LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station, located 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Ottawa, Illinois serves Chicago and northern Illinois with electricity. The plant is owned and operated by the Exelon Corporation. Its Units 1 and 2 began commercial operation in August 1982 and April 1984, respectively.
It has two General Electric boiling water reactors. LaSalle's Unit 1 is capable of generating 1200 net megawatts, while Unit 2 is capable of generating 1200 net megawatts, together generating a total of 2,400 net megawatts which is enough electricity to support the electricity needs of more than two million average American homes. Instead of cooling towers, the station has a 2,058 acres (833 ha) man-made cooling lake, which is also a popular fishery — LaSalle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area — managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
LaSalle County Station units 1 and 2 currently holds the world record top two spots for run time without shutting down for boiling water reactors, 739 and 712 days respectively. Both cycles were breaker to breaker.
Read more about LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station: Surrounding Population, Site Area Emergency, Seismic Risk
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