Walk along the shore in Waterford, Connecticut, and you’ll eventually see them. Three massive structures looming over the Long Island Sound. That’s the Millstone Power Station. It’s a beast. Honestly, most people driving by on I-95 probably don't realize that nearly half of Connecticut’s entire electricity supply comes from that one spot on the map. It’s not just a power plant; it’s the backbone of the New England grid.
Nuclear power is complicated. People get nervous about it. But if you’re looking at the numbers, Millstone is basically the only reason Connecticut has a shot at hitting its carbon-free goals. It’s a massive, humming engine of carbon-free baseload power. Without it? The lights might stay on, but the CO2 levels would skyrocket as we’d have to lean on natural gas.
Dominion Energy owns the place now. They took over from Northeast Utilities years ago. It’s been a wild ride for the facility, from the glory days of the 70s to some pretty rough patches in the 90s when the NRC basically put them on time-out. But today, it’s a different story. It’s about reliability. When a polar vortex hits and every solar panel is covered in snow and the wind isn't blowing, Millstone just keeps chugging along.
What's actually happening inside Millstone Power Station?
Most people think "nuclear plant" and imagine a glowing green vat of goo. Thanks, The Simpsons. In reality, Millstone is a triumph of 20th-century engineering that we’re still riding into the 21st. It currently operates two units: Millstone 2 and Millstone 3.
Millstone 2 is a Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactor (PWR). It started up back in 1975. Think about that for a second. This machine has been splitting atoms since the year Jaws came out. It puts out roughly 870 megawatts. Then you’ve got Unit 3, the big brother. It’s a Westinghouse PWR that came online in 1986. It’s a monster, cranking out over 1,200 megawatts. Combined, they produce enough juice to power about two million homes.
There used to be a Unit 1. It was a boiling water reactor, but it’s been retired since 1998. It’s just sitting there in "SAFSTOR" mode, which is basically nuclear-speak for "we’re letting the radioactivity decay before we tear it down."
The process is surprisingly simple if you strip away the physics. You split uranium atoms (fission), which creates an insane amount of heat. That heat boils water into steam. The steam spins a turbine. The turbine spins a generator. Boom. Electricity. The tricky part is keeping that heat under control and making sure the water stays where it’s supposed to be.
The safety record and the 90s "Dark Ages"
We have to talk about the 1990s. If you lived in Waterford back then, you remember. The plant was a mess. Not "imminent meltdown" mess, but "culture of corner-cutting" mess. In 1996, TIME magazine put Millstone on the cover. The headline was "The Whistleblower."
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George Galatis, a senior engineer, realized the plant was routinely moving spent fuel rods in ways that violated safety protocols. He spoke up. Management ignored him. He went to the NRC. Eventually, the entire station was shut down. It stayed dark for over two years. It cost billions.
That era changed everything. It forced a total cultural reset. Today, the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) practically lives at Millstone. There are resident inspectors who have unrestricted access to the facility 24/7. They watch everything. The safety protocols today are some of the most rigorous in any industry, period.
The Economics: Is Millstone too expensive to keep?
A few years ago, there was a real chance Millstone would close. It sounds crazy, right? Why shut down a plant that provides 45% of the state’s power?
The "Polar Vortex" of 2014 changed the math. Natural gas prices were through the roof. But in "normal" years, cheap fracked gas was making nuclear look expensive. Dominion Energy told the state of Connecticut, "Look, if we can't compete fairly, we’re going to pull the plug."
It was a giant game of chicken.
The state blinked. In 2019, they signed a 10-year deal. The deal allows Millstone to sell about 9 terawatt-hours of electricity per year to the state's utilities (Eversource and United Illuminating) at a fixed price. It basically guaranteed the plant's survival through 2029.
Why did the state do it? Because if Millstone closed, Connecticut’s carbon emissions would have jumped by 25% overnight. You can't replace 2,000 megawatts of 24/7 power with a few windmills and some batteries. Not yet, anyway.
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The Environmental Paradox
Environmentalists are often split on Millstone. On one hand, you have the "no nukes" crowd. They worry about the waste. And yeah, the waste is a problem. Spent fuel is stored on-site in "dry casks"—massive concrete and steel containers—because the federal government still hasn't built a central repository.
On the other hand, Millstone is the state’s biggest weapon against climate change. It produces zero carbon emissions during operation. None.
There's also the "thermal plume" issue. Millstone sucks in millions of gallons of water from the Long Island Sound to cool the reactors and then spits it back out warmer than it was. This has definitely messed with the local ecosystem. Winter flounder populations near the plant took a hit decades ago. Dominion has spent millions on "trash racks" and specialized pumping systems to minimize the "entrainment" of fish and larvae, but you can't pump that much water without some impact.
