Shippingport was for many years a quiet, sparsely populated community, a river town as its name implies. This name, however, reached national prominence in 1955 when the Shippingport Atomic Power Plant began operation as the first atomic energy station used for non-military purposes. Built by Duquesne Light and operated by the U.S. Navy, this plant was the prototype for many to follow in the nation and in the world.
The village of Shippingport, known earlier as Christler's Landing, was incorporated in 1910 from the East district of Greene Township and a part of Raccoon Township. More of a ferry terminal than a freight handling port, the village did gain some prominence as the construction site for a number of steamboats in the 1850's.
The last ferry on the Ohio River in Beaver County closed here in 1956, following an unfortunate mid-river collision with a tow. The Shippingport Bridge opened soon after, a project intended to spur development of the southside.
It was the decade of the '70's that Shippingport residents will remember. Two local power companies, after securing necessary land, announced the proposed construction of massive new facilities. Duquesne Light would build two nuclear power plants, Beaver Valley Plants I and II. (Plant I was in operation in 1976). The Penn Power Company, serving northern Beaver County, would build two (later increased to three) giant coal-fired power plants. (Two of these were working in 1976).
Shippingport's location on the river was the primary factor in choosing the location for these plants. Both water transportation and tremendous quantities of cooling water are necessary for operation of the huge power plants. The 946 foot smokestack at Penn Power's Bruce Mansfield plant can be seen from nearly every hilltop in Beaver County. A row of 400 foot high cooling towers (one for each of the five plants when completed) give the river front skyline an incredible appearance.
Controversies centering around possible radiation leaks from the nuclear plants and noise and sulfur pollution have been major concerns of residents of both the borough and Beaver County since construction began. Years of successful and safe operation seem to have quieted the fears.