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Released February 23, 2023 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Utility company Constellation Energy Corporation (Baltimore, Maryland) said two nuclear power plants in Illinois will get overhauled through $800 million in investments, an overhaul it said wouldn't be possible without federal support.
Constellation said it was investing in the equipment necessary to add another 135 megawatts of power to the Braidwood and Byron nuclear power stations in Illinois. The company claims that's enough carbon-free power to meet the demand from 100,000 average homes, is the equivalent of 216 average wind turbines and abates the equivalent emissions of 171,000 gas-powered vehicles on an annual basis.
Work on the upgrades will be carried out during regular, planned outages. The installation program means increased capacity will come in stages, with the full upgrade expected by 2029.
Industrial Info is tracking nine maintenance-related projects involving the Braidwood and Byron plants. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power project and plant databases can click here for the list of project reports and click here for the related plant profiles.
"These investments in our world class nuclear fleet will allow us to generate more zero-carbon energy with the same amount of fuel and land, and that's a win for the economy, the environment and Illinois families and businesses who rely on our clean energy," said Joe Dominguez, the president and chief executive officer of Constellation. For related information, see December 20, 2022, article - Inflation Reduction Act Lifts Prospects for Constellation Energy.
Constellation added the facilities were "saved from premature retirement" through state legislation passed in 2021 that calls for reductions in carbon emissions from the energy and transportation sectors. For related information, see September 17, 2021, article - Exelon's Illinois Nuclear Units Will Stay Open as State Adopts New Energy Plan.
The federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), meanwhile, offers additional funding to support nuclear energy.
"Both pieces of legislation have enabled renewed investment in nuclear energy," Constellation said.
Nuclear power fell out of fashion in the wake of the meltdown at the Fukushima facility in Japan in 2011. Germany under former Chancellor Angela Merkel opted to dismantle the country's nuclear power sector after the disaster, but the energy crisis brought on by the Russian invasion of Ukraine changed the thinking for many European leaders.
German energy company E.ON (Essen) said in September that it would keep at least one of its plants running through the first quarter of this year.
The average nuclear power plant in the U.S. is about 40 years old and the pursuit of upgrades predates the war in Ukraine. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said during the U.N.'s climate conference in 2021 that nuclear power had a distinct future in the U.S. power sector.
"We are very bullish on these advanced nuclear reactors," she added.
Those advancements range from a new type of sodium-based reactor that will drive a steam turbine, a brainchild of Bill Gates-backed TerraPower (Bellevue, Washington), to micro-reactors such as the one at the Idaho National Laboratory (Idaho Falls, Idaho).
Idaho's national lab was the recipient of $150 million in funding for the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.
Another $1 billion or so went to keep the Diablo Canyon facility in California up and running, a plant that was expected to be decommissioned in 2024.
Keeping Diablo Canyon running was necessary if the state wanted to attain its goal of getting 100% of its electricity from clean and renewable sources by 2045. Diablo Canyon generated nearly 9% of the state's electricity last year and accounted for roughly 15% of the state's clean energy production. For related information, see January 30, 2023, article - NRC Casts Doubt on Diablo Canyon Operating Past Middle of This Decade.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes some $369 billion in climate-related funding, plus tax credits for advancements both at existing plants and for new types of reactors. But the benefits may take a while to take a larger share of the electricity market.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration, the statistics office for the Department of Energy, expects total renewable energy capacity will increase from 22% in 2022 to 26% next year, though nuclear power's share at 19% for 2024 is the same as year-ago levels.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Constellation said it was investing in the equipment necessary to add another 135 megawatts of power to the Braidwood and Byron nuclear power stations in Illinois. The company claims that's enough carbon-free power to meet the demand from 100,000 average homes, is the equivalent of 216 average wind turbines and abates the equivalent emissions of 171,000 gas-powered vehicles on an annual basis.
Work on the upgrades will be carried out during regular, planned outages. The installation program means increased capacity will come in stages, with the full upgrade expected by 2029.
Industrial Info is tracking nine maintenance-related projects involving the Braidwood and Byron plants. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power project and plant databases can click here for the list of project reports and click here for the related plant profiles.
"These investments in our world class nuclear fleet will allow us to generate more zero-carbon energy with the same amount of fuel and land, and that's a win for the economy, the environment and Illinois families and businesses who rely on our clean energy," said Joe Dominguez, the president and chief executive officer of Constellation. For related information, see December 20, 2022, article - Inflation Reduction Act Lifts Prospects for Constellation Energy.
Constellation added the facilities were "saved from premature retirement" through state legislation passed in 2021 that calls for reductions in carbon emissions from the energy and transportation sectors. For related information, see September 17, 2021, article - Exelon's Illinois Nuclear Units Will Stay Open as State Adopts New Energy Plan.
The federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), meanwhile, offers additional funding to support nuclear energy.
"Both pieces of legislation have enabled renewed investment in nuclear energy," Constellation said.
Nuclear power fell out of fashion in the wake of the meltdown at the Fukushima facility in Japan in 2011. Germany under former Chancellor Angela Merkel opted to dismantle the country's nuclear power sector after the disaster, but the energy crisis brought on by the Russian invasion of Ukraine changed the thinking for many European leaders.
German energy company E.ON (Essen) said in September that it would keep at least one of its plants running through the first quarter of this year.
The average nuclear power plant in the U.S. is about 40 years old and the pursuit of upgrades predates the war in Ukraine. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said during the U.N.'s climate conference in 2021 that nuclear power had a distinct future in the U.S. power sector.
"We are very bullish on these advanced nuclear reactors," she added.
Those advancements range from a new type of sodium-based reactor that will drive a steam turbine, a brainchild of Bill Gates-backed TerraPower (Bellevue, Washington), to micro-reactors such as the one at the Idaho National Laboratory (Idaho Falls, Idaho).
Idaho's national lab was the recipient of $150 million in funding for the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.
Another $1 billion or so went to keep the Diablo Canyon facility in California up and running, a plant that was expected to be decommissioned in 2024.
Keeping Diablo Canyon running was necessary if the state wanted to attain its goal of getting 100% of its electricity from clean and renewable sources by 2045. Diablo Canyon generated nearly 9% of the state's electricity last year and accounted for roughly 15% of the state's clean energy production. For related information, see January 30, 2023, article - NRC Casts Doubt on Diablo Canyon Operating Past Middle of This Decade.
The Inflation Reduction Act includes some $369 billion in climate-related funding, plus tax credits for advancements both at existing plants and for new types of reactors. But the benefits may take a while to take a larger share of the electricity market.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration, the statistics office for the Department of Energy, expects total renewable energy capacity will increase from 22% in 2022 to 26% next year, though nuclear power's share at 19% for 2024 is the same as year-ago levels.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
