CORDOVA, Ill. — Operators returned Quad Cities Generating Station Unit 2 to full power this morning marking the end of the unit’s scheduled refueling outage that began March 21.
During the outage, workers performed more than 11,800 detailed inspections, maintenance activities and equipment upgrades. By replacing and updating equipment on an ongoing basis, it ensures the plant uses the most up-to-date technology. In addition, about one-third of the nuclear fuel was replaced during the outage.
“The work performed during this outage will help us provide this region with reliable, around-the-clock electricity for the next 24-month operating cycle,” said Quad Cities Station Site Vice President Scott Darin.
A temporary workforce of more than 1,800 skilled workers from local union halls and approximately 250 technical experts from other Exelon Generation facilities supported Quad Cities Station’s 800 employees during the refueling outage. These additional workers create a significant economic boost for area hotels, restaurants and other retail businesses.
At full power the Quad Cities Station two generating units produce more than 1,800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 1.5 million typical American homes. Approximately 90% of the carbon-free power in Illinois is produced by Exelon’s six nuclear facilities in the state. For more on the Nuclear Powers Illinois campaign, visit www.nuclearpowersillinois.com Join us on twitter and You Tube.
