Menu
Home Explore People Places Arts History Plants & Animals Science Life & Culture Technology
On this page
Limerick Generating Station
Nuclear power plant in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, US

The Limerick Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located on the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, about 29 miles northwest of Center City Philadelphia. It operates two General Electric boiling water reactor units, producing 2,317 megawatts to power roughly 2 million homes. Owned by Constellation Energy since 2022, the plant runs continuously except for refueling outages. As a black start facility, it uses eight Fairbanks Morse diesel generators for standby power. The cooling towers are visible across multiple counties and from the One Liberty Observation Deck in Philadelphia. Monthly siren tests occur on the first Monday, with louder tests twice yearly.

Related Image Collections Add Image
Profiles
1 Image
We don't have any YouTube videos related to Limerick Generating Station yet.
We don't have any PDF documents related to Limerick Generating Station yet.
We don't have any Books related to Limerick Generating Station yet.

History

In 1969, the Philadelphia Electric Company (now PECO Energy, a subsidiary of Exelon) announced plans to build a nuclear power plant on a site along the Schuylkill River in Limerick Township, Montgomery County, approximately 30 miles northwest of Center City, Philadelphia. Community protests by the Keystone Alliance and other delays pushed the start of construction by the Bechtel Power Corporation to June 1974.

Limerick Unit 1 first attained criticality (began producing nuclear power, at limited capacity) on December 22, 1984 and was certified for commercial operation on February 1, 1986.

Limerick Unit 2 attained criticality on August 1, 1989, and commercial operation began on January 8, 1990.1

On July 27, 1994, an F3 tornado struck the area surrounding the Limerick Generating Station. The tornado narrowly missed the station by two miles, but caused considerable damage to a nearby housing development in Limerick Township.2

President George W. Bush visited the Limerick Generating Station in May 2006 to discuss nuclear power and its role in the Advanced Energy Initiative, which he announced at the 2006 State of the Union Address. He toured the facility, including a trip to the control room of the plant.3

On October 20, 2014, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted extensions for Limerick Units 1 and 2 for another 20 years. The units are now licensed to operate until 2044 and 2049 respectively.4

Unit 2 of the station was scrammed from 100% power to a shutdown on June 1, 2016, at 9 am. The reactor was shut down due to an electrical fault, causing the recirculation pumps to stop. The steam bypass valves that lead to the main condenser were opened and Limerick went through a normal hot shutdown process.5

Electricity production

Generation (MWh) of Limerick Generation Station6
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual (Total)
20011,720,9991,421,5551,571,2811,146,1211,714,9811,585,2031,707,2211,694,8261,654,8761,735,7771,680,9701,742,64319,376,453
20021,723,0681,482,7571,142,3471,668,7931,554,1401,646,0671,567,8001,691,5871,639,3881,735,3821,691,1781,753,83719,296,344
20031,753,2541,550,2341,130,5161,519,3211,714,7691,653,4531,696,8811,607,0281,624,4471,731,5001,674,9511,743,91019,400,264
20041,722,7201,537,5661,168,9321,668,3001,671,6001,556,4071,683,6131,685,0081,567,0291,709,7871,660,6751,717,90019,349,537
20051,716,8851,362,0851,004,0851,664,1881,677,5811,626,2641,608,3251,669,4891,609,4701,555,8761,667,4201,744,18218,905,850
20061,667,9011,430,6301,140,0551,661,7631,592,4211,619,3251,668,4131,673,3661,629,2211,718,0271,665,1661,730,89619,197,184
20071,730,4971,556,9521,096,4331,316,2751,684,0851,628,0141,675,7501,634,3901,625,9741,697,2701,674,8011,733,09319,053,534
20081,709,9821,188,9531,065,2831,649,5441,744,7751,619,7331,667,9841,681,7871,609,1841,702,9751,673,3301,733,73219,047,262
20091,731,7171,531,9391,396,4901,282,1351,692,5121,630,8791,678,0511,666,1181,607,3361,711,3191,666,8891,735,46119,330,846
20101,717,4551,540,9971,329,5701,268,3751,680,7771,460,1881,635,0551,659,2891,584,6171,673,9671,666,6931,709,09118,926,074
20111,716,7691,440,1291,427,642957,1521,596,2561,481,7221,667,1991,689,2691,626,0671,729,1011,684,6381,446,55918,462,503
20121,743,7581,328,7011,071,7121,611,6671,405,6861,522,2181,314,4521,674,9501,475,2591,672,2351,633,4091,701,56918,155,616
20131,751,4581,576,6691,522,7701,127,5771,704,2401,648,2131,680,8001,701,4131,651,9001,730,1611,698,5951,748,26919,542,065
20141,761,9781,584,692987,3241,183,6001,695,8421,651,2601,697,1661,703,8431,624,2081,731,2191,699,1991,756,91319,077,244
20151,751,9131,461,4401,622,4461,091,1201,437,5841,645,7221,689,4431,695,0361,628,6341,723,9411,686,8851,497,21318,931,377
20161,753,5101,607,1381,352,6351,213,8741,709,6281,582,1491,684,9551,680,1571,643,2231,727,5111,689,9501,750,64519,395,375
20171,741,9301,558,6801,672,9391,197,273956,7691,649,1451,676,5231,594,6191,651,7281,409,4301,693,4321,750,48918,552,957
20181,737,8901,517,8441,465,3091,151,5641,691,7981,617,9411,694,9801,680,9431,640,8751,730,1111,699,3591,710,01219,338,626
20191,754,8241,570,1551,675,1091,153,1151,511,7701,511,9901,690,4511,699,4531,625,1161,728,3351,686,4001,738,87619,345,594
20201,718,9271,529,3541,444,0471,318,9971,728,8411,637,5151,687,8571,693,8851,614,7511,730,9091,541,7071,697,97419,344,764
20211,748,0691,559,5371,540,7071,357,9621,263,6781,643,5161,691,1051,690,2251,646,6671,720,5681,696,0741,751,22019,309,328
20221,742,5191,546,3781,487,7831,009,3621,571,4771,650,5621,685,3501,687,8411,633,2041,729,3991,674,6881,748,59319,167,156
20231,737,4031,539,8681,478,1571,447,7361,171,1191,641,1931,673,2351,688,8941,644,2811,717,2821,685,9301,668,97719,094,075
20241,619,0511,613,5231,639,5821,037,2631,695,8031,631,9961,675,3641,688,2871,622,0201,723,6001,665,5691,748,28419,360,342
20251,754,4941,569,6041,680,1961,437,345--

