| Braidwood Generating Station | |
|---|---|
 Aerial image of Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Reed Township, Will County, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 41°14′37″N 88°13′45″W / 41.24361°N 88.22917°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | August 1, 1975 |
| Commission date | Unit 1: July 29, 1987 Unit 2: October 17, 1988 |
| Construction cost | US$4.4 billion (1986)[1] ($10.4 billion in 2023 dollars[2]) |
| Owner | Constellation Energy |
| Operator | Constellation Energy |
| Employees | 800[3] |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | PWR |
| Reactor supplier | Westinghouse |
| Cooling source | Braidwood Lake[a] |
| Thermal capacity | 2 × 3686 MWth |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1 × 1194 MW 1 × 1160 MW |
| Make and model | WH 4-loop (DRYAMB) |
| Nameplate capacity | 2386 MW |
| Capacity factor | 93.1% (2021) 89.55% (lifetime) |
| Annual net output | 19,474 GWh (2021) |
| External links | |
| Website | Braidwood Generating Station |
| Commons | Related 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]
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Lake Profile -- BRAIDWOOD LAKE". www.ifishillinois.org. Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ Energy Information Administration (August 22, 2008). "Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant, Illinois". U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Retrieved 2010-04-04.
- ^ Nuclear Regulatory Commission (January 27, 2016). "NRC Renews Operating Licenses of Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant in Illinois" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-01-27.
- ^ "Approved Applications for Power Uprates". NRC Web. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
- ^ "Exelon". www.exeloncorp.com. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
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