Impact

Delivering clean electricity with sustained performance.

Exelon continues to invest in our clean energy portfolio to keep our air emission rates well below industry averages. In 2018, Exelon’s owned power generation resources showed sustained performance in delivering low-emission electricity in a challenging marketplace.

Exelon’s electricity generation plant emission rates were substantially lower than the industry’s 2018 emission rate averages: nitrogen oxide (NOx) 96 percent lower, sulfur dioxide (SO2) 99 percent lower, and carbon dioxide (CO2) 90 percent lower.

Our generation portfolio has changed significantly.

Exelon has retired or sold all of its coal-fired assets over the last decade. That has significantly lowered our already low emissions owned generation emissions profile.

In February 2017, Exelon sold its 26 megawatt interest in the Sunnyside waste coal plant, our last coal-fired asset. We continue to deploy new zero emission wind and solar generation assets and several state-of-the-art combined cycle gas plants in Texas entered commercial operation in 2017 with very low emission rates.​​

Water is essential for Exelon’s production of electricity.

Water is critical to us, and it’s a shared resource. More than 98 percent of the water we use is directly returned to the source from which it was drawn.

At our fossil steam and nuclear stations, our operations include measures designed to reduce potential impacts on fish, other aquatic species and their habitats.

Climate change poses a significant threat to water supplies. As part of our work with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Partnership for Energy Sector Climate Resilience, we’re monitoring drought risk and changing precipitation patterns that could impact the reliable supply of electricity.​

First, we try to prevent waste before it happens.

During 2019, Exelon achieved a companywide recycling rate for municipal solid waste of almost 60 percent, keeping waste out of landfills, conserving natural resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to robust recycling programs, we place an equally strong focus on identifying opportunities to prevent waste or bring new life to materials that might otherwise be discarded. Exelon is continually improving our materials management by applying life-cycle analysis to identify better-performing products that result in less waste.

We manage used nuclear fuel safely.

We take the utmost care in the management of used nuclear fuel produced by our operations. We utilize proven, mature methods for the safe handling of all nuclear materials, based on industry best practices, and we operate in compliance with government regulations.

The federal government has yet to establish facilities for the permanent storage or disposal of spent nuclear fuel in the United States. So Exelon safely stores it on site at our nuclear generating plants in storage pools and dry cask storage facilities.​​