Since January 2014, Exelon Generation’s nuclear fleet produced electricity reliably around the clock, unaffected by ice, snowstorms and frigid temperatures that have dominated the new year. Exelon has 10 nuclear power plants in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey that operated continuously throughout January, producing more than 12 million megawatt-hours of electricity in the month.
Eight of the 10 highest winter power demands ever recorded in the PJM region occurred last month. Exelon’s nuclear stations helped meet record PJM wintertime electricity demand of 141,312 MW, set during the “polar vortex” on January 7. The Exelon fleet continued to operate with the same reliability through a second blast of polar air that began January 21.
Nuclear energy was the fuel of choice in many other areas across the country, such as New England, where some non-nuclear plants were forced to decrease output or shut down because of problems with fuel availability or cold-related mechanical failures. ISO-NE reported that nuclear energy provided more electricity in New England than natural gas during the first cold snap in January — 29 percent to 27 percent.
“Nuclear plants provide reliable base load generation. Unlike many other sources of generation, nuclear has firm fuel because we can load at least eighteen months’ worth in the core of the units,” said Bryan Hanson, Exelon Generation chief operating officer and senior vice president. “When extreme weather hits, we have procedures in place that direct us to increase the frequency of checks and walk-downs of equipment that could be affected by the temperatures.”
In addition to winter electricity reliability, warm water from the cooling pond of Exelon’s Dresden nuclear facility in Illinois was siphoned into the freezing Kankakee River to raise the river’s temperature and prevent an ice jam. The water is heated to about 70 degrees as it passes through the reactor’s condenser, turning the steam that powers the generator back into water, which is then recycled into the plant.
Source: Fierceenergy.com
