The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved the Braidwood Generating Station's operational license renewals for its nuclear reactors this week.
With these renewals, the plant, located in Braceville, Illinois, will be allowed to continue operations for an additional 20 years. The operation license for Unit 1 will now expire on Oct. 17, 2046, and Unit 2’s license will expire on Dec.18, 2047.
Exelon Corp., the plant’s owner and operator, issued a statement after the NRC’s announcement, saying the renewals will have a positive impact on the state, especially the Braceville ecomony. The company cites a report from the Nuclear Energy Institute that said the economic output of the Braidwood plant is estimated at $1.7 billion.
The renewal process was initiated by Exelon in May 2013. Braidwood reportedly has a generating capacity of approximately 2,500 megawatts of electricity. Exelon said this is sufficient to power approximately 2 million typical homes in the U.S. The company recently reported Braidwood’s operational capacity at 97.3 percent.
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