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LaSalle County Clean Energy Center

Marseilles, Ill.

An aerial photo of LaSalle County Generating Station, a nuclear power plant

  • Number of operating units: 2
  • Site net generation: 2,320 net MW
  • Customers served: About 2.3 million homes
  • Location: Brookfield Township, LaSalle County, Ill.  Approximately 75 miles southwest of Chicago
  • Number of Employees: 757
  • Annual Payroll: $80 million

LaSalle County Clean Energy Center can produce enough energy to power more than 2.3 million average American homes. The station has a 2,058-acre man-made cooling lake, which is a popular fishery managedby the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Units 1 and 2 began commercial operation in October 1982 and October 1984, respectively. Both of LaSalle’s units are General Electric boiling water reactors.

Economic Impact

A majority of LaSalle’s approximately 757 employees live in LaSalle and Grundy counties. The center's annual payroll is about $80 million. During refueling outages, LaSalle employs several hundred temporary contract workers who boost the local economy during their stay.

LaSalle also supports approximately 4,900 direct and secondary jobs in Illinois. The facilities’ output also stimulates Illinois’ labor income and employment.

Illinois’ nuclear facilities contribute nearly $9 billion to the state’s economy annually, with LaSalle contributing $21.2 million in property taxes annually. The greatest impact in Illinois is on the professional, scientific and technical sectors due to the volume of specialized services required to operate a nuclear energy facility.

Community Involvement

LaSalle aims to be a good neighbor and is active in its surrounding communities.         

  • Sponsorship: LaSalle sponsors several community events and organizations, including Marseilles Fun Day, Grand Ridge Community Festival, local first responders, local food pantries, and Future Farmers of America.
    • Labor of Love: LaSalle Clean Energy Center is a signature sponsor of the United Way Labor of Love each year. This one-day home improvement blitz brings volunteers together to repair and winterize homes of the needy, elderly and disabled. LaSalle Clean Energy Center provides significant financial backing
    • Education: Members from LaSalle Clean Energy Center's Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) band together to bring in approximately 30 local educators to the plant for a day of fun and learning in its Nuke 101 program. The program gives teachers an opportunity to learn STEM-related activities that they can take back and apply in their classrooms.
    • Scholarships: The center also awards $500 scholarships for graduating seniors at Ottawa, Seneca and Streator high schools.
  • Employee Giving & Volunteerism: LaSalle employees give generously to the community through a variety of volunteer activities, including the local United Way campaign. During National Volunteer Month in April, employees organize and participate in community volunteer projects, such as property beautification at a local veterans’ home, rehabilitating a camp for children and creating a veteran memorial wall.

Generating More Low-Carbon Electricity

Nuclear energy is by far the largest clean-air energy source and the only one that can produce large amounts of electricity around the clock. During 2018, LaSalle generated 19.3 million megawatt-hours of carbon free electricity, which is the equivalent of removing 2.9 million average passenger vehicles from our roadways.

Environmental Steward

  • Pollinator Garden: The center's Environmental Action Committee planted a 1,000-square foot pollinator garden that features native plants designed to attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The seed mix was planted in accordance with Illinois Department of Natural Resources guidelines for pollinator gardens. The pollinator garden is LaSalle’s first project in a larger long-term habitat restoration initiative.
  • Hoo Haven: LaSalle Clean Energy Center hosts an annual food and supply drive for Hoo Haven, a wildlife rehabilitation and education center in northern Illinois. All food, supplies, and monetary donations are used by Hoo Haven to care for the many birds of prey and animals at the facility. The items are hand-delivered after the event to the grateful owners and volunteers at Hoo Haven.

Committed to Safety

LaSalle County Clean Energy Center, like all U.S. nuclear energy facilities, is based on a “defense-in-depth” design, which means there are redundant layers of safety. There are multiple layers of safety systems to provide water to the reactor core. These safety systems, and their backup safety systems, are powered by multiple and redundant power sources. Nuclear energy plants are built with multiple physical barriers, including thick, steel-reinforced concrete walls around the reactor to contain radioactive materials.

Our employees are personally committed to safety. They are highly-skilled workers and continually receive training to make our safe work practices even safer. We have a culture of continuous learning and implement lessons learned from operating experience to continue to operate safe nuclear energy facilities. Each employee has 100 percent accountability. We welcome strict, daily oversight by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). We work with the NRC to ensure that all regulations are complied with - and exceeded.

Emergency Planning

LaSalle employs a sophisticated emergency plan to protect public health and safety, approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the state of Illinois. The emergency plan includes coordination with local counties, municipalities and school districts.