NRC renews Braidwood plant licenses for 20 years

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating licenses of the Braidwood nuclear plant, Units 1 and 2, for an additional 20 years.

The Braidwood plant has two pressurized-water reactors, located in Braceville, Ill., about 20 miles southwest of Joliet. The renewed licenses authorize the reactors to operate through Oct. 17, 2046, for Unit 1 and Dec. 18, 2047, for Unit 2. The operator, Exelon Generation Co., submitted its renewal application May 29, 2013.

The NRC staff’s review of the application proceeded on two tracks. A safety evaluation report (also covering Exelon’s Byron plant in Illinois) was issued July 6, 2015. A supplemental environmental impact statement on Braidwood was issued Nov. 12, 2015. These documents, as well as other information about the Braidwood license renewal, are available on the NRC website. The NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards also reviewed the staff’s work.

Renewal of Braidwood’s operating licenses brings to 83 the number of commercial nuclear power reactors with renewed licenses (two of those have since permanently shut down). Applications for an additional 11 renewals are currently under review. Information about these reviews can be found on the NRC website.