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The Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is a two-unit pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant owned by Mr. Charles Montgomery Burns and is the main source of power in Springfield. Homer Simpson works at SNPP sector 7G.

Profile[]

The plant is notorious for being poorly maintained, largely due to owner Charles Montgomery Burns's miserliness and safety director Homer Simpson's incompetence. A surprise inspection found 342 violations with an estimated $56,000,000 required to bring the plant up to code, money which Burns refused to spend. Notable safety violations that have been seen include luminous rats in the bowels of the plant, pipes and drums leaking radioactive waste, the disposal of waste in a children's playground, plutonium used as a paperweight, cracked cooling towers (fixed in one episode using a piece of chewing gum), skeletons in the basement (which can be theorized of being of employees who were close to publicly revealing these security and safety violations), dangerously high Geiger counter readings around the perimeter of the plant[1], flashing red alert signs being ignored by the employees, the creation of a mutant subspecies of three-eyed fish and a horrific giant spider[2]. The Emergency Exits are simply painted on.[3]

Snpp-1-

The Power Plant

The core of the reactor is a Fissionator 1952 Slow-Fission Reactor. The plant has come close to meltdowns multiple times, but has always avoided catastrophe, often due to Homer's blind luck (and in one case, a dog employee briefly waking up to avert the meltdown during a particularly lazy day). On a similar note, it was implied that the plant has suffered enough minor meltdowns as a result of Homer's actions that mop-up crews dispatched to decontaminate a meltdown knew him by name.[4] Once, the reactor caught fire and caused significant damage to the power plant due to Homer dumping a donut into the reactor with the intention of increasing the donut's size, which alongside Homer's attempts at falsely claiming he was a new worker resulted in his firing.[5]

Security is also shown to be lax, as a 10-year-old spy from Albania disguised as a foreign exchange student named Adil took pictures and got info of the plant simply by asking Homer for a tour. Numerous times, the Simpson family has been able to break in easily, on many occasions there have been keys hidden under fake rocks (on one occasion one even being shown inside).[6]

Layout[]

Sector 6-F[]

This is a sector that was mentioned by Mr. Burns in the episode Take My Life, Please that is a better sector than 7-G with a higher payout. Chip Davis was described as "the life of Sector 6-F" but passed away prior to the episode Four Regrettings and a Funeral.

Sector 7-B[]

Screen Shot 2015-06-29 at 12.43

A map of Sector 7-B from the episode "Duffless"

This is a sector that appeared when Homer escaped the plant in the episode "Duffless". It contains a hideously gigantic spider that can only be overcome by quoting the Bible or decking it with a rock.

Sector 7-G[]

Springfield Nuclear Power Plant 6

Sector 7-G

Sector 7-G is the location of Homer Simpson's workplace, used to help prevent a meltdown in the reactor core. Homer works on a T-437 Safety Console,[7] that displays many buttons and features, including a meter that shows the temperature of the core and a button that controls the emergency override circuit (presumably eccs) that must be pressed in the event of a meltdown. It also contains a self-destruct button for the plant that Homer pressed while asleep.[8] Emergency doors lock down Sector 7-G whenever a meltdown is imminent. The doors directly behind the Safety Console lead to the Heavy Water Piping Facility.[9]

Sector 7-G was once referred to by Mr. Burns as a 'testicle-shriveling torture chamber' and the people who work there have at various times been classed as 'drones', 'organ banks', 'schmoles', 'carbon blobs', 'boobs', 'cabbage heads', 'chair moisteners' and 'fork and spoon operators'. The radiation has been shown to sterilize workers, namely Homer. The room also contained extremely high voltage cables that were presumably used to power the room. These cables were infamous for causing the death of former employee Frank Grimes due to his insanity causing him to grab the wires while delusional and mockingly referring to himself as Homer Simpson.

In "Bart on the Road", there are 2 radiation suits hanging on a coat hook. One of them has Homer's name written on it.

Sector 7-G is named after the production code used for episodes in the first season (7Gxx).

Sector 12[]

This is a sector that appeared in the episode "The Crepes of Wrath" where Homer's exchange student son, Adil Hoxha is wanting to see the plant's plutonium isolation model so that he can send photos to the Albanian government. Lenny states that it is located on the third floor, near the candy machines.

Cooling Towers[]

The plant has two Cooling Towers. They are the same color with the design of an atom with its nucleus and electrons pictured. Coffee mugs, pencil holders and other cylindrical based shapes can be seen around the plant in the style of the cooling towers. In one incident, Homer and Mindy Simmons took an elevator that carried them to the top of one of the cooling towers and sent Homer plummeting down a dangerous drop. The only logical reason there might be an elevator in a cooling tower is some sort of punishment used on the employees.

Executive Building[]

The Executive Building, or Sector 22-F, is a building in the back of the power plant. It features a bowling alley, open bar, and maids. Accountants work there.

