CP&L Nuclear Plant Capacity Factor Ranks No. 2 in U.S.

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

CP&L Nuclear Plant Capacity Factor Ranks No. 2 in U.S.

RALEIGH, N.C., March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The four nuclear reactors 
owned and operated by Carolina Power & Light (NYSE: CPL) (CP&L) 
collectively ranked second in the United States for capacity factor 
between 1997 and 1999. 

Capacity factor is a measurement of the plants' actual operation, 
compared to their rated capability.  In the last three years, CP&L's 
Harris, Brunswick and Robinson nuclear plants operated, on average, 
at 92.9 percent of capacity.  That figure includes refueling outages 
and forced outages caused by approaching hurricanes. 

CP&L's plants ranked as follows:  

* CP&L's single-unit Robinson Plant at Hartsville, S.C., the first 
commercial nuclear reactor in the Southeast, was the top-performing 
plant in the country, with a three-year capacity factor of 96.87 
percent.  That figure included two refueling outages -- one in 1998 
and the second, a 29-day outage in 1999 that established a CP&L 
record for brevity. 

* During those same three years, the two-unit Brunswick Plant near 
Southport, N.C., ranked third in the nation with a capacity factor of 
93.87 percent.  Brunswick achieved the high capacity factor despite 
being shut down three times during the period with the approach of 
Hurricanes Bonnie, Dennis and Floyd. 

* The Harris Plant's collective capacity factor for the three-year 
period was 87.86 percent, compared with an industry average of 80.56 
percent.  Harris ranked seventh in the nation in 1999, with a 
capacity factor of 96.2 percent. 

In the top utility spot for the 1997-99 average was Rochester Gas & 
Electric, which operates the single-reactor Ginna Plant.  Ginna had a 
three- year average capacity factor of 92.98 percent. 

Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer C.S. "Scotty" Hinnant 
said the higher capacity factors at CP&L's plants, in conjunction 
with the continued safe operation of the company's plants, are an 
important factor in keeping the cost of electricity low for CP&L 
customers. 

"Our nuclear plants have set six consecutive annual records for 
generation, and accounted for more than 46 percent of the electricity 
we generated in 1999," Hinnant said.  "That is a reflection on the 
caliber of our employees, our ongoing focus on safety and our 
continuous investment in the physical condition of our plants.  This 
is important for our customers because nuclear power is our most 
efficient source of generation, and the more our nuclear plants run, 
the lower our fuel costs, which has a direct correlation to customer 
bills." 

CP&L provides electricity and energy services to 1.2 million 
customers in the Carolinas and provides natural gas, through a wholly 
owned subsidiary, to 178,000 customers in North Carolina. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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/capecanaveral/1205
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

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