Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station Explained

Braidwood Generating Station
Coordinates:41.2436°N -88.2292°W
Country:United States
Location:Reed Township, Will County, Illinois
Status:O
Construction Began:August 1, 1975
Commissioned:Unit 1: July 29, 1987
Unit 2: October 17, 1988
Cost:US$4.4 billion (1986)[1]
($ in dollars)
Owner:Constellation Energy
Operator:Constellation Energy
Np Reactor Type:PWR
Np Reactor Supplier:Westinghouse
Ps Cooling Source:Braidwood Lake
Ps Units Operational:1 × 1194 MW
1 × 1160 MW
Ps Units Manu Model:WH 4-loop (DRYAMB)
Ps Thermal Capacity:2 × 3686 MWth
Ps Electrical Capacity:2386
Ps Electrical Cap Fac:93.1% (2021)
89.55% (lifetime)
Ps Annual Generation:19,474 GWh (2021)
Website:Braidwood Generating Station
Employees:800[2]

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,[3] then granted extended licenses until 2046 and 2047.[4] 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.[5]

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.[6] 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.

Electricity generation

Generation (MWh) of Braidwood Generating Station[7] !Year!Jan!Feb!Mar!Apr!May!Jun!Jul!Aug!Sep!Oct!Nov!Dec!Annual (Total)
20011,727,8311,552,4701,728,5561,656,4951,639,1291,692,4421,695,0331,694,2931,365,2751,791,7681,403,6931,778,66719,725,652
20021,776,6351,606,2131,780,4271,398,5451,401,8541,709,3651,757,8641,681,5521,720,9001,805,5121,736,5841,686,27320,061,724
20031,816,2561,640,3201,802,2941,238,1271,751,8541,734,7211,781,3981,776,6541,735,6851,795,1751,251,2001,703,24820,026,932
20041,738,5641,656,5381,774,9831,700,9861,752,5371,681,4491,731,5561,740,8681,682,2391,120,8601,707,6471,719,78520,008,012
20051,766,6861,600,8151,671,6001,271,8811,611,4561,678,9601,719,3441,722,3041,497,7761,766,1531,714,9221,774,48619,796,383
20061,771,8081,601,6571,774,5001,285,8221,635,8911,684,5121,728,2071,728,0271,694,7481,283,9661,609,2501,772,14619,570,534
20071,776,3211,603,4921,766,8251,714,1261,748,0691,613,6631,731,3001,639,6321,669,428960,1891,662,6611,772,14319,657,849
20081,731,2911,614,0491,772,3661,406,5391,253,1481,684,8651,731,4571,730,0161,684,8001,762,5671,716,2051,698,85319,786,156
20091,773,7071,601,8521,703,6291,066,2411,752,4171,681,9401,708,5251,604,2321,684,1251,191,3201,685,3591,774,63019,227,977
20101,775,6661,603,0741,771,8001,706,6281,751,5801,676,7741,718,8581,337,4821,613,317941,9211,531,0831,771,75219,199,935
20111,773,9671,602,0251,769,7251,335,5271,337,6211,670,1481,681,0291,708,3451,677,3701,752,5821,707,5851,761,10319,777,027
20121,763,3871,650,8931,755,3521,257,5371,138,6371,667,5251,701,0801,714,2481,677,5891,269,3071,450,6451,760,13418,806,334
20131,758,8951,591,6011,757,1691,701,8701,736,4361,584,3701,577,7381,714,5731,037,4021,734,5981,705,2581,762,06519,661,975
20141,762,0371,604,6571,787,7661,727,0611,157,9841,704,0491,758,1881,752,9071,700,9211,783,7081,733,8371,790,55020,263,665
20151,790,1161,616,2521,708,2431,190,0051,775,3991,706,6351,745,9671,756,6241,694,6981,208,2331,731,1061,786,73319,710,011
20161,789,0771,674,9331,786,5651,726,2571,775,5521,580,0241,725,0721,743,6641,519,2191,010,7621,729,2161,788,92819,849,269
20171,788,9941,615,4601,785,8991,458,8801,186,5741,687,1651,744,6691,752,5231,625,6181,773,7571,734,0931,789,92219,943,554
20181,790,3751,617,6451,783,9451,060,1251,738,0281,652,4481,744,6641,748,0811,684,1691,058,7311,676,1711,789,07719,343,459
20191,788,8051,616,7481,786,3131,725,4111,775,6881,705,5901,713,4301,735,9841,610,6071,271,2911,732,4841,788,78920,251,140
20201,788,8051,673,3581,786,2371,368,6791,584,0261,697,3731,733,3471,742,5651,701,9851,780,0561,730,5521,784,69320,371,676
20211,786,3121,613,5981,759,8521,105,6011,761,0091,647,5731,740,2321,736,2551,688,4111,284,5081,564,3161,786,68019,474,347
20221,778,6241,614,1761,783,4781,724,0631,767,7391,691,2251,738,7691,740,0201,630,0781,170,9521,728,7111,787,79520,155,630
20231,786,4711,613,8151,782,5591,429,4871,372,5051,689,6371,728,9091,733,31113,136,694

