Limerick Generating Station

About LGS

Limerick Generating Station (LGS), located in Limerick Township, is a two-unit nuclear generation facility capable of producing enough electricity for more than 2 million homes. The plant's two 507 foot tall natural-draft hyperbolic cooling towers make LGS easily recognizable from miles around.

Limerick's two boiling water reactors, designed by General Electric, together are capable of producing 2,317 net megawatts of power. Unit 1 began commercial operation on February 1, 1986 and is licensed to operate through 2044. Unit 2 came online on January 8, 1990 and is licensed to operate through 2049.

Emergency Planning

The Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management assists the 21 municipalities that comprise the LGS 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) with emergency planning and training.

As governed by Title 35, every municipality in Pennsylvania is required to have an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Those municipalities that are included in the EPZ of a nuclear power plant must also maintain a Radiological Emergency Response Plan (RERP) as an annex to their EOP. The RERP is continually updated and all responding agencies receive training yearly and exercise the plan biannually to ensure readiness. 

For additional information, download a copy of the current community emergency planning brochure (in English or Spanish):

• Emergency Planning for the Limerick Area
• Planificación de emergencia para el área de Limerick

Protective Actions

Depending on the situation, officials might recommend that people either take shelter indoors or evacuate an area. It is critically important that you follow the recommended course of action. Staying home when instructed to evacuate or driving around when urged to stay indoors could expose you to danger unnecessarily.

Shelter-in-Place 

Go indoors and stay there. Close all doors and windows and shut off any systems that draw in outside air, such as furnaces, fireplaces, and air conditioners. Keep listening to the radio for updates. Keep pets inside and shelter farm animals. If traveling in a vehicle, close windows, and vents.

Evacuation

In an evacuation, people in the affected area will be asked to go to local reception centers listed within the emergency planning brochures (see above). After this, they can stay at specified mass care centers or with friends or relatives outside the evacuation zone. 

Please do not try to pick up children or others at schools, hospitals, nursing homes or overnight campgrounds. These facilities will be following their own special emergency plans, and you would most likely miss connections. If evacuated, students, hospital patients, and nursing home residents will be accompanied to relocation centers where their needs will be addressed. To find out where people are being moved, stay tuned to the radio. 

Plan for three days away from home, locking up and turning appliances off as you would for a weekend vacation. Pack all necessary items, such as a first aid kit, cash/credit/ATM cards, important documents, a change of clothing, personal health products, and, if applicable, baby supplies, special dietary foods, and pet-related supplies. Evacuate everyone in your home, following directions given on the radio. These routes will have been selected as the safest ways out of the affected area.

Evacuation Map

Potassium Iodide (KI)

Potassium Iodide (KI) is a nonprescription drug that may prevent the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine. KI is one type of protective action that may be recommended during a nuclear incident. KI should only be taken at the direction of the appropriate state and local authorities. Consult your physician if you have concerns about the safety of KI for your child or yourself. KI is effective in blocking the absorption of radioactive iodine only. Since it does not block the absorption of any other radioactive material, evacuation or sheltering in place may be the most effective and preferred protective actions. 

For additional information about KI and KI distribution, click here.

Public Alert and Warning

There are many ways in which the public will be notified of an incident at Limerick Generating Station. These include ReadyMontco, radio and TV interruptions (Emergency Alert System), Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) via the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), and Montgomery County Department of Public Safety social media accounts.

As part of the public alert and warning plan, Limerick Generating Station maintains a system of public alert sirens throughout the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ). If you hear a siren, you should tune an Emergency Alert System (EAS) station for official information. It should be noted that the siren is not necessarily a signal to evacuate. Listen to the message in full for complete and accurate information.

The Montgomery County EAS stations are:

AM Radio

KYW 1060 - WNPV 1440 - WNTP 990

TV

Pottstown Community Television (PCTV) Cable Channels 22, 28 & 98

The sirens are tested regularly to ensure that they function properly during an emergency. There are two types of siren tests conducted in communities surrounding Limerick Generating Station:

• Semi-Annual Test: This full volume two-minute sounding of the siren occurs at 2:00 p.m. on the first Monday in June and first Monday in December.
• Monthly Test: This abbreviated sounding of the siren occurs at 2:00 p.m. on the first Monday of every month, except June and December. The approximately one-second long "growl" sound of the siren may or may not be heard.