Exec

Sector 22-F, as seen in S23E07, 'The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants'

Mr. Burns' office[]

Springfield Nuclear Power Plant 3

Mr. Burns' Office

Mr. Burns' office is located at the top floor of the plant. His office contains multiple trap doors that drop unwanted visitors far from the office (at least one of which contains a pool filled with electric eels;[10] another one contains alligators) and suction tubes from the ceiling that can send people to an area in the Middle East, that, according to Smithers, was there even before Burns worked at the plant and that not even Burns realized where it went.[11] When Smithers temporarily took control of the Nuclear Power plant due to Burns being arrested, he accidentally activated the trap door while he was standing on it trying to move his items into the office, only to emerge back in the room shortly afterward. Burns' desk hides several buttons that can trigger the traps in the room, release attack hounds, and also call security.[12] There is a small array of security screens on the wall, and the bookcases conceal an escape pod and a germ-proof vault. Burns' office also contains a stuffed mounted polar bear that conceals a secret access-way, or 'corpse hatch'/'innocence tube' that leads to the sewers. Burns used it to dump the body of Smithers' father after he was killed while preventing a core meltdown many years ago due to wanting to create his own conspiracy theory from them being "all the rage" at the time.[13] There is also a balcony behind the huge window.

Cafeteria[]

The Plant cafeteria is where the Nuclear Power Plant staff have their lunches. There is a rotating cake tray which is turned by a man pushing a lever on a giant wheel and axle a few meters underneath the cafeteria.[14]

Decontamination Showers[]

A shower room where the staff members of the Plant wash themselves at the end of each work day. It was once shown that these showers have a tendency to spout fire.[15]

Auditorium[]

The Nuclear Power Plant has a large auditorium where awards to staff members are given and company-wide meetings are held.[16]

Employee Break Room[]

Springfield Nuclear Power Plant 4

The Employee Break Room

A break room is where most staff spend their coffee breaks. The room is usually stocked with coffee and donuts. There is a bulletin board on the wall that has a poster showing how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver.[17]

Plant Operations Center[]

Homer uses a deformed fish to gain entry to the room (the security machine mistook to the fish for Mr. Burns). Homer attempts to release a mixture of "spoiled milk and utility-grade chicken" into the air-conditioning system. He is stopped by FBI Agent Annie Crawford, but Lisa manages to trigger the machine anyway. It is to no avail even though as revealed that the air-conditioning system is broken.[18]

History[]

The plant was built and opened when Homer Simpson was either 12,[13] or a senior in high school.[19] Funding for construction of the plant came from a child's fundraiser that six-year-old Homer attended with his dog Bongo.[20] Twelve-year-old Homer, a young Moe, Lenny, and Carl camped out near the plant as it suffered a nuclear meltdown and almost burned down. However, Waylon Smithers, Sr. had sacrificed himself to prevent the destruction of the plant and essentially saved the city, only for Homer later on to find his corpse down the Springfield River, which is the outlet for nuclear waste.[13]

When Homer was in his 20s,[21] he considered getting a job at the plant after hearing they paid well, to support his new wife, Marge. However, he failed the job interview as a young Smithers tested the employee tryouts. Then Homer applied again, only more objectively and dramatically, something that impressed the plant's owner, Mr. Burns. He got the job as a nuclear technician,[22] but ten years later, he was fired and rehired as a safety inspector (a decision that doomed the plant in itself).[23]

In 1990, the plant was given the chance to save millions, yet due to Homer's baldness, many of the executives were distraught.[24]

In 1991, due to safety inspector Homer Simpson's neglect, the plant almost suffered a meltdown. However, after some guessing, Homer saved the plant using a manual override button.[25] Later that year, Burns briefly lost control of the power plant when he sold it to the representatives of an unnamed German conglomerate. However, he purchased it back from the Germans because it was his ownership over the plant that gave him power over ordinary men.[26]

In 1995, Mr. Burns, when planning his Sun Blocker plan shortly after firing Waylon Smithers, also implied that he intended to take down the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant as a rival by stamping on a model of it and saying, "Take that, Nuclear Power Plant!". The plant became bankrupt after the shooting of Mr. Burns. However, when Burns was revived, he paid the mortgages and taxes on the plant, effectively saving it from becoming government property.

Ideas to Improve The Plant[]

When the Plant held a competition for children to come up with ideas for the power plant, Frank Grimes tricked Homer into entering it. Some competitors who entered were Ralph Wiggum, who entered a dream house, and Martin Prince, who entered a futuristic power plant. Homer added flaps to lower wind, and red and green stripes (that he and Mr. Burns felt were pretty "sharp"). He eventually won, leading Frank Grimes to have an outburst over the stupidity of the plant's employees.