The Human Factor: Thousands of Jobs
Millstone isn't just a power plant; it's a massive employer. About 1,500 people work there full-time. High-paying, union jobs. Engineers, security forces, chemistry technicians, and "ROs" (Reactor Operators) who spend hundreds of hours in high-tech simulators practicing for things that will hopefully never happen.
During "refueling outages," which happen every 18 months or so for each unit, the population of the plant doubles. Over 1,000 contractors flood into Waterford and New London. They fill up the hotels. They eat at the local diners. They pump millions of dollars into the local economy in just a few weeks. It’s a logistical circus. They’re replacing a third of the fuel assemblies, inspecting every valve, and upgrading software.
It’s intense work. If you’re a "rad worker," you’re wearing yellow TLDs (thermoluminescent dosimeters) to track your exposure. Everything is measured. If you get a "dose" that’s even slightly above the tiny limit set for the day, you’re pulled off the job. Safety isn't just a slogan there; it's literally the only way they're allowed to stay open.
What happens when the licenses expire?
This is the big question. Unit 2’s license currently goes to 2035. Unit 3 goes to 2045. That sounds like a long way off, but in "utility time," it’s tomorrow.
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Dominion can apply for "Subsequent License Renewal" (SLR), which would push the lifespan out to 80 years. Some plants in the U.S. are already doing this. But it requires massive investment. You have to prove that the actual metal of the reactor vessel—the "egg" that holds the core—isn't getting too brittle from decades of neutron bombardment.
If Millstone doesn't get those extensions, Connecticut has a massive problem. Replacing that much power would require a staggering amount of offshore wind and solar, plus an order of magnitude more battery storage than currently exists.
Understanding the Nuclear Waste Reality
Let's be real about the waste. People think it’s a liquid. It’s not. It’s solid ceramic pellets inside zirconium alloy tubes. After they’re used in the reactor, they stay in a "spent fuel pool" for a few years to cool down.
At Millstone, once they’re cool enough, they go into Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations (ISFSI). These are the dry casks I mentioned. They sit on a concrete pad behind a lot of barbed wire and very serious people with rifles.
Is it a permanent solution? No. Is it safe for now? According to every study by the NRC and the Department of Energy, yes. These casks are designed to survive plane crashes, earthquakes, and floods. But the fact remains: Waterford is now a de facto long-term nuclear waste storage site because Congress can't get its act together on a national site like Yucca Mountain.
Actionable Insights for Connecticut Residents and Energy Consumers
If you live in the Northeast, Millstone affects you whether you know it or not. Here is what you should actually keep in mind regarding the station’s role in your life:
- Watch the Legislative Sessions: Connecticut’s energy policy is frequently debated in Hartford. The "Millstone Deal" will eventually come up for renewal. If you care about carbon goals or electricity prices, that’s the time to speak up to your representatives.
- Emergency Planning is Real but Routine: If you live within 10 miles of the plant (the Emergency Planning Zone), you probably get a calendar in the mail every year. It has evacuation routes and info on Potassium Iodide (KI) pills. Don't panic; it’s a federal requirement. The pills are just to protect your thyroid in the extremely unlikely event of a radioactive iodine release.
- Understand Your Bill: A portion of your "Public Benefits" charge on your Eversource or UI bill often goes toward supporting clean energy mandates, which includes the fixed-price contract for Millstone. It’s essentially an insurance policy against natural gas price spikes.
- Visit the Shoreline: You can't tour the inside of the plant anymore—9/11 ended that for the public—but the surrounding area of Waterford and the Niantic River is a testament to how the plant coexists with the environment. The "warm water" discharge area is actually a popular spot for certain types of fishing, though you have to stay outside the marked security exclusion zones.
- Track Air Quality: If Millstone were to shut down, regional air quality would likely dip as "peaker" gas plants would run more often to fill the void. For those with asthma or respiratory issues, the nuclear-vs-gas debate isn't just about the climate; it's about local air.
Millstone is a relic of the past that is absolutely vital for the future. It’s an aging giant, sure, but it’s a giant we currently can't live without. Whether you love nuclear or hate it, the three domes in Waterford are going to be a part of the Connecticut skyline for a long, long time.
Key Takeaways to Remember:
- Massive Scale: Provides 45% of CT's power and 90% of its carbon-free power.
- Safety First: Post-1990s reforms have made it one of the most strictly regulated industrial sites in the world.
- Economic Engine: Supports 1,500+ permanent jobs and thousands more during maintenance cycles.
- Waste Reality: Fuel is stored safely on-site in dry casks, awaiting a federal solution that doesn't yet exist.
- Future Outlook: The plant's survival is tied to state legislation and license renewals that will be decided in the next decade.