The Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant was a
nuclear power plant proposed by the
Public Service Company of Oklahoma
American Electric Power (AEP), (railcar reporting mark: AEPX) is a major investor-owned electric utility in the United States, delivering electricity to more than five million customers in 11 states.
AEP ranks among the nation's largest gen ...
(PSO) in May 1973. It was cancelled in 1982.
History
The facility was to be built approximately 3 miles southwest of downtown
Inola, Oklahoma :''Inola'' is also a spider genus (Pisauridae).
Inola is a town in Rogers County, Oklahoma, United States. It is included in the Tulsa Metropolitan Statistical Area (TMSA). The population was 1,788 at the 2010 census, a 12.5 percent increase fr ...
, but still within town limits, and was to consist of two 1,150 MWe
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
(GE)
Boiling Water Reactors
A boiling water reactor (BWR) is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is a design different from a Soviet graphite-moderated RBMK. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuc ...
. The estimated cost of construction in 1973 was $450 million. By 1979, the amount had grown to $3.4 billion.
On June 2, 1979, just two months after the
partial meltdown at the
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, a group of people climbed over the barbed wire fence that surrounded the Black Fox Power Plant. Protesters carried their backpacks, tents and acoustic guitars in an attempt to disrupt construction and camp out overnight. About 500 people were arrested for protesting.
On February 16, 1982, Public Service Company of Oklahoma canceled the Black Fox project. After nine years of court and legal challenges by
Carrie Barefoot Dickerson and the Citizen's Action for Safe Energy (CASE) group, and $555,000, they would win against PSO.
On March 13, 2017 the Inola City Council unanimously voted to rezone the property owned by AEP/PSO from AG agricultural to I-4 Heavy Industrial. Since then, AEP/PSO has presented 1,000 acres of the former plant for development. On March 16, 2018, Sofidel America, a paper manufacturing company with global headquarters in Italy, held a groundbreaking ceremony for their new 1.8-million-square-foot plant with a $360-million capitol investment. The Sofidel project involves 500 construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs. The new plant will cover 50 acres under one roof. Sofidel bought 240 acres from PSO, which still has 750 acres around it for sale. PSO sold the land for just over $1 million ($4166.66 an acre).
See also
*
Anti-nuclear movement in the United States
The anti-nuclear movement in the United States consists of more than 80 anti-nuclear groups that oppose nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and/or uranium mining. These have included the Abalone Alliance, Clamshell Alliance, Committee for Nuclear ...
*
Anti-nuclear protests in the United States
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, nationa ...
*
List of canceled nuclear plants in the United States
References
Further reading
*Dickerson, Carrie B. and Patricia Lemon (1995).
Black Fox: Aunt Carrie's War Against the Black Fox Nuclear Power Plant'
Rogers County Woman Who Fought Black Fox Plant Left Lasting Legacy
Other Information
*American Electric Power Purchases Public Service Company of Oklahoma
{{coord, 36.11576, N, 95.55157, W, display=title
Cancelled nuclear power stations in the United States
Nuclear power plants in Oklahoma
Anti-nuclear protests in the United States
Rogers County, Oklahoma