Operators at Exelon Generation’s Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant removed Unit 1 from service just after midnight Sunday to begin a planned refueling outage, capping a run of 702 consecutive days of power generation for the unit. This reliable operation enabled the station to generate more than 15 million MWh of carbon-free electricity for customers. That amount of clean energy has the emissions avoidance equivalent of taking more than 2.3 million passenger cars off the road for one year.
Work completed during the refueling outage will help the unit deliver zero-emission, reliable power to almost a million homes and businesses during the next two-year operating cycle.
To support the refueling outage, approximately 1,000 additional workers will travel to Calvert for several weeks, filling nearby hotels to capacity and increasing foot traffic in restaurants and shops at a time when tourism is usually slow.
“The refueling outage at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is a welcomed addition to our local economy each and every year,” said Kelly McConkey, President, Calvert County, Maryland Board of County Commissioners. “We welcome the skilled workforce to our community to support Calvert Cliffs and greatly appreciate the influx of spending at our local business establishments during the winter months.”
While the unit is offline, technicians will replace nearly one-third of the reactor’s fuel and perform more than 7,500 inspections, tests, maintenance activities and modifications. Many of the tasks performed during the outage cannot be accomplished while the unit is online.
“We are proud to produce almost a third of Maryland’s power with, safe, reliable, carbon-free nuclear generation,” said Calvert Cliffs Site Vice President Mark Flaherty. “These investments in state-of-the art equipment and new technologies will help ensure safe, reliable operations for years to come.”
Calvert Cliffs is located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County and is Maryland’s only nuclear energy facility. The station is home to two pressurized water reactors capable of generating more than 1,800 megawatts combined, providing approximately 80 percent of Maryland’s clean energy and powering more than 30 percent of all homes and businesses in the state.