Employees[]

Employee Hierarchy[]

All workers
As seen in S14E15, 'C.E.D'oh!'

Founder[]

  • Charles Montgomery Burns

Owner[]

Employee List[]

Current employees Former employees

Non-Canon Appearances[]

Ssi 5 The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened/existed.

Video Games[]

Bart vs. the Space Mutants[]

The Nuclear Power Plant acted as the final level for the game, with it factoring into the titular aliens' plans of creating their ultimate weapon. They were to steal several carbon rods from the nuclear power plant, with Bart and his family trying to retrieve the carbon rods. Ultimately, they succeeded in thwarting the aliens' plans, with the aliens, gaining some respect for Bart's prowess, rewarding him by carving an image of Bart on Mt. Rushmore.

The Simpsons Arcade[]

The Nuclear Power Plant, or more specifically, Mr. Burns' office, was the final level in the game, where the Simpsons Family fought against Smithers and Mr. Burns (the latter via a mech).

The Simpsons Bowling[]

The Nuclear Power Plant, or more specifically, Sector 7G, made a brief appearance where it had alarms blaring warning of a core breach, while Homer's chair was unoccupied save for a sign saying, "Gone Bowling".

Virtual Bart[]

The Power Plant appears in the beginning of the level "Post-Apocalypse", where due to a meltdown, it was the reason why the level appeared as a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

The Simpsons Road Rage[]

The power plant acted as a stop on the map of the same name, or rather, the entrance and cooling towers did. In addition, one of the missions had Bart drive Homer back to the power plant to sneak him back in without getting caught by Mr. Burns due to Homer skipping out to watch a baseball game, while another mission had Snake Jailbird smash 20 containers of nuclear waste while on parole as part of his "community service."

The Simpsons Hit and Run[]

The power plant was first mentioned in the first level with the mission S-M-R-T, where Marge assured Homer he can go to work after he delivers Lisa's school project to her, much to his chagrin, as he didn't even want to leave the house. It was also mentioned at the ending of the aforementioned mission, where Lisa told Homer that Marge called and wanted to talk to him about something important before he heads off to work, with Homer reacting in the usual manner. In the leadup to the mission "Office Spaced" as well as the mission itself, Homer has to destroy Smithers' limo via the Plow King (whom he borrowed from an inebriated Barney) to prevent him from discovering his scorpion farm (as not only was Homer late for work, but the day also happened to be his work evaluation day by Smithers). After blowing up his convertible, Homer then headed over to work, though he was paranoid over the security camera due to thinking sexy girls will watch him while he sleeps, and decided to destroy the power source for the cameras. After doing so, he then tried to take a nap, although Mr. Burns announced that it was time to go home before he could get the chance, much to Homer's chagrin. Homer later passed through the plant to tail a mysterious black van. He later returned to the plant to try and persuade a drunk Carl Carlson to help him spy on and expose Mr. Burns, although he ultimately had to race Smithers due to his possibly overhearing him.

Although no missions occurred at the plant directly in level 4, Marge does pass through the plant a few times in some of the missions.

It also appeared in Level 7, playing a vital role for the final levels: First, Homer went there to meet with Professor Frink after tailing an alien probe car, where he learned of the Rigellians' weakness: Nuclear Waste, with his proceeding to use various nuclear waste and various cars to take out the mothership over Springfield Elementary School. He also briefly visited the plant to ask Mr. Burns for the locations of Nuclear Waste buried around Springfield.

The Future[]

It is revealed that the plant is going to eventually upgrade the number of cooling towers (and possibly reactors) from two to at least five, perhaps as a response to the future growth of Springfield or its energy demand.[27]

A Dec in the future, Lenny and Carl have been promoted to the executive board, while Milhouse Van Houten has become a supervisor. The plant is operated mainly by robots, but Homer still retains his familiar position at Sector 7G. Smithers commits suicide by jumping into the cooling towers at age 50.[28]

It is also known that it now has many lawsuits, as written on the billboard at the entrance ("Still operating, despite lawsuits").

Treehouse of Horror series[]

In the final segment of "Treehouse of Horror II", Homer is fired from a nuclear plant after sleeping on the job.

In the first segment of "Treehouse of Horror XV", Homer blows the nuclear power plant in order to get out of cleaning the garage.

Behind the Laughter[]

The design and folly of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant is often rumored to be based on the real life Trojan Nuclear Power Plant near Matt Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon, or the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington. However, Antonia Coffman, Groening's publicist, has said that the Springfield plant's design is generic and that "the Springfield Nuclear Power plant was not based on the Trojan Plant or any other power plant in the country." Trojan Nuclear Power Plant opened in 1976 and was infamous for its poor construction and maintenance, resulting in steam generator leaks which ultimately caused the plant to close in 1993 (although other plants replaced theirs). The cooling tower of the Trojan nuclear power plant was finally demolished on May 21, 2006.

