McGuire Nuclear Power Plant, North Carolina

The McGuire Nuclear Power Plant is nestled on the banks of Lake Norman, from which it draws its cooling water. The plant is operated by Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, on behalf of owner Duke Energy Corporation. It is home to two pressurized water reactors, whose combined output is 2,316MW. The operating license for Reactor 1 was issued in 1981, while the operating license for Reactor 2 was issued in 1983. Lake Norman is North Carolina's largest lake, the result of Duke Energy's impounding the Catawba River in the early 1960's, via construction of the Cowans Ford Dam, home to the Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station.