Peach Bottom nuclear plant completes extended power uprate on Unit 3

Exelon Corp. said late last week that the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania, has completed an extended power uprate (EPU) to increase its maximum generation capacity.

With this project completed, Peach Bottom Unit 3 is capable of generating 1,355 megawatts of electricity through upgrades in the plant’s components and safety features.

“Peach Bottom’s extended power-uprate project is great news for the plant, the environment, the local economy and regional customers,” Tom Dougherty, Exelon senior vice president for Mid-Atlantic operations, said. “With the equipment upgrades in place, Peach Bottom can now generate an additional 270 megawatts of carbon-free electricity, enough power for more than 250,000 regional homes and businesses while saving more than two million tons of carbon dioxide each year.”

The project began in 2009, and over the course of the EPU process, turbines, pumps, motors and other components were replaced. Projects like these are monitored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and require design reviews and in-depth evaluations of the reactor.

The facility houses two boiling-water reactors with the capacity to provide approximately 2,700 megawatts of electricity, the facility’s website said.

“As part of EPU, almost every major component in the plant has been upgraded or replaced, which makes Peach Bottom an even safer and more efficient facility,” Mike Massaro, Peach Bottom site vice president, said.