LUSBY, Md. – Operators at Exelon Generation’s Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant removed Unit 2 from service just after midnight Sunday to begin a planned refueling outage, capping a best-ever run of 715 consecutive days of power generation. Work completed during the refueling outage will help the unit deliver zero-emission, reliable power to almost a million homes and businesses during the next two-year operating cycle.
To support the refueling outage, approximately 1,000 additional workers will travel to Calvert for several weeks, filling nearby hotels to capacity and increasing foot traffic in restaurants and shops at a time when tourism is usually slow.
“The refueling outage at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant plays a large factor in our local economy every year; in 2019, we expect the same,” said Thomas “Tim” Hutchins, President, Calvert County, Maryland Board of County Commissioners. “We welcome the influx of spending in our local economy. Our restaurants, hotels, B&B’s, shops and even residential rentals see a significant uptick when the refueling happens each year.”
While the unit is offline, technicians will replace nearly one-third of the reactor’s fuel and perform more than 7,500 inspections, tests, maintenance activities and modifications. Many of the tasks performed during the outage cannot be accomplished while the unit is online.
“We are proud to produce almost a third of Maryland’s power with, safe, reliable, carbon free nuclear generation,” said Calvert Cliffs Site Vice President Mark Flaherty. “Our outage investments in state-of- the art equipment and new technologies will help ensure safe, reliable operations for years to come.”
Calvert Cliffs is located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County and is Maryland’s only nuclear energy facility. The station is home to two pressurized water reactors capable of generating 1,850 megawatts combined, enough to power more approximately 30 percent of all homes and businesses in the state of Maryland.