Exelon Corp. announced that its Byron Generating Station Unit 1 has completed a refueling outage and was brought back to full operations on Monday.
The plant was originally brought offline Sept. 14 to complete refueling and other maintenance and inspections that are expected to ensure smooth operations for an 18-month period.
“Home owners and businesses rely on power from Byron Station to keep their places of work running and make their homes a place of comfort,”
Russ Kearney, the site’s vice president, said. “The work completed during this refueling outage will ensure we are able to provide this service.”
Safety inspections, equipment refurbishments and tests were completed by approximately 2,000 staff members and outside contractors. Some equipment within the reactor was replaced to ensure appropriate operation and safety guidelines.
During the outage, the second unit at the facility was in full operation. The Byron Generating Station is approximately 25 miles southwest of Rockford, Illinois. Both nuclear units are capable of generating approximately 2,300 megawatts of electricity, the equivalent to be able to power 2 million typical American residences.
Refueling outages, which happen on a regular basis, are scheduled to occur every 18 months.
