Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station

Braidwood Generating Station

Company type	Nuclear power plant
Industry	Electric power generation
Predecessor	Commonwealth Edison
Founded	July 1, 1987 (1987-07-01) (Unit 1), May 1, 1988 (1988-05-01) (Unit 2)
Headquarters	Will County , United States
Products	Electrical power
Owner	Constellation Energy
Website	www.constellationenergy.com

Braidwood Generating Station is situated in Will County, located in the northeastern region of Illinois, United States. It supplies electrical power to Chicago and the northern Illinois area. Initially constructed by Commonwealth Edison, ownership later shifted to Exelon Corporation and subsequently to Constellation Energy after Exelon's separation of its generation assets.

The facility consists of two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors. Unit 1 commenced operations in July 1987, followed by Unit 2 in May 1988. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorized their operation through 2026 and 2027 respectively, with license extensions approved until 2046 and 2047. Both reactors experienced two power uprates: an increase of 175.6 MWt in 2001 and an additional 58.4 MWt in 2014.

These enhancements elevated Braidwood to the status of the largest nuclear power plant in Illinois, producing a net output of 2,386 megawatts. Nonetheless, the state's three leading nuclear facilities have comparable capacities, with LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station trailing by only 2 MW and Byron Nuclear Generating Station having a capacity 4 MW less than LaSalle.

