Dresden Generating Station
Dresden Generating Station is a nuclear plant in Grundy County, Illinois, operated by Constellation Nuclear. It ranks fourth by nameplate capacity among Illinois’s 601 power plants. Counting by its oldest working unit (1970), it is the fourth-oldest of the 56 nuclear plants still running in the United States. Its oldest working unit dates from 1970, earlier than at any other nuclear plant in Illinois.
Nameplate capacity, 2025
2,019 MW
1,797 MW net summer capacity
2 operable units
- Nuclear2,019 MW100%
Unit by unit, 1970 to 2025
operating in 2025bar height follows unit size
Unit 2 Nuclear, 1,009 MW, 1970
Unit 3 Nuclear, 1,009 MW, 1971
Among Illinois’s plants
Largest plants in the state by nameplate capacity, with the plants ranked next to this one.
- 1Braidwood Generation Station2,450 MW
- 2Byron Generating Station2,450 MW
- 3LaSalle Generating Station2,340 MW
- 4Dresden Generating Stationthis plant
- 5Quad Cities Generating Station2,019 MW
- 6Powerton1,786 MW
Other rankings
- All US power plants
- 68th of 14,286
- US nuclear plants
- 23rd of 56
- Nuclear plants in Illinois
- 4th of 6
- Plants in the PJM Interconnection balancing area
- 15th of 2,049
- Plants run by Constellation Nuclear
- 6th of 13
- Biggest single unit, among Illinois’s plants
- 5th of 601
Operable units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Nuclear | 1,009 MW | 902 MW | 1970 | Operating |
| 3 | Nuclear | 1,009 MW | 895 MW | 1971 | Operating |
Grid and site
- Balancing area
- PJM Interconnection
- Reliability region
- ReliabilityFirst
- Highest grid connection voltage
- 345 kV
- Water source
- Kankakee River
- Nearest town on record
- Morris
- Operator type
- Independent producer
- Coordinates
- 41.390°N, 88.270°W
Closest plants
| Plant | Runs on | Capacity | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPV Three Rivers Energy Center | Natural gas | 1,300 MW | 1.4 mi southwest |
| Morris Cogeneration LLC | Natural gas | 219 MW | 3.6 mi northwest |
| ExxonMobil Oil Joliet Refinery | Other sources | 43.4 MW | 4.9 mi east |
| Kendall County Generation Facility | Natural gas | 1,256 MW | 6.2 mi north |
| Water Lily Solar LLC | Solar | 2.6 MW | 6.6 mi north |
| Elwood Energy LLC | Natural gas | 576 MW | 8.3 mi northeast |
| MPH Elwood | Natural gas | 1,152 MW | 8.3 mi northeast |
| Jackson Generation, LLC | Natural gas | 1,289 MW | 8.9 mi east |