Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station

Coordinates: 41°14′37″N 88°13′45″W / 41.24361°N 88.22917°W / 41.24361; -88.22917
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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
[edit on Wikidata]

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]


Electricity generation[edit]

Generation (MWh) of Braidwood Generating Station[9]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual (Total)
2001 1,727,831 1,552,470 1,728,556 1,656,495 1,639,129 1,692,442 1,695,033 1,694,293 1,365,275 1,791,768 1,403,693 1,778,667 19,725,652
2002 1,776,635 1,606,213 1,780,427 1,398,545 1,401,854 1,709,365 1,757,864 1,681,552 1,720,900 1,805,512 1,736,584 1,686,273 20,061,724
2003 1,816,256 1,640,320 1,802,294 1,238,127 1,751,854 1,734,721 1,781,398 1,776,654 1,735,685 1,795,175 1,251,200 1,703,248 20,026,932
2004 1,738,564 1,656,538 1,774,983 1,700,986 1,752,537 1,681,449 1,731,556 1,740,868 1,682,239 1,120,860 1,707,647 1,719,785 20,008,012
2005 1,766,686 1,600,815 1,671,600 1,271,881 1,611,456 1,678,960 1,719,344 1,722,304 1,497,776 1,766,153 1,714,922 1,774,486 19,796,383
2006 1,771,808 1,601,657 1,774,500 1,285,822 1,635,891 1,684,512 1,728,207 1,728,027 1,694,748 1,283,966 1,609,250 1,772,146 19,570,534
2007 1,776,321 1,603,492 1,766,825 1,714,126 1,748,069 1,613,663 1,731,300 1,639,632 1,669,428 960,189 1,662,661 1,772,143 19,657,849
2008 1,731,291 1,614,049 1,772,366 1,406,539 1,253,148 1,684,865 1,731,457 1,730,016 1,684,800 1,762,567 1,716,205 1,698,853 19,786,156
2009 1,773,707 1,601,852 1,703,629 1,066,241 1,752,417 1,681,940 1,708,525 1,604,232 1,684,125 1,191,320 1,685,359 1,774,630 19,227,977
2010 1,775,666 1,603,074 1,771,800 1,706,628 1,751,580 1,676,774 1,718,858 1,337,482 1,613,317 941,921 1,531,083 1,771,752 19,199,935
2011 1,773,967 1,602,025 1,769,725 1,335,527 1,337,621 1,670,148 1,681,029 1,708,345 1,677,370 1,752,582 1,707,585 1,761,103 19,777,027
2012 1,763,387 1,650,893 1,755,352 1,257,537 1,138,637 1,667,525 1,701,080 1,714,248 1,677,589 1,269,307 1,450,645 1,760,134 18,806,334
2013 1,758,895 1,591,601 1,757,169 1,701,870 1,736,436 1,584,370 1,577,738 1,714,573 1,037,402 1,734,598 1,705,258 1,762,065 19,661,975
2014 1,762,037 1,604,657 1,787,766 1,727,061 1,157,984 1,704,049 1,758,188 1,752,907 1,700,921 1,783,708 1,733,837 1,790,550 20,263,665
2015 1,790,116 1,616,252 1,708,243 1,190,005 1,775,399 1,706,635 1,745,967 1,756,624 1,694,698 1,208,233 1,731,106 1,786,733 19,710,011
2016 1,789,077 1,674,933 1,786,565 1,726,257 1,775,552 1,580,024 1,725,072 1,743,664 1,519,219 1,010,762 1,729,216 1,788,928 19,849,269
2017 1,788,994 1,615,460 1,785,899 1,458,880 1,186,574 1,687,165 1,744,669 1,752,523 1,625,618 1,773,757 1,734,093 1,789,922 19,943,554
2018 1,790,375 1,617,645 1,783,945 1,060,125 1,738,028 1,652,448 1,744,664 1,748,081 1,684,169 1,058,731 1,676,171 1,789,077 19,343,459
2019 1,788,805 1,616,748 1,786,313 1,725,411 1,775,688 1,705,590 1,713,430 1,735,984 1,610,607 1,271,291 1,732,484 1,788,789 20,251,140
2020 1,788,805 1,673,358 1,786,237 1,368,679 1,584,026 1,697,373 1,733,347 1,742,565 1,701,985 1,780,056 1,730,552 1,784,693 20,371,676
2021 1,786,312 1,613,598 1,759,852 1,105,601 1,761,009 1,647,573 1,740,232 1,736,255 1,688,411 1,284,508 1,564,316 1,786,680 19,474,347
2022 1,778,624 1,614,176 1,783,478 1,724,063 1,767,739 1,691,225 1,738,769 1,740,020 1,630,078 1,170,952 1,728,711 1,787,795 20,155,630
2023 1,786,471 1,613,815 1,782,559 1,429,487 1,372,505 1,689,637 1,728,909 1,733,311 13,136,694

Surrounding population[edit]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.[10]

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Braidwood was 33,910, an increase of 6.5 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 4,976,020, an increase of 5.3 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Joliet (20 miles to city center), as well as parts of both Aurora and Naperville (42 miles to city center).[11]

Tritium leaks[edit]

Exelon was sued by residents of Will County and by the state's attorney in 2006.[12] The lawsuit alleges that the Braidwood plant released radioactive tritium into local water in violation of its permit.[13] However, the US NRC has said the response is based on "emotion, not risk", and gone on record to state the tritium releases did not jeopardize human health or safety in any manner.[14] The Illinois EPA also reported that all tests have confirmed releases are below the action levels of 20,000 picoCuries per liter, currently set by the EPA. However, Exelon agreed to provide bottled water to residents of Godley and to residents within 1500 feet of the blowdown line to the Kankakee River.[15]

Seismic risk[edit]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Braidwood was 1 in 136,986, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.[16]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Braidwood Lake is an artificial lake whose levels are maintained by periodically pumping water from the nearby Kankakee River[4]

References[edit]

  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.
  9. ^ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  10. ^ "NRC: Backgrounder on Emergency Preparedness for Nuclear Power Plants". Archived from the original on 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
  11. ^ Bill Dedman, Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors, NBC News, April 14, 2011 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42555888 Accessed May 1, 2011.
  12. ^ Office of the Illinois Attorney General. "MADIGAN, GLASGOW FILE SUIT FOR RADIOACTIVE LEAKS AT BRAIDWOOD NUCLEAR PLANT". Archived from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  13. ^ Office of Community Relations (April 2006). "Fact Sheet 2 - Exelon Braidwood Nuclear Facility Update on Tritium Releases and Groundwater Impacts". Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  14. ^ Jo Ann Hustis (3 March 2010). "NRC: Tritium Response is to Emotion, Not Risk". The Morris Daily Herald. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  15. ^ "Fact Sheet 2 - Exelon Braidwood Nuclear Factility". Archived from the original on 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
  16. ^ Bill Dedman, "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk," NBC News, March 17, 2011 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42103936 Accessed April 19, 2011.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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