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Quad Cities Clean Energy Center

Cordova, Ill.

An aerial photo of Quad Cities Generating Station, a nuclear power plant

  • Number of operating units: 2
  • Site net generation: 1,900 net MW
  • Customers served: More than 1 million homes
  • Location: Outside of Cordova, Ill., on the banks of the Mississippi River
  • Number of Employees: 865
  • Annual Payroll: $78 million

Quad Cities Clean Energy Center produces enough electricity to power more than 1 million average American homes. Built along the Mississippi River, units 1 and 2 began commercial operation in 1973.

Economic Impact

Quad Cities has 865 employees that live in the Quad Cities area. During refueling outages, the power plant employs several hundred temporary contractors who boost the local economy during their stay. The center's annual payroll is approximately $78 million.

Quad Cities also supports 4,200 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 Quad Cities contributing $13.5 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

Quad Cities aims to be a good neighbor and is very active in the local community.

  • Sponsorship: In addition to the list below, the power plant sponsors several community events, including the Quad City Air Show, Steamer Shootout Class ‘A’ Summer Basketball Tournament, Mississippi River Clean-up and the Great River Tug. The center also sponsors numerous community events and youth sports teams as well as two children’s summer reading programs at local public libraries.
    • Honor Flight of the Quad Cities: Quad Cities made a $10,000 donation to Honor Flight of the Quad Cities. The purpose of Honor Flight is to fly America's veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to honoring their sacrifices.
    • Library Summer Reading Programs: For several years, Quad Cities Clean Energy Center has been the major sponsor of four local library summer reading programs.  Hundreds of are children have benefited from these programs.
    • John Deere Classic Golf Tournament: Quad Cities Clean Energy Center is one of the sponsors of the annual PGA golf tournament that brings thousands of dollars of revenue into the area economy.   
    • Fulton Community Holiday Dinner: Quad Cities Clean Energy Center is the major sponsor of this Christmas Day dinner for the community.  Annual over 500 meals are served included meals are delivered to shut-ins in the area. 
  • Employee Giving & Volunteerism: Quad Cities’ employees give generously to the community through a variety of charitable activities including local United Way chapters. The center has been repeatedly recognized as an area leader by the United Way of the Quad Cities. The center also sponsors multiple blood drives throughout the year, helping local hospitals. Quad Cities employees also run food, toy and fundraising drives to support various community groups and agencies. 

 

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, Quad Cities generated 15.5 megawatt-hours of carbon free electricity, which is the equivalent of removing 2.3 million average passenger vehicles from our roadways.

Environmental Steward

  • Wildlife at Work Certification: The national Wildlife Habitat Council awarded Quad Cities Clean Energy Center the Wildlife at Work certification. This certification honors the environmental stewardship of the center, recognizing the center's commendable wildlife habitat management.
  • Aquaculture Partnership with Southern Illinois University: Quad Cities Clean Energy Center operates a major aquaculture facility in partnership with Southern Illinois University. The hatchery enhances stocks of several aquatic species. The facility had raised and stocked the Mississippi and other local water bodies with over 7 million fingerling walleye, 600,000 fingerling hybrid striped bass and nearly 75,000 yearling hybrid striped bass since the hatchery began operation.
  • Alligator Gar Recovery Program: Quad Cities has been working with the state of Illinois since 2011 to help the species recover from extirpation. The site’s fish hatchery grows the fish for the state annually.
  • Pollinator Garden: Quad Cities has 20 acres of active grassland restoration with an emphasis for monarch butterfly and other pollinators, with 50 acres of additional sites identified.

Committed to Safety

Quad Cities Generating Station, 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

Quad Cities 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 countries, municipalities and school districts in the 4 counties that comprise the 10-mile radius of the plant in both Illinois and Iowa.