Palo Verde 1 begins Fall 2026 refueling outage

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Palo Verde 1, Tonopah, Arizona.

Palo Verde Unit 1 began a routine refueling outage on October 3, 2026, starting exactly on its scheduled date. The 1,311-megawatt pressurized water reactor enters the maintenance period following a 1,270-day unscheduled-outage-free streak.

Operated by Arizona Public Service, the unit had completed about 93 percent of its typical 548-day operating cycle and recorded an 87.8 percent capacity factor during the 2025 cycle. The 45-day scheduled duration compares against a 42.4-day historical average across 18 prior refuels for the plant. Across the broader U.S. fleet, 94 units operated at an 85.4 percent capacity factor, with 12 units currently in refueling outages.

TONOPAH, AZ. Refueling activities began at Palo Verde 1 on Oct 3, 2026. The unit started on the published date (Oct 3, 2026) with a planned 45-day outage running through Nov 17, 2026.

Going into the refueling, the unit had run for more than 3 years without an unscheduled outage. NukeWorker's start-date projection scores 99% accuracy for this unit.

Across the U.S. fleet of 94 commercial reactors, today's combined capacity factor is 85.4% (12 units currently refueling, 1 unit in an unscheduled outage), above the 81.8% baseline for this month over the past five years. At the same site, Palo Verde 2 and Palo Verde 3 are both running at full power. Prairie Island 1, Robinson 2, Sequoyah 2, and Salem 1 also began refueling outages within the past week. With the unit offline for refueling, that takes about 1 million homes' worth of generation off the grid.

Palo Verde 1 is a 1,311-MW COMB CE80 PWR operated by Arizona Public Service (commercial operation since 1986). The utility operates 2 other U.S. nuclear units. Its operating license runs through 2045 (renewed in 2011). The unit ran at a 87.8% capacity factor in 2025, a steady year.

Heading to Tonopah, AZ for outage work? Current per-diem averages $166/night lodging plus $86/day meals (total $252/day), and Unemployment Benefits are $320 weekly. See open nuclear jobs in Arizona on NukeWorker.

View Palo Verde 1's ratings, history, projections, and current status on NukeWorker.

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Sources: NRC Daily Reactor Power Status reports, utility-published outage schedules, and NukeWorker's projections.