15 Plants Set Records in '99

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

     Nuclear Power Surges Into 21st Century Setting Production Records at Plants in 14 States

     WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- With commercial nuclear reactors 
     in 14 states setting production records in 1999, the U.S. nuclear 
     energy industry entered the 21st century demonstrating that nuclear 
     power is a vital energy source that will prove its competitive 
     strength in a restructured electricity marketplace.

     Although consolidated industry data will not be available for another 
     month, it is clear from individual utility reports that in 1999 U.S. 
     nuclear power plants produced more electricity with greater efficiency 
     than ever before. At least 15 of the nation's 103 operating reactors 
     set production records last year, in many cases contributing to 
     records set by power stations with multiple reactors and to new marks 
     established in four states by a company's fleet of nuclear power 
     plants.

     ``Clearly, 1999 was a breakthrough year for commercial nuclear power 
     plants,'' said Joe F. Colvin, the Nuclear Energy Institute's president 
     and chief executive officer. ``We saw a dramatic increase in 
     electricity production that was roughly equivalent to adding six to 
     seven large nuclear reactors to the grid.''

     Reactors in the following states set production and/or efficiency 
     records last year in Alabama (Farley 1 and Browns Ferry 3); Georgia 
     (Hatch 2); Illinois (Braidwood 1, Dresden 2, and Quad Cities 1 and 2); 
     Michigan (Fermi 2); Minnesota (Prairie Island 2); Nebraska (Cooper); 
     Ohio (Perry 1); Pennsylvania (Limerick 1 and Peach Bottom 2); 
     Tennessee (Sequoyah 1); and Virginia (North Anna 1).

     Station or fleet records also were set in Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, 
     Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, 
     Tennessee and Virginia.

     Through November 1999, the average capacity factor for all 103 
     commercial reactors was 86 percent, an eight percent improvement over 
     the same period in 1998. Capacity factor expresses the amount of 
     electricity actually produced by a reactor as a percentage of the 
     maximum production achievable if the reactor were operating at full 
     power around the clock.

     Through October 1999, the U.S. reactors that supply nearly one-fifth 
     of our electricity needs generated nearly 600 billion kilowatt-hours 
     of electricity. That too is an eight percent increase over the same 
     period in 1998, and it put the industry on track to surpass the 
     previous year's production total of 674 billion kilowatt-hours.

     Because nuclear power already is cost-competitive with coal as the low- 
     cost source of electricity as measured by production costs (an average 
     of 2.13 cents per kilowatt-hour for nuclear in 1998), the industry's 
     strong 1999 safety and operating performance shows that the vast 
     majority of reactors are thriving in a competitive electricity 
     marketplace.

     ``Nuclear power plants already are cost-competitive where electricity 
     markets clear at between 2.5 cents to 3.5 cents per kilowatt-hour,'' 
     Colvin said. ``Last year's achievements provide rock-solid evidence 
     that nuclear power plants are well-positioned to compete, and excel, 
     in a restructured electric utility industry. Importantly, these 
     production and efficiency gains are being matched with a high 
     standard of safety.''

     The Nuclear Energy Institute is the nuclear energy industry's 
     Washington- based policy organization. This news release and 
     additional information about nuclear energy are available on NEI's 
     Internet site at http://www.nei.org. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
ICN Biomedicals, Inc.				E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          
Costa Mesa, CA 92626                                      

Personal Website:  http://www.geocities.com/scperle
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html