MORRIS, Ill. — Operators removed Dresden Unit 3 from service early this morning to perform planned maintenance on the control rod drive system. Control rod drives are mechanisms inside the reactor that are used to raise and lower power level. This maintenance cannot be performed while the unit is operating.
Dresden’s Unit 2 returned to full power on Nov. 22 after completing a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage.
Dresden Generating Station is approximately 60 miles southwest of Chicago. The station’s two nuclear energy units can produce a total of more than 1,800 megawatts at full power – enough carbon-free electricity to power more than 1.2 million typical homes. Dresden Unit 1, which began commercial operation in 1960 and was retired in 1978, has been designated a Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society.
