[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Palo Verde Sets National Production Record
Index:
Palo Verde Sets National Production Record
NC Sixth Grader Wins the National Radon Awareness Poster Contest
===================================
Palo Verde Sets National Production Record, Logs Best Operational
Year Ever
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 2003--Palo Verde Nuclear
Generating Station in 2002 produced a national-record 30.8 billion
kilowatt-hours of electricity, breaking its own record of 30.4
billion kilowatt-hours set in each of 1999 and 2000.
The station operated at a best-ever 94.4-percent capacity factor and
marked the 11th consecutive year as the number one power producer of
any kind in the United States.
"It's paramount for Palo Verde to perform well. Because of our size,
the strength and reliability of the energy supply in the Southwest
are very dependent on our consistent operations," said Gregg
Overbeck, senior vice president of nuclear operations for APS, Palo
Verde's operating utility. "This past year was our best for Palo
Verde operations, which transcends into outstanding nuclear safety
and economic performance for the station. Palo Verde's success is
directly the result of a motivated and engaged workforce. Every year
we set very aggressive targets for our employees' success and every
year they exceed our expectations."
Among other successes for Palo Verde in 2002:
-- Unit 1 operated for its entire fuel cycle -- running
"breaker-to-breaker" for a unit-record 502 continuous days,
one of the best operational runs between refueling outages in
station history.
-- Units 1 and 2 experienced their shortest refueling outages at 33
days and 32 days, respectively, continuing the station's ongoing
record of shortening refueling outages.
-- The station recorded a three-year average production cost of
about 1.28 cents per kilowatt-hour, among the lowest in the industry.
-- Two 800-ton replacement steam generators arrived in Arizona from
their manufacturing facility in Milan, Italy. The vessels will be
installed in Unit 2 during a scheduled refueling outage this fall.
-- NRC-required inspections of the reactor vessel heads in Units 1
and 2 found the equipment in outstanding condition as expected. Unit
3 will be inspected during a scheduled refueling outage this spring.
Palo Verde is jointly owned by APS, Salt River Project, Southern
California Edison Co., El Paso Electric, Public Service Co. of New
Mexico, Southern California Public Power Authority and the Los
Angeles Department of Water & Power.
APS, which operates Palo Verde on behalf of the station's six other
owners, is Arizona's largest and longest-serving electric utility and
serves more than 874,000 customers in 11 of the state's 15 counties.
APS, with headquarters in Phoenix, is the largest subsidiary of
Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW).
---------------
North Carolina Sixth Grader Wins the National Radon Awareness Poster
Contest
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2003--The United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Adam
Waldrop, a sixth grader from Harris Middle School in Spruce Pine,
North Carolina is the winner of the National Radon Action Month
Poster Contest.
He, along with his father, teacher and U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) County Extension Officer, Susan Pope attended a ceremony in
Washington today to unveil the winning poster. Governor Christine
Todd Whitman, Administrator of EPA and other dignitaries
congratulated Adam Waldrop on his achievements. The poster, which
will also be transformed into a book cover and bookmark will be
distributed by EPA and USDA to over 15,000 school children throughout
the United States with the slogan ... Test Your Home for Radon Today.
The Radon Poster Contest, jointly sponsored by EPA and USDA, is
intended to raise awareness of the issue of Radon and the importance
of testing homes and fixing elevated levels. Radon is a naturally
occurring radioactive gas which is invisible and odorless. It comes
from deposits of uranium in soil, rock and water. It is harmlessly
dispersed in outdoor air, but when trapped in buildings, can be
harmful, especially at elevated levels.
To bring further understanding to this potential health risk, EPA is
promoting January as National Radon Action Month to help reduce this
threat. This month will be filled with activities on the local and
national level to promote awareness of the dangers of elevated levels
of Radon gas in our nation's homes, schools and other frequented
enclosed areas.
Radon is a serious threat to public health and is potentially
responsible for 15,000 - 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. It is
the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and more than
six million families in the United States are exposed to elevated
levels of radon in their homes every day. The good news is ... radon
is a problem that can be fixed.
Since the 1980s EPA has worked in partnership with the states and
other public health and consumer protection organizations to
encourage the public to test their homes and fix elevated levels. EPA
has provided more than 10 million dollars annually to the states and
other organizations to help in the campaign through a wide range of
outreach and education programs, like the National Radon Action Month
Poster Contest. In addition, EPA is releasing the Emmy Award-winning
Public Service Announcement, "Man on the Street" and "People on the
Street" to promote National Radon Action Month.
For further information on the activities that will be occurring
throughout National Radon Action Month, the public can contact EPA's
Office of Indoor Air at 1-(800) 438-4318 or surf the web at
www.epa.gov/iaq/radon.
-------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle
Director, Technical
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100 Extension 2306
Fax:(714) 668-3149
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com
Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/
************************************************************************
You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,
send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe
radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.
You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/