There are no technical issues that stand in the way of 20-year license renewals for two Exelon Generation Company nuclear power plants in Illinois, the Byron and Braidwood plants that house two reactors each, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.
Exelon submitted applications in May 2013 to have the NRC review all four reactors’ licenses for additional 20 year renewals. The NRC said it had issued its final safety evaluation report (SER) and found “no technical issues to preclude license renewal” of the four reactors.
Byron’s two pressurized-water reactors are located approximately 17 miles southwest of Rockford, Ill. Braidwood’s two pressurized-water reactors are located approximately 20 miles southwest of Joliet, Ill.
If approved, Byron Unit 1’s renewed license would expire Oct. 31, 2044, and Byron Unit 2’s renewed license would expire Nov. 6, 2046. If approved, Braidwood Unit 1’s renewed license would expire Oct. 17, 2046, and Braidwood Unit 2’s renewed license would expire Dec. 18, 2047, the NRC said.
Braidwood’s two Westinghouse-designed reactors in Braceville, Ill., began commercial operations in July and October of 1988. Unit 1 is capable of generating 1,194 net megawatts of electricity, while Unit 2 has a 1,166 net MW capacity, according to the company’s Web site. Combined, Braidwood’s reactors can provide electricity to more than 2 million average U.S. homes, Exelon says.
Byron’s Unit 1 and Unit 2 have an approximate capacity of 2,336 net megawatts of electricity. The facility in Byron, Ill., includes two massive towers close to 500 feet tall. These units began commercial operations in September 1985 and August 1987, respectively.
The application process to date has involved an NRC review of the license applications and site audits of Byron’s and Braidwood’s “aging-management programs to address the safety of plant operations during the period of extended operation,” the NRC said.
Exelon was judged to have identified actions to manage the structures and components of the plant to ensure ongoing plant production that meets NRC safety specifications.
The process proceeds along two tracks, the NRC explained. One track involves safety issues. The other involves environmental considerations.
The watchdog agency called issuing the final SER “a significant milestone in the license renewal review process.”
The SER(s) and applications for Byron and Braidwood have been forwarded to the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, an independent body of experts who plan to review the two license options in a September meeting and then make recommendations to the NRC.
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