Byron 2 begins Fall 2026 refueling outage

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Byron 2, Byron, Illinois.

Byron Unit 2 began a scheduled refueling outage on September 28, 2026, starting precisely on its planned date. The 1,136-MW Westinghouse four-loop pressurized water reactor entered the fall maintenance period following a 3637-day unscheduled-outage-free streak.

Operated by Constellation Nuclear, the unit had run about 94 percent of its typical 547-day operating cycle and posted a 93.9 percent capacity factor during the 2025 prior cycle. Across the broader U.S. fleet, 94 units operated at a 90.1 percent capacity factor with nine units in refueling.

BYRON, IL. Byron 2 entered a refueling outage on Sep 28, 2026. The unit started on the published date (Sep 28, 2026) with a planned 21-day outage running through Oct 19, 2026.

Going into the refueling, the unit had run for more than 9 years without an unscheduled outage. NukeWorker's start-date projection scores 100% accuracy for this unit.

Across the U.S. fleet of 94 commercial reactors, today's combined capacity factor is 90.1% (9 units currently refueling), below the 92.8% baseline for this month over the past five years. At the same site, Byron 1 is running at full power. Cooper and Callaway also began refueling outages within the past week. With the unit offline for refueling, that takes about 909,000 homes' worth of generation off the grid.

Byron 2 is a 1,136-MW Westinghouse 4-loop PWR operated by Constellation Nuclear (commercial operation since 1987). The utility operates 20 other U.S. nuclear units. Its operating license runs through 2046 (renewed in 2015). The unit ran at a 93.9% capacity factor in 2025, a solid year of operation.

Heading to Byron, IL for outage work? Current per-diem averages $110/night lodging plus $68/day meals (total $178/day), and Unemployment Benefits are $859 weekly. See open nuclear jobs in Illinois on NukeWorker.

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Sources: NRC Daily Reactor Power Status reports, utility-published outage schedules, and NukeWorker's projections.

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Byron 2's reactor is critical: the NRC's Oct 25, 2026 report shows it at 16% power in Mode 1, the first reading above zero since its Fall 2026 refueling outage began on Sep 28, 2026.

NRC daily power since restart: Oct 25 16% · Oct 26 48%

View Byron 2's ratings, history, projections, and current status on NukeWorker.

Source: NRC Daily Reactor Power Status reports.

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Byron 2 is back on the grid: the NRC's Oct 27, 2026 report shows it at 80% power, more steam than its condenser steam dumps can take, so the main generator is on line. That came 2 days after its first reading above zero on Oct 25, 2026.

NRC daily power since restart: Oct 25 16% · Oct 26 48% · Oct 27 80%

View Byron 2's ratings, history, projections, and current status on NukeWorker.

Source: NRC Daily Reactor Power Status reports.

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Byron 2 reached full power, 100%, in the NRC's Oct 29, 2026 report, 4 days after its first reading above zero, completing power ascension from its Fall 2026 refueling outage. Over its last 6 refuels the climb from first power to full power took a median of 3 days.

NRC daily power since restart: Oct 25 16% · Oct 26 48% · Oct 27 80% · Oct 28 94% · Oct 29 100%

The outage in full: Byron 2 completes Fall refuel in 27 days, caps 514-day B2B run.

View Byron 2's ratings, history, projections, and current status on NukeWorker.

Source: NRC Daily Reactor Power Status reports.