Peach Bottom provided reliable and continuous electricity to approximately 2 million homes in the region over the past two years
- By Stephen Heiser -
Operators safely shut down Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station Unit 3 to begin a planned refueling and maintenance outage. Since its last refueling outage in 2007, Unit 3 has generated over 27 million net megawatt hours of electric, operating at an average capacity factor of 93 percent. Capacity factor measures reliability by comparing the electricity produced to what the unit would produce operating continuously at full power. This means that Peach Bottom provided reliable and continuous electricity to approximately 2 million homes in the region over the past two years.
“Safety and quality are the keys to a successful outage. Safety is always our top priority, and quality is essential to ensure operating reliability,” said Bill Maguire, Peach Bottom vice president.
During the outage, workers will perform approximately 15,000 activities on a variety of plant components and systems. This includes replacing approximately one third of the reactor’s fuel and performing extensive inspections. Many of the activities performed during the outage cannot be performed while the plant is running.
While thousands of work activities and inspections will be completed during this shutdown, the station will also complete several major plant modifications that will enhance reliability. These upgrades include installing new electrical windings in the main generator and replacement of one of six main power transformers. Transformers raise the voltage of the electricity that is generated before it is sent to the grid.
To support this effort, the station will utilize the talents and expertise of approximately 2,000 additional workers. These men and women are skilled workers from other Exelon sites, local union halls, travelers from outside the area and specialized vendors. They all provide a benefit to the economy as they stay at regional hotels and eat at local restaurants.
Peach Bottom has two boiling water reactors that jointly produce over 2,300 megawatts of electricity, power over 2 million homes. Peach Bottom Unit 2 will continue to operate at full power during the Unit 3 maintenance and refueling outage.
Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities with approximately $19 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and Pennsylvania and natural gas to approximately 480,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.