BYRON, Ill. (Oct. 7, 2019) — Soaring 495 feet above the Rock River Valley, the natural draft cooling towers at Byron Generating Station are an iconic part of the Northern Illinois landscape. During the nuclear facility's community open house on Monday, Oct. 7, visitors will be able to tour the concrete giants that aid in the production of enough carbon-free electricity to power more than two million homes and businesses each day.
"Offering our guests unique access to different areas of our facility helps take away a lot of the mystery of nuclear power and offers great educational opportunities for children and adults alike," said Byron Station Site Vice President Mark Kanavos.
In the training building, informational booths will be set up and employees will be on hand to answer questions. Additionally, there will be tours of the plant's control room simulator, where operators train to run the plant at world-class levels of safety.
Northern Illinois University Associate Professor Nicholas Pohlman is planning to take one of his classes to the open house as a hands-on teaching event for his future engineers.
"Students from NIU's course on Alternative and Renewable Energy are excited to visit the Byron facility because they see that nuclear is indeed the bridge to next generation power," Pohlman said. "By visiting the facility, mechanical engineering students can better understand the many components necessary for operation along with the multitude of safety protocols. I anticipate the students will better appreciate all that feeds their electrical outlets after the visit."
The event is open to the public and runs from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Monday at the station's training building, located at 4450 N. German Church road. No registration is necessary. Light refreshments and giveaways will be included during the free, family-friendly event,
For more information on the open house, visit the Byron Station Facebook
page here. Questions about the open house can be directed to Communications Manager Paul Dempsey at 815-406-3554 or
paul.dempsey@exeloncorp.com.
Byron Generating Station is in Ogle County, Ill., about 25 miles southwest of Rockford. With both units at full power, the site produces almost 2,500 megawatts, enough electricity to power more than 2 million average American homes.
