Three weeks after it shut down for maintenance and refueling, one of the two nuclear reactors just north of the Quad Cities is back in service. Exelon says Unit One at the Quad Cities Generating Station in Cordova resumed generating electricity on Tuesday.
Unit One was shut down on March 2nd, and during its time off-line, technicians replaced one-third of its fuel, and performed maintenance and inspections that aren't possible while it's operating.
For the shutdown, Exelon brought in 18-hundred workers, in addition to the Cordova plant's regular workforce of about 800.
The reactor ran continuously for almost two years, the longest ever for Unit One, until the scheduled shutdown. And the company expects it will run for another two years before refueling is needed again.