Electricity production

Generation (MWh) at Braidwood Generating Station

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual (Total)
2001	1,727,831	1,552,470	1,728,556	1,656,495	1,639,129	1,692,442	1,695,033	1,694,293	1,365,275	1,791,768	1,403,693	1,778,667	19,725,652
2002	1,776,635	1,606,213	1,780,427	1,398,545	1,401,854	1,709,365	1,757,864	1,681,552	1,720,900	1,805,512	1,736,584	1,686,273	20,061,724
2003	1,816,256	1,640,320	1,802,294	1,238,127	1,751,854	1,734,721	1,781,398	1,776,654	1,735,685	1,795,175	1,251,200	1,703,248	20,026,932
2004	1,738,564	1,656,538	1,774,983	1,700,986	1,752,537	1,681,449	1,731,556	1,740,868</ small >	< small > 1682239 </ small >	< small > 1120860 </ small >	< small > 1707647 </ small >	< small > 1719785 </ small >	20.008.012	-	2005	< small > 1766686 < / small >	< small > 1600815 < / small >	< small > 1671600 < / small >	< small > 1271881 < / small >	< small > 1611456 < / small >	< small > 1678960 < / small >	< small > 1719344 < / small >	< small > 1722304 < / small >	< small > 1497776 < / small >	< small > 1766153 < / small >	< small > 1714922 < / small >	< small > 1774486 < / small >	19796383	-	2006	< small > 1771808 < / small >	< small > 1601657 < / small >	< small > 1774500 < / small >	< small > 1285822 < / small >	< small > 1635891 < / small >	< small > 1684512 < / small >	< small > 1728207 < / small >	< small > 1728027 < / small >	< small > 1694748 < / small >	< small > 1283966 < / small >	< small > 1609250 < / small >	< small > 1772146 </smal l >	19570534
1613492 | 1766825 | 1714126 | 1748069 | 1613663 | 1731300 | 1639632 | 1669428 | 960189 | 166266 | 1772143 | 19657849 |- !2008	1614049 | 1772366 | 1406539 | 1253148 | 1684865 | 1731457 | 1730016 | 1684800 | 1762567 | 1716205 | 1698853 | 19786156 |- !2009	1601852 | 1703629 | 10662411| 1752417| 1681940| 1708525| 1604232| 1684125| 1191320| 1685359| 1774630| 19227977 |- !2010	1603074| 1771800| 1706628| 1751580| 1676774| 1718858| 1337482| 1613317| 941921| 1531083| 1771752| 19199935 |- !2011	1602025| 1769725| 1335527| 13376211| 1670148| 1681029| 1708345| 1677370| 1752582| 1707585| 1761103| 19777027 |- !2012	1650893| 1755352| 1257537| 11386371| 1667525| 1701080| 1714248| 1677589| 1269307| 1450645| 1760134| 18806334 |- !2013	15916011| 1757169| 17018701| 17364361| 15843701| 15777381| 17145731| 10374021| 17345981| 17052581| 17620651|| 19661975 |- !2014	17620371	16046571|| 17877661|| 17270611|| 11579841|| 17040491|| 17581881|| 17529071|| 17009211|| 17837081|| 17338371|| 17905501|| 20263665 |- !2015	17901161	16162521|| 17082431|| 11900051|| 17753991|| 17066351|| 17459671|| 17566241|| 16946981|| 12082331|| 17311061|| 17867331||19710011 |- !2016	17890771	16749331|| 17865651|| 17262571|| 17755521|| 15800241|| 17250721|| 17436641|| 15192191|| 10107621|| 17292161|| 17889281||19849269 |- !2017	17889941	16154601|| 17858991|| 14588801|| 11865741|| 16871651|| 17446691|| 17525231|| 16256181|| 17737571|| 17340931|| 17899221||19943554 |- !2018	17903751	16176451 || 17839451 || 10601251 || 17380281 || 16524481 || 17446641 || 17480811 || 16841691 || 10587311 || 16761711 || 17890771 ||19343459 |- !2019	17888051	16167481 || 17863131 || 17254111 || 17756881 || 17055901 || 17134301 || 17359841 || 16106071 || 12712911 || 17324841 || 17887891 ||20251140 |- !2020	17888051	16733581 || 17862371 || 13686791 || 15840261 || 16973731 || 17333471 || 17425651 || 17019851 || 17800561 || 17305521 || 17846931 ||20371676 |- !2021	17863121	16135981	17598521	11056011	17610091	16475731	17402321	17362551	16884111	12845081	15643161	17866801	- !2022	17786241	16141761	17834781	17240631	17677391	16912251	17387691	17400201	16300781	11709521	17287111	17877951	- !2023	17864711	16138151	17825591	14294871	13725051	16896371	17289091	17333111	16933581	17698201	17277701	17859541	- !2024	17822601	16703991	17338401	11558681	15594721	16929841	17362101	17373971	16872881	11955761	17285541	17869381	- !2025	17867451	16138851	17828381	17233181	17718711						} Surrounding population The Nuclear Regulatory Commission identifies two distinct emergency planning zones around nuclear facilities: a 10-mile radius plume exposure pathway zone, which addresses airborne radioactive contamination, and a larger ingestion pathway zone extending approximately 50 miles, which focuses on the risk of radioactive contamination in food and water supplies. As of 2010, the number of people residing within 10 miles of the Braidwood plant was 33,910, marking a 6.5% growth over the previous ten years. Within a 50-mile radius, the population reached 4,976,020, reflecting a 5.3% increase since 2000. Significant nearby urban areas include Joliet, located about 20 miles away, as well as portions of Aurora and Naperville at roughly 42 miles distance. Tritium leaks In 2006, Exelon was subject to legal action initiated by residents of Will County and the state’s attorney concerning alleged releases of radioactive tritium into local water sources exceeding authorized limits. The US NRC characterized these claims as driven by "emotion rather than risk," confirming that tritium emissions posed no danger to public health or safety. The Illinois EPA verified that all sampling results remained below the agency’s intervention threshold of 20,000 picoCuries per liter. Despite this, Exelon committed to supplying bottled water to inhabitants of Godley and those living within 1,500 feet of the Kankakee River blowdown line. Seismic risk According to a 2010 evaluation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the annual probability of an earthquake causing core damage at Braidwood is estimated at one in 136,986. See also List of largest power stations in the United States Largest nuclear power plants in the United States Further reading External links Official website for Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station