Exelon Generation’s Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant Ran at Full Capacity During Winter Storm Grayson
January 09 2018 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
As Winter Storm Grayson pounded the East Coast
with high winds, bone-chilling temperatures and historic power
demands, Exelon Generation’s Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
operated at 100 percent power, delivering critical electricity to
nearly two million homes during two of the highest daily peak
demand periods ever recorded. During the same period, Exelon
Generation’s five other nuclear facilities in the region also
operated at nearly 100 percent power, as arctic temperatures
gripped the MidAtlantic and Northeast.
Similar to the Polar Vortex, Winter Storm
Grayson caused massive spikes in electricity demand. According to
PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator, the storm
generated the region’s highest winter electricity demand since
2014, resulting in two of PJM’s all-time top 10 winter peak
demands: 136,125 megawatts on Jan. 3 and 136,206 on Jan. 5. During
the Polar Vortex of 2014, Exelon Generation’s nuclear fleet
operated at 95 percent capacity.
“Our performance this past week helps
demonstrate nuclear power’s reliability and resiliency nationally,”
said Chief Nuclear Officer Bryan Hanson. “Millions of people count
on the electricity our nuclear facilities provide, in homes,
businesses, schools and hospitals, so we prepare for winter all
year long to meet our reliability commitments.”
All 14 Exelon Generation nuclear facilities
operate more than 90 percent of the time, even though the reactors
are taken offline for refueling outages every 18 to 24 months. With
on-site fuel and 18- to 24-month operating cycles, Exelon
Generation’s nuclear plants don’t face fuel availability or
delivery problems in inclement weather.
Winter resiliency and reliability requires
year-long planning, preparation and maintenance. Exelon Generation
workers spend months ensuring that backup generators and spare
equipment is ready for inclement weather. This fall, operators and
maintenance personnel inspected freeze protection systems, tested
electrical equipment, and properly aligned plant systems to prepare
all Exelon Generation facilities for sub-zero temperatures, icy
conditions and heavy snowfall. These efforts are in addition to the
many equipment upgrades and “winter readiness” maintenance
activities performed during refueling outages.
Exelon Generation, a subsidiary of Exelon
Corporation (NYSE: EXC), is one of the largest, most efficient
clean energy producers in the U.S., with a generating capacity of
more than 35,500 megawatts. Exelon Generation operates the largest
U.S. fleet of carbon-free nuclear plants with 20,300 megawatts of
capacity from 23 reactors at 14 facilities in Illinois, Maryland,
New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Exelon Generation also
operates a diverse mix of wind, solar, landfill gas, hydroelectric,
natural gas and oil facilities in 18 states with more than 15,200
megawatts. Exelon Generation has an industry-leading safety record
and is an active partner and economic engine in the communities it
serves by providing jobs, charitable contributions and tax payments
that help towns and regions grow. Follow Exelon Generation on
Twitter @ExelonGen, view the Exelon Generation channel on YouTube,
and visit:
http://www.exeloncorp.com/companies/exelon-generation.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180109005707/en/
Exelon Generation CommunicationsLacey Dean,
610-765-5530Lacey.dean@exeloncorp.com
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