Two reactors at the Limerick nuclear plant near Philadelphia have been granted a small uprate by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
On Monday the agency announced that it has approved Exelon’s application to increase the generating capacity at each of the plant’s two units by 1.65 percent. The approval will boost the units’ electric power output to 1,205 megawatts, according to an NRC release. Exelon plans to make the changes to unit 1 within 90 days and to increase power at unit 2 after a refueling outage scheduled for later this year.
After analyzing the plant’s fire protection, accident evaluations, nuclear steam supply, instrumentation, electrical and other systems, the agency determined that “Exelon could safely increase the reactors’ power output primarily through more accurate means of measuring feed-water flow,” according to the release.
Limerick uses two General Electric Type 4 boiling water reactors with Mark II containment, according to the NRC.