05.21.2024

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57º | 90% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 5:32 a.m. | Sunset 8:42 p.m.
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Oregon’s atomic past

The rise and fall of Oregon’s only nuclear power plant

A large, cylindrical nuclear cooling tower rises over evergreen trees and waterways.

Trojan’s reactor (the dome on the left) was the first of its kind to be moved and buried in one piece. | Photo by David Falconer

On this day 18 years ago, the 500-ft-tall cooling tower at Oregon’s only commercial nuclear power plant imploded into a cloud of dust.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The tale of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant stretches back to the late 1950s when a cohort of US utility companies — including Portland General Electric — operated an experimental plant in Pennsylvania. It wasn’t long before PGE started drafting plans to build and run its own reactor (with 13 other utility stakeholders) to meet the anticipated energy needs of a growing population, particularly in the Portland area.

A black and white image showing a large, curved wall of control boards and panels with air ducts and vents above. — A view of construction activities in the Trojan control room, circa 1974.
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Photo by US Department of Energy

Doomed from the beginning

Construction began in July of 1968 on land owned by the Trojan Powder Company along the bank of the Columbia River about 40 miles north of Portland. PGE was confident in the rise of nuclear power — but the construction cost didn’t sit well with customers who were accustomed to cheap hydropower rates.

Trojan came online at the end of 1975 and began generating commercial power on May 20 of the following year with a 1,130-megawatt capacity — the largest pressurized water reactor in the world at the time.

A gif file showing a cylindrical nuclear cooling tower imploding into a ball of dust and falling to the ground surrounded by water and trees. — Trojan’s cooling tower was visible from Interstate 5 in Washington and U.S. Route 30 in Oregon.
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Video by KGW

Trojan’s fall

Opposition plagued the plant from the start. Facing anti-nuclear public sentiment and cracks developing in the steam generator tubes, PGE started decommissioning Trojan in 1993, two decades short of its estimated lifespan.

Here’s a timeline of its dismantling:

2001: Trojan’s reactor is encased in concrete foam and shrink-wrapped plastic, ferried upriver, and buried 45 ft deep at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
2003: PGE transfers nearly 800 spent nuclear fuel assemblies to dry casks. They remain at the Trojan site today.
May 21, 2006: Dynamite implodes the massive cooling tower.

Some of the civil defense sirens set up within a 10-mile radius of the plant to warn the public of a potential disaster still stand in the area; others were moved to the Oregon Coast to serve in the event of a tsunami.

Asked

How much did the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant cost to build?

A. $205 million
B. $450 million
C. $75 million
D. $1.2 billion

Make your best guess

Events

Tuesday, May 21

Pamela Statz Reading + Book Launch | Tuesday, May 21 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Up Up Books, 1211 SE Stark St., Portland | Free | Local readers will recognize plenty of settings in this author’s debut thriller, “Thorn City.”
2024 Portland’s Funniest - Preliminary Rounds | Tuesday, May 21-Monday, July 29 | Times vary | Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE Ninth Ave., Portland | $15-$23 | Witness hilarious history unfold as local stand-ups crack their best jokes and vie for the audience’s vote to be crowned Portland’s Funniest Person.
2024 Bloom Tour | Tuesday, May 21-Tuesday, June 11 | Locations vary, Portland | Free | Masters of the floral arts have set up 29 large-scale botanical creations outside of shops, restaurants, and hotels offering special deals.

Wednesday, May 22

Shemanski Park Farmers Market | Wednesday, May 22 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Southwest Park Avenue + Main Street, Portland | Free | Pick up farm-fresh produce and locally-made food during your lunch break in the heart of downtown Portland.
Science On Tap - Lava, Mudflows and Ash: Volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest | Wednesday, May 22 | 7 p.m. | Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., Portland | $15-$45 | How much do you really know about the volcanoes nestled in the Cascades? Learn about their destructive power and how scientists monitor them.

Thursday, May 23

Candlelight: A Tribute to Adele | Thursday, May 23, Thursday, May 23 | Times vary | Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., Portland | $36-$56.50 | Hits like “Set Fire to the Rain” and “Skyfall” take on new meaning when they’re performed by a string quartet surrounded by glowing candles.
“HOME: Arctic Siberian Shamanic Live Concert” | Thursday, May 23 | 8 p.m. | Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., Portland | $35-$75 | SNOW RAVEN, a musician with ties to Siberia’s Sakha people, leads this sound journey featuring a mouth harp, throat singing, arctic beatbox, and bird mimicry.

