Editing Limerick Generating Station (section)

==History==
[[File:Limerick Generating Station (2024).jpg|thumb|Limerick's cooling towers seen from the [[Philadelphia Premium Outlets]].]]
In 1969, the [[Philadelphia Electric Company]] (now PECO Energy, a subsidiary of [[Exelon]]) announced plans to build a nuclear power plant on a site along the [[Schuylkill River]] in [[Limerick Township, Pennsylvania|Limerick Township]], [[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Montgomery County]], approximately 30 miles northwest of [[Center City, Philadelphia]]. Community protests by the Keystone Alliance and other delays pushed the start of construction by the [[Bechtel]] Power Corporation to June 1974.

Limerick Unit 1 first attained [[Critical mass|criticality]] (began producing nuclear power, at limited capacity) on December 22, 1984 and was certified for commercial operation on February 1, 1986.

Limerick Unit 2 attained criticality on August 1, 1989, and commercial operation began on January 8, 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.exeloncorp.com/powerplants/limerick/Pages/profile.aspx|title=Locations - Energy plants and facilities - Exelon|website=www.ExelonCorp.com|access-date=May 8, 2017}}</ref>

On July 27, 1994, an F3 [[tornado]] struck the area surrounding the Limerick Generating Station. The tornado narrowly missed the station by two miles, but caused considerable damage to a nearby housing development in Limerick Township.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cano |first=Will |date=2022-07-27 |title=When Limerick Township became 'Tornado Alley' in 1994 |url=https://www.pottsmerc.com/2022/07/27/when-limerick-township-became-tornado-alley-in-1994/ |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=The Mercury |language=en-US}}</ref>

President [[George W. Bush]] visited the Limerick Generating Station in May 2006 to discuss [[nuclear power]] and its role in the [[Advanced Energy Initiative]], which he announced at the [[2006 State of the Union Address]]. He toured the facility, including a trip to the control room of the plant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/05/text/20060524-5.html|title=President Discusses Energy During Visit to Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania (Text Only)|website=GeorgeWBush-WhiteHouse.Archives.gov|access-date=May 8, 2017}}</ref>

On October 20, 2014, the [[Nuclear Regulatory Commission]] (NRC) granted extensions for Limerick Units 1 and 2 for another 20 years. The units are now licensed to operate until 2044 and 2049 respectively.<ref>[http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1429/ML14293A264.pdf ''NRC Renews Operating Licenses of Limerick Nuclear Plant for an Additional 20 Years'']. U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.</ref>

Unit 2 of the station was scrammed from 100% power to a shutdown on June 1, 2016, at 9&nbsp;am. The reactor was shut down due to an electrical fault, causing the recirculation pumps to stop. The steam bypass valves that lead to the main condenser were opened and Limerick went through a normal hot shutdown process.<ref>{{cite web|title=NRC: Event Notification: MANUAL REACTOR SCRAM DUE TO UNEXPECTED CORE FLOW CHANGE|url=https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/2016/20160602en.html#en51968|website=NRC: Event Notification Report for June 2, 2016|access-date=February 18, 2017}}</ref>