Avg Startup: 4.8 Days

Ownership & Construction

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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.
Owner/Operator: STP Nuclear Operating
Architect Engineer: BECH
Constructor: EBSO
Ownership, operation and management history
DateChange FromTo
Feb 2, 2006 Ownership stake Texas Genco (44% share) NRG Energy (44% share)
Nov 2023 Ownership stake NRG Energy (44% share) Constellation Energy (44% share)
CEG Constellation Energy Corporation NasdaqGS
$270.57 ▲ +11.73 (+4.53%)
Previous Close 258.84
Day's Range 263.12 – 273.21
52-Week Range 228.63 – 406.04
Volume 2,367,383
Delayed quote as of Oct 21, 2026 3:59 PM ET. Source: Yahoo Finance. Full quote on Yahoo Finance
South Texas Project is co-owned by Constellation (44%), CPS Energy (40%) and Austin Energy (16%), and operated by STP Nuclear Operating Company. Constellation is the only publicly traded co-owner; it bought the stake from NRG Energy in 2023.

Operational Excellence Score Subscribers

South Texas 2 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.

Technical Specs

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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: WEST 4LP
Turbine Supplier: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION IAEA
Thermal Power: 3853 MWt
Net Capacity: 1280 MWe
Gross Capacity: 1,354 MWe IAEA
Design Capacity: 1,250 MWe IAEA
Efficiency: 33.2%
Status: Operating
Lifetime Output: 348.1 TWh through 2025 IAEA

Licensing

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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 #: 05000499
License #: NPF-80
License Type: OL-FP
Const. Permit: 1975-12-22
Construction Start: 1975-12-22 IAEA
Operating Lic: 1989-03-28
First Criticality: 1989-03-12 IAEA
Grid Connection: 1989-04-11 IAEA
Commercial Op: 1989-06-19
License Renewed: 2017-09-28
License Exp: 2048-12-15

Market & Region

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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: TRE — Texas Regional Entity
Census Region: WSC — West South Central
Balancing Authority: ERCO — Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) (ISO/RTO)
Market Structure: Merchant — Competitive generator selling into wholesale markets