Steam from Boiler Vents at Joliet Generating Plant Cause of 'Intense Roaring' Monday Night

Photo courtesy of Google Earth

JOLIET, IL — A jet engine-like noise that concerned many residents in Joliet and outside communities Monday evening appears to be the result of steam being released from a boiler vent at the NRG Joliet Generating Station, located at 1800 Channahon Rd.

David Gaier, spokesperson for NRG East Region, said the noise was actually the result of a “fairly routine occurrence.”

“Steam was released from vents on the roof from the boiler,” Gaier said. ”It’s not out of the ordinary and I’d say it happens periodically at all our steam plants. There’s no danger and it’s really just a noise. We do understand that people here would wonder.”

Due to the steam being released at night and fewer other sounds interfering with it, Gaier said that was probably a reason for why so many people heard it from many different areas.

Gaier handles media for several power plants in different states and said that at least once a month he receives a call from someone wondering what a particular sound was.

Several people described the noise as sounding like a loud jet engine or a low-flying plane. It could be heard between Jefferson and Theodore, Raynor and Midland, and Larkin and Route 30.

“At about 9:30 p.m. there was a really loud roaring sound over the six corners area in Joliet,” one resident said. “It sounded like a large commercial plane engine but it was fading in and out, it was an intense roaring. As I looked outside, I saw people across the street looking up at the sky. My neighbors were also outside so I felt compelled to look too. We didn’t see anything but it was just strange and unsettling.”