NRC releases final safety evaluation on Byron and Braidwood nuclear plants

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a final safety evaluation report on Friday for proposed renewal operating licenses for two Illinois nuclear power plants.

Exelon Generation Co. submitted a renewal application for reactors at the Byron Nuclear Power Plant and the Braidwood Nuclear Power Plant, totaling four reactors between them.

The NRC states that through their review of each site's management programs and overall safety of operation, the owning company has identified what actions will be necessary in order to facilitate and manage the aging operating systems at each plant. The regulatory body also indicated that there were no pressing technical issues that would preclude renewal of each respective license.

If the licenses are to be approved, the licenses for the Byron nuclear reactor units would not expire until Oct. 2044 and Nov. 2046. The Braidwood licenses on reactors would expire Oct. 2046 and Dec. 2047.

The evaluation process takes on two aspects: the determination of the technical viability and safety evaluation and a separate evaluation on environmental impact. The NRC issued draft supplemental environmental impact statements in Dec. 2014 for the Byron plant and in March of this year for the Braidwood plant, released for public comment.

The Byron plant is located 17 miles outside of Rockford, Illinois, and the Braidwood facility is approximately 20 miles southwest to Joliet, Illinois.