Friday, May 24

CityFair | Friday, May 24-Sunday, June 9 | Times vary | Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 98 SW Naito Pkwy., Portland | $12-$25 | Enjoy classic carnival rides and fair food — plus nonstop entertainment — along the Willamette River in downtown Portland.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Finance

Aspire to retire? This startup wants to help you plan.

grey haired man sitting on a bench in a park in the springtime, wearing a blue t-shirt and a green jacket, smiling at the camera

A financial advisor could help you save and invest for retirement. | Photo provided by SmartAsset

This Princeton grad’s startup raised $161M to help people plan for retirement.

If you’re one of the whopping 110 million Americans over age 50 — or a wise millennial planning ahead — SmartAsset’s free quiz makes it easy to find vetted financial advisors who serve your area. Research suggests that people who work with a financial advisor could end up with 15% more money to spend in retirement.¹

Ready to kickstart your retirement plans?

Get your financial advisor matches today

¹ “Journal of Retirement Study Winter” (2020). The projections or other information regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of your future results. Please follow the link to see the methodologies employed in the Journal of Retirement study.

News Notes

Development

Portland Community College has broken ground on a new affordable housing project in Northeast Portland. The PCC Killingsworth apartment community will feature 84 income-based units and a 16,000-sqft plaza for community events located next to PCC’s Opportunity Center, which opened last fall at 4299 NE Killingsworth St.

Transit

The Portland Aerial Tram will be closed from 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 23 until 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28. The rope that carries the tram cabins between stations stretches over time and needs to be shortened every 18 months. Travelers can take shuttles during the closure.

Eat

Cornet Custard will open its own pint-sized space at 4537 SE Division St. as early as next month. The scoop shop will serve frozen custard in seasonal and classic flavors. Co-founder and James Beard Award-winning chef Naomi Pomeroy is also rumored to be working on a French bistro next door… (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Edu

Every Saturday, Hazelbrook Middle School in Tualatin transforms into the Portland Japanese School. The immersive program founded in 1971 by the Japanese Business Association of Portland serves students K-12 with academic + cultural classes covering language, arts, and mathematics, as well as special events and field trips. (KGW)

Number

800. That’s how many rubber ducks will be bobbing in the Teachers Fountain when it opens this Friday, May 24 at Southwest Portland’s Director Park. The Summer in the City event, 3-6 p.m., will feature music, ice cream, and more. Find the special Dolly Parton ducky and win a prize.

State

The Oregon Golf Association wants to create the state’s first golf-themed license plate. The “Golf Oregon” plate, featuring a white golf ball texture print and a vertical graphic of a putting green, would benefit Oregon Junior Golf. OGA said 3,000 vouchers must be sold before the plate can enter production.

Sports

In this episode of Locked On Blazers, host Mike Richman talks about the second round of the NBA playoffs and what Rip City stands to learn from the teams moving on to the Conference Finals.

Wellness

For some, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be life-changing. Join Active Path Mental Health’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pritham Raj, for a free virtual info session on Wednesday, May 29, 12:30-1 p.m., to learn what TMS therapy could do for you or a loved one. Register for the webinar.*

Plan Ahead

A once-a-year opportunity

Visit the Rae Room in Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial Mausoleum

A room inside of a mausoleum with two ornate, white marble coffins

Pay a visit — and your respects — to two of the mausoleum’s 97,000 souls. | Photo by Amanda van Arcken

Visiting the exclusive Rae Room at Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial Mausoleum is an activity only available once a year: Memorial Day weekend.

A pair of matching marble sarcophagi rest inside the vault, holding the remains of lumber baron George Rae and his housemaid-turned-second-wife, Elizabeth, who died in 1918 and 1942, respectively. The room will be on view to the public Saturday, May 25 through Monday, May 27, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

The eight-story, century-old mausoleum complex in the Sellwood neighborhood is the final resting place of approx. 97,000 people and features three multi-floor fountains, seven miles of corridors, stained glass windows, and a replica marble statue of Michelangelo’s “La Pieta.”

You can take a guided tour of the complex by calling (971) 888-6119 to reserve a spot.

The Buy

Pet accessories. Have the prettiest pooch at the park with these themed prints for summer thanks to Covey Collection.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Cambrie

From the editor

Celebrate Oregon State Parks Day (Saturday, June 1) with free parking and camping at state parks that normally charge fees. Several parks have organized special events, including L.L. Stub Stewart, Milo McIver, and Silver Falls. Day-use parking fees will also be waived on Sunday, June 2 to celebrate Free Fishing Days.

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