CORDOVA, Ill., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Plant personnel at the Quad Cities Generating Station terminated an "unusual event" at 3:30 p.m. today. The unusual event was declared when a gas explosion occurred inside the vestibule of an outbuilding located about 100 yards from the power generating portion of the plant early Monday morning.
Plant personnel determined that increased levels of methane gas coming from a wastewater storage tank was the cause of Monday's explosion. The outbuilding houses the infrequently used tank and pump for storing floor drainage from the plant.
The station completed thorough inspections of the outbuilding and tank area and are in the process of safely venting the tank to return it to normal operation levels.
There were no injuries to plant personnel, and at no time was there any concern for the health and safety of the public. There was no radiological release and no damage to plant equipment.
During the entire event, both Quad Cities units continued to operate at full power.
Exelon Nuclear personnel notified all appropriate federal, state and local government officials of the unusual event, the lowest of four emergency classifications as defined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The "unusual event" was declared at 3:03 a.m. Monday, Oct. 27.
Quad Cities Generating Station is located in Rock Island County, five miles north of Cordova, Ill. With both units at full power, the station can produce more than 1,700 net megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power nearly two million homes.
Exelon Corporation is one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately $19 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry's largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and Pennsylvania and natural gas to approximately 480,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.
