Byron Station's Unit 1 back online

Byron Generating Station, part of Exelon Corporation, brought its Unit 1 nuclear reactor back to full operational power on Tuesday, March 10 at 7:50 p.m. CDT, following personnel repairs to the plant’s main power transformer.

The unit systematically shut down March 3 after an ice intrusion interrupted power on one of the unit’s transformers. Plant operators worked diligently to restore the Unit 1 reactor while Unit 2 continued to operate during the shutdown.

The reactor operates via steam, which is used to spin a turbine in order to conduct electricity. The reactor's condenser converts leftover steam back into water, which is then utilized to produce more steam.

Located about 25 miles southwest of Rockford in Ogle County, Ill., the Byron Station’s two energy units can can produce enough electricity to power approximately 2.3 million typical homes.

The station’s private financer, Exelon, is one of the nation’s largest competitive power producers. Exelon’s utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to more than 7.8 million customers in central Maryland, northern Illinois and southeastern Pennsylvania.

Exelon Generation operates three nuclear power plants, 12 fossil power plants, two landfill gas plants and one pumped storage hydroelectric power plant in Illinois.