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Limerick Generating Station
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<p>The Limerick Generating Station is a <a href="/facts/Nuclear_power_plant/IJj5pJUn">nuclear power plant</a> located next to the <a href="/facts/Schuylkill_River/oQ4Vdpz3">Schuylkill River</a> in <a href="/facts/Limerick_Township%2c_Pennsylvania/bA4jJT5N">Limerick Township</a>, <a href="/facts/Montgomery_County%2c_Pennsylvania/prBfrY5m">Montgomery County</a>, <a href="/facts/Pennsylvania/HGqC5bBm">Pennsylvania</a>, approximately 29 miles (47 km) northwest of <a href="/facts/Center_City_Philadelphia/ypCNBIAI">Center City</a>, <a href="/facts/Philadelphia/2bFFCCTU">Philadelphia</a>. The facility has two <a href="/facts/General_Electric/bBm5CzVY">General Electric</a> <a href="/facts/Boiling_water_reactor/nc0lJKTS">boiling water reactor</a> (BWR) units, cooled by natural draft cooling towers. According to its owner, <a href="/facts/Constellation_Energy/6IwwIASr">Constellation Energy</a>, the two units are capable of producing 2,317 megawatts of power, which combined would provide electricity to around 2 million households. Constellation owns and operates this facility following their separation from <a href="/facts/Exelon_Corporation/pXBB6C6s">Exelon Corporation</a> in 2022. With the exception of refueling outages, Limerick Generating Station continuously operates at 100% power. The plant is connected to the grid, and transmits power, via multiple 500kv transmission lines. </p><p>Limerick is a <a href="/facts/Black_start/c9gASxr6">black start</a> plant, meaning it does not require grid power for stator excitation. For critical standby power, Limerick depends on eight <a href="/facts/Fairbanks_Morse_38_8-1%2f8_diesel_engine/XfaJTwHv">Fairbanks Morse 38 8-1/8 diesel engine</a> generator sets that each deliver 3000 kilowatts of power and are capable of achieving rated speed within ten seconds of start. </p><p>The cooling towers for the Limerick Generating Station can be seen for miles away in parts of Montgomery, <a href="/facts/Chester_County%2c_Pennsylvania/V0VwcLXC">Chester</a>, and <a href="/facts/Berks_County%2c_Pennsylvania/bBS6BBnY">Berks</a> counties, and can be seen from the top of the tallest buildings in Philadelphia, including the <a href="/facts/One_Liberty_Observation_Deck/74xz2q4a">One Liberty Observation Deck</a> at <a href="/facts/Liberty_Place/29mbz1fp">Liberty Place</a>. </p>