D.C. Cook 1 completes Fall refuel in 33 days, caps 507-day B2B run

[Core Content]

D.C. Cook 1, Bridgman, Michigan.

D.C. Cook 1 completed a routine refueling outage lasting 33 days, running 1 day longer than the planned 32 days. The outage period spanned from Sep 19, 2026 to Oct 21, 2026 at 0% power. As of the NRC report of Oct 22, 2026, the unit restarted and was at 12% power while still ramping up.

33 days outage · 1 day past schedule · seventh B2B run complete · 12% power, ramping up

D.C. Cook 1 restarted on Oct 21, 2026 after a 33-day Fall 2026 refueling outage that began Sep 19, 2026. As of the NRC's Oct 22, 2026 report, D.C. Cook 1 was at 12% power, beginning its climb back to full output.

The published schedule had it at 32 days (Sep 19, 2026 to Oct 21, 2026), so the actual ran 1 day longer than planned. NukeWorker's projection came closer at about 34 days based on the unit's recent cycles, within a day of the actual.

The outage ran about 10 days shorter than the unit's 16-cycle average of 42.6 days. It also capped a 507-day breaker-to-breaker run, the unit's seventh qualified B2B run. Going into the refueling, the unit had run for more than 4 years without an unscheduled outage. NukeWorker's duration projection scores 97% accuracy for this unit.

The 33-day outage removed roughly 735,000 MWh from the grid, worth approximately $29 million at recent wholesale prices.

Across the U.S. fleet of 94 commercial reactors, today's combined capacity factor is 80.9% (17 units currently refueling), below the 81.8% baseline for this month over the past five years. At the same site, D.C. Cook 2 is running at full power. Vogtle 2, Callaway, Byron 2, and Cooper also completed refueling outages within the past week.

D.C. Cook 1 is a 1,009-MW Westinghouse 4-loop PWR operated by Indiana Michigan Power (commercial operation since 1975). At full power, it supplies enough electricity for roughly 807,000 homes. The utility operates both units at this site and no other U.S. nuclear plant. Its operating license runs through 2034 (renewed in 2005). The unit ran at an 88.5% capacity factor in 2025, a steady year.

View D.C. Cook 1's ratings, history, projections, and current status on NukeWorker.

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