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of, concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about, concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.[8]

The 2010 U.S. population within 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 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).[9]

Tritium leaks

Exelon was sued by residents of Will County and by the state's attorney in 2006.[10] The lawsuit alleges that the Braidwood plant released radioactive tritium into local water in violation of its permit.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]

Seismic risk

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.[14]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Cohen, Bernard . 1990-01-01 . THE NUCLEAR ENERGY OPTION . Chapter 9 . Bernard Cohen (physicist) . 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. Web site: EIA - State Nuclear Profiles . . 2021-08-08 . en . According to the Exelon Corporation's web site, the plant has a workforce of 800 employees and contractors .
  3. Web site: Energy Information Administration . Energy Information Administration . Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant, Illinois . U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) . August 22, 2008 . 2010-04-04.
  4. Web site: Nuclear Regulatory Commission . Nuclear Regulatory Commission . NRC Renews Operating Licenses of Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant in Illinois . January 27, 2016 . 2016-01-27.
  5. Web site: Approved Applications for Power Uprates . 2023-01-03 . NRC Web . en-US.
  6. Web site: Exelon. www.exeloncorp.com. 2019-01-28.
  7. Web site: Electricity Data Browser . 2022-01-02 . www.eia.gov.
  8. Web site: NRC: Backgrounder on Emergency Preparedness for Nuclear Power Plants . 2012-02-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061002131207/http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/emerg-plan-prep-nuc-power-bg.html . 2006-10-02 .
  9. Web site: 2011-04-14 . Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors . 2024-08-16 . NBC News . en.
  10. Web site: Office of the Illinois Attorney General. MADIGAN, GLASGOW FILE SUIT FOR RADIOACTIVE LEAKS AT BRAIDWOOD NUCLEAR PLANT. 2013-11-11. 2021-03-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308005129/https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/pressroom/2006_03/20060316.html. dead.
  11. Web site: Office of Community Relations . Fact Sheet 2 - Exelon Braidwood Nuclear Facility Update on Tritium Releases and Groundwater Impacts . Illinois Environmental Protection Agency . April 2006 . 2010-04-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110320042801/http://www.epa.state.il.us/community-relations/fact-sheets/exelon-braidwood/exelon-braidwood-2.html . 2011-03-20 . dead .
  12. News: Jo Ann Hustis . NRC: Tritium Response is to Emotion, Not Risk . The Morris Daily Herald . 3 March 2010 . 2010-04-04.
  13. Web site: Fact Sheet 2 - Exelon Braidwood Nuclear Factility . 2010-01-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110320042801/http://www.epa.state.il.us/community-relations/fact-sheets/exelon-braidwood/exelon-braidwood-2.html . 2011-03-20 . dead .
  14. Web site: 2011-03-16 . What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk . 2024-08-16 . NBC News . en.

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