physics

Latina Nuclear Power Plant

Latina Nuclear Power Plant is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Latina Nuclear Power Plant rather than just read about it. In short: Latina Nuclear Power Plant is a former nuclear power plant at Latina, Lazio, Italy. Consisting of one 153 MWe Magnox reactor, it operated from 1963 until 1987.

Key takeaways

Latina Nuclear Power Plant belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Latina Nuclear Power Plant to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Latina Nuclear Power Plant from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Latina Nuclear Power Plant is a former nuclear power plant at Latina, Lazio, Italy. Consisting of one 153 MWe Magnox reactor, it operated from 1963 until 1987. A second reactor, the experimental CIRENE design, began construction at Latina in 1972 but it was not completed until 1988 and never operated.

History The construction of the power station, which was undertaken jointly by SIMEA SpA and the 'Nuclear Power Group' consortium (Backed by AEI, John Thompson, C. A. Parsons and Company, Head Wrightson and A. Reyrolle & Company) started in 1958, as a key component of Italy's nascent nuclear weapons program. The first criticality occurred in December 1962, and the first connection to the distribution grid in May 1963. Commercial operation took place starting from January 1964. Originally the station was rated at 210 MWe, making it the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. The danger of significant oxidation of mild steel components by the high temperature carbon dioxide coolant required (in 1969) a reduction in operating temperature from 390 to 360 °C, which reduced power by 24%, down to 160 MWe (Net. 153 MWe). In 1985 its license was renewed to operate until at least 1992, but after the Chernobyl disaster it was shut down early in 1987 as the result of a referendum. During its activity, the plant produced a total of 26 TWh of electric power. The Societa Gestione Impianti Nucleari (Sogin) took ownership of the site in November 1999, and has been working on its decommission, which is planned to end in 2027. The dismantlement of the steam generators started in 2024.

Specification The power station had one Magnox nuclear reactor, supplying steam to three 70 MWe turbo generator sets which were manufactured by C. A. Parsons and Company. Graphite for the Magnox reactor core was manufactured by Anglo Great Lakes Corporation Ltd under contract from A. Reyrolle & Company, a member company of the 'Nuclear Power Group' consortium. Three 12-cylinder FIAT B3012ESS 1,500kW diesel generating sets were installed to provide electricity to auxiliary plant, in-case of a Loss Of Offsite Power (LOOP) event.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Latina Nuclear Power Plant

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Latina Nuclear Power Plant claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Latina Nuclear Power Plant before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Latina Nuclear Power Plant ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Latina Nuclear Power Plant

In research: Latina Nuclear Power Plant appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Latina Nuclear Power Plant in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Latina Nuclear Power Plant is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Former nuclear power stations in Italy, Graphite moderated reactors, Italian building and structure stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Latina Nuclear Power Plant outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Latina Nuclear Power Plant in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Latina Nuclear Power Plant means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Latina Nuclear Power Plant out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Latina Nuclear Power Plant in simple terms?

Latina Nuclear Power Plant is a former nuclear power plant at Latina, Lazio, Italy. Consisting of one 153 MWe Magnox reactor, it operated from 1963 until 1987.

Why does Latina Nuclear Power Plant matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Latina Nuclear Power Plant?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Latina Nuclear Power Plant.