Exelon : Generation's Quad Cities Unit 1 Returns to Service

CORDOVA, Ill. - Exelon Generation operators returned Quad Cities Generating Station Unit 1 to full power Sunday, successfully completing a scheduled refueling outage at the nuclear plant that began in late March.

During the outage, more than 1,600 skilled workers from local unions worked alongside station employees to perform inspections and maintenance activities that cannot be completed while the reactor is online. Many of the additional workers lodged in area hotels, shopped in local stores and patronized nearby restaurants, providing a significant and welcome economic boost to the Quad Cities region.

'Without passage of the Future Energy Jobs Act last year, this would have been the last Unit 1 refueling outage at Quad Cities Station,' said Bill Phillips, Business Representative for Local Union 15. 'Now that the bill has been signed into law, we expect these good-paying jobs to be around for another decade, supporting local businesses and generating millions of dollars for Illinois' economy.'

During the outage, workers performed more than 10,000 detailed inspections, maintenance activities and equipment upgrades. Exelon Generation invests millions of dollars each year to upgrade its nuclear plants, installing state-of-the-art equipment and enhancing components to make the facilities even safer and more efficient.

'The work and upgrades completed during this outage will greatly benefit the local economy and help us to continue to deliver clean, reliable, safe energy to the region for many years,' said Scott Darin, Quad Cities Station's site vice president. 'We again thank the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Rauner for their leadership in passing the Future Energy Jobs Act, which positions Illinois as an environmental leader and ensures a more secure, clean energy future for our state.'