6th largest plant in Louisiana · 237th nationally
Waterford 3 is a nuclear power plant in Louisiana with a nameplate capacity of 1,200 MW. It generates roughly 7.8M MWh per year — enough to power about 744,799 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 74% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time.
| Plant Name | Waterford 3 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Entergy Louisiana Llc |
| City | Killona |
| County | St Charles County |
| State | Louisiana |
| ZIP | 70057 |
| Coordinates | 29.99527, -90.47158 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Nuclear | Uranium | 1,200 MW | Operating | 1985 |
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
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.