| Byron Nuclear Generating Station | |
|---|---|
 Byron Nuclear Generating Station | |
 | |
| Official name | Byron Generating Station |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Rockvale Township, Ogle County, near Byron, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 42°4′27″N 89°16′55″W / 42.07417°N 89.28194°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | April 1, 1975 |
| Commission date | Unit 1: September 16, 1985 Unit 2: August 2, 1987 |
| Construction cost | $4.5 billion (2007 USD)[1] |
| Owner | Constellation Energy |
| Operator | Constellation Energy |
| Employees | 727 |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | PWR |
| Reactor supplier | Westinghouse |
| Cooling towers | 2 × Natural Draft |
| Cooling source | Rock River |
| Thermal capacity | 2 × 3645 MWth |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1 × 1164 MW 1 × 1136 MW |
| Make and model | WH 4-loop (DRYAMB) |
| Nameplate capacity | 2347 MW |
| Capacity factor | 97.8% (2019) 88.45% (lifetime) |
| Annual net output | 20,118 GWh (2019) |
| External links | |
| Website | Byron Generating Station |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
The Byron Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located in Ogle County, Illinois, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the Rock River. The reactor buildings were constructed by Commonwealth Edison and house two Westinghouse Four-Loop[2] pressurized water reactors, Unit 1 and Unit 2, which began operation in September 1985 and August 1987 respectively. The plant is owned and operated by Constellation Energy.
The plant provides electricity to northern Illinois and the city of Chicago. In 2005 it generated on average about 2,450 MWe, enough power to supply about 2 million average American homes. The station employs over 600 people, mostly from Ogle and Winnebago counties, and features two prominent 495-foot (151 m) cooling towers.
The Byron plant has been subject to some controversy with respect to a lawsuit in 1981 with concerns over tritium contamination in groundwater. Tritium contamination at Byron and other Illinois nuclear power plants led the state of Illinois to pass legislation requiring plants to report such contamination to the state within 24 hours.
- ^ "EIA - State Nuclear Profiles". www.eia.gov. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ "Bryon Station, Unit One". United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.