Jenifer Avellaneda

Happy 30th to one of the weirdest, most instructive nuclear trips in U.S. history.

Cheers to redundant safety systems, & vigilant ops teams!

Why it matters:
This RARE dual-unit trip became a reference case in PRA.
It highlights how wildlife can impact critical infrastructure—& why even the best systems must account for unpredictable environmental factors. 🌿

What happened next:
✔️ Both reactors safely shut down
✔️ No loss of offsite power to safety buses
✔️ EDGs didn’t need to start
✔️ 138kV remained energized
There was no weather involved. Just one bird… with a very bad day 💥

At the time, both units were operating at full power. A fault occurred ~4 miles from the plant on one of five 345kV transmission lines.
Neither the primary nor backup relays cleared the fault. As a result, the other 4 lines & both units fed the fault—until everything tripped.

On this day 30 years ago (May 5, 1995), both units at Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant tripped after an electrical fault in the 345kV switchyard.

The unexpected culprit? A charred Great Blue Heron found at the scene.

🚨 Bottom line:
Technically, Germany can bring back nuclear energy production—there are no major technical barriers to restarting recently closed reactors. But it all hinges on political decisions.

📊 Public opinion?
•67% of Germans support nuclear energy.

•Rising energy demand & even the planned reopening of Three Mile Island in the U.S. suggest global momentum for nuclear restarts!

💰 The economic case for nuclear:
•Restarting these plants could generate over €100B in taxable profits over 20 years.

•Germany’s electricity imports surged to 25 TWh by late 2024, while the economy shrank 0.3% in 2023 and further decline another 0.2% in 2024.

👉 What is this timeline based on?
•These projections assume a halt to dismantling by mid-2025 & a rapid mobilization of resources.

•Brokdorf, Emsland, & Grohnde were among the last reactors shut down & require the least effort to restart.

•Additional reactors could take longer.

Germany 🇩🇪 could restart nuclear energy production—if the political will is there.

By 2025: Brokdorf (1.4 GW) could be operational if decommissioning stops immediately & staffing efforts begin.

By 2028: Emsland (1.3 GW) & Grohnde (1.4 GW) could follow with refurbishment & workforce training.

I ♥️ Nuclear Energy!

Historic progress in the UK! 🏗️

Britain installed the first nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point C, the first of its kind in 30+ years.

This project will power ~6M homes and play a key role in achieving net-zero goals. 🌍⚡

Excited to join an incredible panel for The New Age of Nuclear Advocacy! ⚛️ With @Nuclear_Matters

🗓️ Thursday, Dec 5, 2024
⏰ 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET

Let’s talk about nuclear energy’s future with amazing advocates like Kristin Zaitz, Dr. Robert Hayes, & Ryan Pickering.

Register here: bit.ly/4fK1xVL

Meta is exploring 1-4 GW of new nuclear capacity by the early 2030s to power its AI data centers, as demand is expected to triple by 2030!

Nuclear is proving essential for reliable, carbon-free energy in the tech revolution.

Another day, another big tech going nuclear... Let's go!

Hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving! 🦃 If you had the chance to bring up nuclear energy at the table, cheers to spreading the word about this clean energy solution!

My two best friends from college visited, & we couldn’t stop talking about the many memories we’ve made so far.

Westinghouse, Core Power join forces for floating nuclear power plant Westinghouse Electric Company and Core Power are to work together on the design and development of a floating nuclear power plant using the eVinci microreactor. ;

You can read more about it here:

www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/wes...

Nuclear at sea! 🌊 ⚓️

Westinghouse & Core Power are teaming up to develop floating nuclear power plants powered by the eVinci microreactor.

Designed for remote areas, offshore industries, & disaster zones, eVinci can offer carbon-free energy with refueling needed only every 8 years!!

What an incredible experience it was to participate in the webinar organized by UNICEF and ILCE on STEM education! 💡

I had the chance to share my journey, insights, and passion for science and engineering with an amazing audience.🌎

What are your thoughts on the importance of STEM in education?

A pleasure to connect!! ⚛️🤩

Early Christmas present!! 🎄

After many years in my wish list, it seems that I will finally have my own Westinghouse Atomic Power Plant Revel model from 1959!!

You can read the article here:

www.latimes.com/environment/...

Extra Extra!! New nuclear article 📰

"A New Generation Finds Promise in Nuclear Energy."

As someone who works in the industry, it's inspiring to see a shift in the conversation towards nuclear energy's potential to contribute to a clean & resilient energy mix.

I’d love to hear your thoughts:

Hey, BlueSky! I’m Jenifer Avellaneda, a nuclear engineer specializing in probabilistic risk assessment for nuclear power plants.

Passionate about spreading the word on the role of nuclear energy in a sustainable future.

Let’s connect and talk all things energy, science, and innovation! 🌍⚛️