Byron 2 Achieves Breaker-to-Breaker Run of 523 Days

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

Congrats to all of my friends at ComED (past and present) who led to 
this very positive result!

Thursday October 21, 3:35 pm Eastern Time

Company Press Release

SOURCE: Commonwealth Edison

Byron 2 Achieves Breaker-to-Breaker Run of 523 Days  

ComEd Unit to Be Removed From Service for Refueling Outage

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The performance of 
ComEd's Byron Nuclear Generating Station exemplifies the improvements 
that are taking hold in ComEd's nuclear program. When Byron Unit 2 
comes off line for a scheduled refueling outage on Saturday, October 
23, it will bring to an end a ComEd record-setting continuous 
operation of a Westinghouse turbine generator. The unit will have 
been on line for 523 days, placing it third in the nation for similar 
Westinghouse units.  

``This places Byron 2 among the elite of the industry in Westinghouse 
units,'' said Bill Levis, Byron Station site vice president. ``The 
primary reason this unit has run continuously is that it has been 
maintained in excellent condition and operated by highly trained 
professionals. This is an achievement that every plant strives for 
and is reflective of a dedicated and engaged workforce.''  

When it begins its refueling outage, Byron Unit 2 will have completed 
a breaker-to-breaker run, meaning that the unit has not gone off line 
since May 1998 when it was returned to service after its previous 
refueling outage.  

``This is a great achievement for Byron Station and another 
indication that ComEd's nuclear fleet has turned the corner,'' said 
Oliver D. Kingsley, president and chief nuclear officer of the 
Nuclear Generation Group. ``The workforce at Byron Station worked 
hard, they worked smart, and they worked as a team to keep this unit 
running continuously, safely, and efficiently for a long period of 
time. This achievement further exemplifies our continued focus on job 
number one -- excellent plant performance -- it strengthens our 
position in the competitive marketplace and moves us one step closer 
to achieving our vision of being the most effective operator of 
nuclear power plants.''  

The removal of the Unit 2 reactor from service for a scheduled 
refueling and maintenance outage follows the successful 29-day 
completion of Unit 1's refueling outage in April.  

During the outage, workers will perform more than 2,500 inspections 
and maintenance on a variety of plant components and systems. 
Specific activities include:  

Overhauling and inspecting a low pressure turbine; Upgrading the 
reactor's rod control and indication system; Replacing 84 of the 
reactor's 193 fuel assemblies with new assemblies; and Improving key 
material condition items for safety and reliability- related systems. 
 Numerous other maintenance and inspection activities will take place 
during the outage to ensure that plant equipment and systems meet the 
most rigorous of standards and are ready to support operations for 
extended periods of time when the unit is returned to service.  

Byron Unit 1 will continue to supply electricity to ComEd customers 
during the Unit 2 refueling outage.

Earlier this year, ComEd's Braidwood Station Unit 2 completed a 
refueling outage in 26 days, the shortest refueling outage of any 
ComEd nuclear station. This record-breaking event was ComEd's fourth 
refueling outage completed in less than 30 days over the last year.  

The fall outages follow an unprecedented summer of performance for 
the Nuclear Generation Group. During 1999's hot summer months with 
the highest energy demand in ComEd history, all ten of its nuclear 
units were generating electricity at a capacity of 96.9% compared to 
75.0% in the summer of 1998 and 48.8% in 1997.  

Byron Station is located near Byron, Ill., approximately 25 miles 
southwest of Rockford. The site can produce 2,240 net   
megawatts of electricity per hour and employs about 850 people.

Sandy Perle
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/1205

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