Seismic risk

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission estimates the risk of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to every reactor in the U.S. According to the NRC study published in August 2010, Limerick's earthquake risk was calculated at 1 in 18,868.78 Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, government regulators announced the plant would undergo further evaluations for seismic activity risk.9

A quarry is located nearby which occasionally does blasting; however, this is done with the consent of plant staff.

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.10

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Limerick was 252,197, an increase of 18.7 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 8,027,924, an increase of 6.1 percent since 2000.11

Cities within 50 miles:

See also

  • Pennsylvania portal
  • Energy portal
  • Nuclear technology portal
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Limerick Generating Station.

References

  1. "Locations - Energy plants and facilities - Exelon". www.ExelonCorp.com. Retrieved May 8, 2017. http://www.exeloncorp.com/powerplants/limerick/Pages/profile.aspx ↩

  2. Cano, Will (2022-07-27). "When Limerick Township became 'Tornado Alley' in 1994". The Mercury. Retrieved 2024-01-28. https://www.pottsmerc.com/2022/07/27/when-limerick-township-became-tornado-alley-in-1994/ ↩

  3. "President Discusses Energy During Visit to Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania (Text Only)". GeorgeWBush-WhiteHouse.Archives.gov. Retrieved May 8, 2017. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/05/text/20060524-5.html ↩

  4. NRC Renews Operating Licenses of Limerick Nuclear Plant for an Additional 20 Years. U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014. https://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1429/ML14293A264.pdf ↩

  5. "NRC: Event Notification: MANUAL REACTOR SCRAM DUE TO UNEXPECTED CORE FLOW CHANGE". NRC: Event Notification Report for June 2, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017. https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/2016/20160602en.html#en51968 ↩

  6. "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-07. https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/6105/?freq=M&pin= ↩

  7. "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk". NBC News. 2011-03-16. Retrieved 2024-08-16. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna42103936 ↩

  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2011-04-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) https://web.archive.org/web/20170525170632/http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/quake%20nrc%20risk%20estimates.pdf ↩

  9. "American Nuclear Power Under Scrutiny After Disaster In Japan", CBS Philadelphia. March 14, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2011 http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/03/14/american-nuclear-power-under-scrutiny-after-disaster-in-japan/ ↩

  10. "NRC: Backgrounder on Emergency Preparedness for Nuclear Power Plants". Archived from the original on 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2012-03-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20061002131207/http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/emerg-plan-prep-nuc-power-bg.html ↩

  11. "Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors". NBC News. 2011-04-14. Retrieved 2024-08-16. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna42555888 ↩