Dresden nuclear power plant 3
Gross capacity
935MW
Dresden nuclear power plant 3 is a boiling water reactor unit at Dresden nuclear power plant in United States rated at 935 MW gross. It is operating. Commercial operation began 16 Nov 1971.
Specification
| Reactor type | Boiling water reactor (BWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | BWR-3 (Mark 1) |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Light water |
| Moderator | Light water |
| Gross capacity | 935MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 879MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 794MW |
| Thermal output | 2,957MWt |
| Typical enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Dresden nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | 3 |
| Country | United States |
| Owner | Exelon Corp100% |
| Operator | Exelon Generation |
| Coordinates | 41.3901, -88.2701 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Uranium dioxide pellets in zirconium-alloy cladding
Enrichment
3–5% U-235
Who makes this assembly
- Framatome BWR fuel assemblies
- Global Nuclear Fuel BWR fuel assemblies
- Westinghouse Electric Company BWR 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utilities do not publish fuel contracts.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
- 14 Oct 1966Construction start
- 12 Jan 1971First criticality
- 22 Jul 1971Grid connection
- 16 Nov 1971Commercial operation
Other units at Dresden nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Dresden nuclear power plant 1 | Retired | 207 |
| Dresden nuclear power plant 2 | 950 |
Other BWR-3 (Mark 1) units
6 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dresden nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 950 | |
| Monticello nuclear power plant | United States | 691 | |
| Quad Cities nuclear power plant 1 | United States | 940 | |
| Quad Cities nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 940 | |
| Pilgrim nuclear power plant 1 | United States | Retired | 711 |
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 2024-05-27
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted