Braidwood nuclear power plant 1
Gross capacity
1,270MW
Braidwood nuclear power plant 1 is a pressurised water reactor unit at Braidwood nuclear power plant in United States rated at 1,270 MW gross. It is operating. Commercial operation began 29 Jul 1988.
Specification
| Reactor type | Pressurised water reactor (PWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | WH 4LP (DRYAMB) |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Light water |
| Moderator | Light water |
| Gross capacity | 1,270MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 1,194MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 1,120MW |
| Thermal output | 3,645MWt |
| Typical enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Braidwood nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | 1 |
| Country | United States |
| Owner | Exelon Corp100% |
| Operator | Exelon Generation |
| Coordinates | 41.2435, -88.2286 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Uranium dioxide pellets in zirconium-alloy cladding
Enrichment
3–5% U-235
Who makes this assembly
- China National Nuclear Corporation PWR fuel assemblies
- ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas PWR and BWR fuel assemblies
- Framatome PWR fuel assemblies
- KEPCO Nuclear Fuel PWR fuel assemblies
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries PWR fuel assemblies
- Westinghouse Electric Company PWR fuel assemblies
Upstream
Enriched fuel means this unit sits downstream of five conversion plants and four enrichment operators holding 88% of world capacity between the top three.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units —
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 1 Aug 1975Construction start
- 29 May 1987First criticality
- 12 Jul 1987Grid connection
- 29 Jul 1988Commercial operation
Other units at Braidwood nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Braidwood nuclear power plant 2 | 1,230 |
Other WH 4LP (DRYAMB) units
19 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin W Vogtle nuclear power plant 1 | United States | 1,229 | |
| Alvin W Vogtle nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 1,229 | |
| Braidwood nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 1,230 | |
| Byron nuclear power plant 1 | United States | 1,242 | |
| Byron nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 1,210 | |
| Callaway nuclear power plant 1 | United States | 1,275 | |
| Comanche Peak nuclear power plant 1 | United States | 1,259 | |
| Comanche Peak nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 1,250 | |
| Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant 1 | United States | 1,197 | |
| Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 1,197 | |
| Salem nuclear power plant 1 | United States | 1,254 | |
| Salem nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 1,200 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-24
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted