Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station

Braidwood Generating Station
Aerial image of Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station
Map
CountryUnited States
LocationReed Township, Will County, Illinois
Coordinates41°14′37″N 88°13′45″W / 41.24361°N 88.22917°W / 41.24361; -88.22917
StatusOperational
Construction beganAugust 1, 1975
Commission dateUnit 1: July 29, 1987
Unit 2: October 17, 1988
Construction costUS$4.4 billion (1986)[1]
($10.4 billion in 2023 dollars[2])
Owner(s)Constellation Energy
Operator(s)Constellation Energy
Employees800[3]
Nuclear power station
Reactor typePWR
Reactor supplierWestinghouse
Cooling sourceBraidwood Lake[a]
Thermal capacity2 × 3686 MWth
Power generation
Units operational1 × 1194 MW
1 × 1160 MW
Make and modelWH 4-loop (DRYAMB)
Nameplate capacity2386 MW
Capacity factor93.1% (2021)
89.55% (lifetime)
Annual net output19,474 GWh (2021)
External links
WebsiteBraidwood Generating Station
CommonsRelated media on Commons

Braidwood Generating Station is located in Will County in northeastern Illinois, U.S. The nuclear power plant serves Chicago and northern Illinois with electricity. The plant was originally built by Commonwealth Edison company, and subsequently transferred to Com Ed's parent company, Exelon Corporation. Following Exelon's spin-off of their Generation company, the station was transferred to Constellation Energy.

This station has two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors. Unit #1 came online in July 1987. Unit #2 came online in May 1988. The units were licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate until 2026 and 2027,[5] then granted extended licenses until 2046 and 2047.[6] Each unit has received two power uprates during their lifetime, the first in May 2001 for 175.6 MWt and the second in February 2014 for 58.4 MWt.[7]

The power uprates at Braidwood granted in 2001 make it the largest nuclear plant in the state, generating a net total of 2,386 megawatts.[8] However the three largest Illinois nuclear power plants are nearly equal in generating capability as LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station is only 2 MW less in capacity than Braidwood and Byron Nuclear Generating Station is only 4 MW less than LaSalle.[3]

  1. ^ Cohen, Bernard (1990-01-01). THE NUCLEAR ENERGY OPTION. p. Chapter 9. But its LaSalle nuclear plants completed in 1982-84 cost $1,160/kW, and its Byron and Braidwood plants completed in 1985-87 cost $1880/kW
  2. ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  3. ^ a b "EIA - State Nuclear Profiles". Energy Information Administration. Retrieved 2021-08-08. According to the Exelon Corporation's web site, the plant has a workforce of 800 employees and contractors
  4. ^ "Lake Profile -- BRAIDWOOD LAKE". www.ifishillinois.org. Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  5. ^ Energy Information Administration (August 22, 2008). "Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant, Illinois". U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  6. ^ Nuclear Regulatory Commission (January 27, 2016). "NRC Renews Operating Licenses of Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant in Illinois" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  7. ^ "Approved Applications for Power Uprates". NRC Web. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  8. ^ "Exelon". www.exeloncorp.com. Retrieved 2019-01-28.


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