5th largest plant in Washington · 236th nationally
Columbia Generating Station is a nuclear power plant in Washington with a nameplate capacity of 1,200 MW. It generates roughly 8.4M MWh per year — enough to power about 803,335 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 80% means it runs nearly around-the-clock as baseload generation.
| Plant Name | Columbia Generating Station |
|---|---|
| Operator | Energy Northwest |
| City | Richland |
| County | Benton County |
| State | Washington |
| ZIP | 99352 |
| Coordinates | 46.47110, -119.33390 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Nuclear | Uranium | 1,200 MW | Operating | 1984 |
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Bonneville Power Administration |
Nuclear plants generate carbon-free baseload electricity by fissioning uranium fuel inside a reactor. They run nearly around-the-clock — typical capacity factors above 90% — and a single facility can power millions of homes. Spent fuel is stored on-site in dry casks. NRC oversees safety; emergency planning zones extend 10 miles from the reactor.