After being shut down for two weeks following a lightning strike, Exelon (NYSE:EXC) has returned its two LaSalle nuclear units to service in Illinois.
Entergy said in a May 3 statement that LaSalle Units 1 and 2 were back to operating at full power. Unit 1 was placed back in service on Tuesday, April 30, and Unit 2 was back in service on Wednesday, May 1.
Both units automatically shut down on Wednesday, April 17, when power from the switchyard into the site was interrupted due to a lightning strike during a severe thunderstorm.
While the units were offline, LaSalle Station did a thorough inspection of the units and performed numerous maintenance activities and safety walk downs, the company said. The NRC also did a special inspection at the plant.
The LaSalle station is located about 75 miles southwest of Chicago near Marseilles, Ill. At full power, the facility’s two boiling water reactor (BWR) units produce more than 2,200 MW around the clock.
Exelon also said May 6 that Byron Unit 2 has returned to full power after completing a regularly-scheduled refueling and maintenance outage. The Byron outage had started April 8.
The dual-unit Byron station is in Ogle County, Ill., about 25 miles southwest of Rockford. Each pressurized water reactor (PWR) at the Byron station can generate more than 1,100 MW of power.