Appearances[]

Incomplete This article or section is incomplete.

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Trivia[]

  • During the first season's intro, the sign before the Nuclear Power Plant is written as "Welcom to Springfield Nuclear Power Plant" with the second "e" at the end missing.
  • A cawing crow is heard in nearly every establishing shot of the power plant; this is parodied in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore", in which a cow can be heard mooing during an outside shot of the India based power plant.
  • The SNPP maintains a map of the United States, indicating the status of all of the various nuclear facilities. Homer's job includes replacing the burnt out light bulbs on the map. But, because the plant refuses to hire an assistant, Homer is unable to change all the light bulbs.
  • The Map displayed above Homer's Panel is incorrect considering that Utah has never had a single Nuclear Power Plant ever
  • As seein in Smithers' computer in "Homer the Smithers", The Power Plant has at least 714 employees, all of whom fit the description of "incompetent", "lazy", "clumsy", "dim-witted", and "monstrously ugly".
  • The wall that Homer faces in his work station changes between episodes due to the lack of continuity in the series. In some episodes, the wall is a window showing reactor piping; in others, it is a map of nuclear sites around the country, a solid wall, or a wall with a plaque saying "Don't forget: you're here forever" that has been rearranged by Homer to say "Do it for her" with pictures of Maggie.
  • The plant's condition has actually deteriorated over the years. In one early episode, Smithers estimates that it would cost $56 million to bring the plant up to code, while in a later episode, the new German owners of the plant discover that the cost has soared to $100 million.
  • In "Homer's Enemy", Lenny states that Homer started working at the plant as safety inspector the day it opened. This cannot be true as Homer started working at the plant as a nuclear technician then was promoted to safety inspector, and he applied for the job at least fourteen years after the plant actually opened (he was 10 when the plant opened).
  • According to a commentary on a Simpsons' DVD, it's stated that there is an actual Homer Simpson working in a nuclear power plant. It is not sure if this is accurate, since no other source has also stated this.
  • There is a real nuclear facility near Preston, United Kingdom called Springfield's nuclear fuel production facility.
  • In the episode, "The Seemingly Never-Ending Story", The Rich Texan wins the plant in a bet, although this may just have been made up by Bart as an excuse for not studying for his Geography test.
  • In "The Blunder Years", "Activities" include "Nap Time" and "Quiet Time"; Homer ruined them both, with his screaming one day.
  • An all-ages music venue in Augusta, Georgia bears the name "Sector 7G."
  • In The Simpsons: Hit & Run video game, you can press the 'Vent' button on a reactor, causing radioactive emissions, even though the button says "Do Not Press!"
  • Also in Hit and Run you can drive through the core and discover that Mr. Burns' house is connected to the plant.
    34

    The Short View

  • In the episode Flaming Moe, it was revealed that the plant has workers who work in the night while Homer and others work in the day. The Night Workers almost look-like the Day Workers.
  • One of the nuclear power plant workers in the X-Files Episode "The Beginning" (Season 6, Episode 1) is named Homer, a reference to Homer Simpson (Sherman, Robert; Pearson, Lars (2009). Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium and The Lone Gunmen. Mad Norwegian Press, pp. 167–168).
  • Engineers and nuclear power advocates have denounced the Simpsons series with giving nuclear power a bad name and poor reputation. Despite various depictions in the series; nuclear power enjoys an extremely high safety margin compared to other industries. In real life, nuclear power doesn't produce glow in the dark radioactive waste in a sludge form, nor is it heavily acidic. Nuclear power also does not emit atmospheric pollution of any kind that harms human respiratory health. Greenhouse gas emissions are orders of magnitude lower than fossil fuels. Nuclear power produces no acid rain since it emits no sulfates or nitrates to bond with atmospheric water.
  • In the IOS and Android game, The Simpsons: Tapped Out, Homer is working but is too busy playing 'The Happy Little Elf game' on his MyPad rather than paying attention to his job. This leads to a meltdown that causes the nuclear plant to explode obliterating Springfield and it citizens in the process and the player has to help Homer rebuild Springfield in their own style. One of the game's later chapters reveals that the meltdown's true cause was far more complicated.
  • For some reason, Homer is placed at the bottom of the power plant's hierarchy and even lower than a nuclear rod. This may be due to his laziness, incompetence, and recklessness as it was seen when he throw a donut in the nuclear plant's chamber to see if it can grow in size.
  • According to The Simpsons: Tapped Out, Ruth Powers works in the Nuclear Power Plant, even though she has never been seen working there in the show.
  • Homer has been fired, then re-hired multiple times.

Gallery[]

800px-Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
The full image gallery for Springfield Nuclear Power Plant may be viewed at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant/Gallery.

Citations[]

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