Deregulation dims light on some U.S. nuclear data

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

Tuesday December 14, 6:47 pm Eastern Time

Deregulation dims light on some U.S. nuclear data

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Deregulation of the U.S. power 
industry, designed to throw open the door to competition in the quest 
for cheaper power, has shut the door on public access to some market 
sensitive information on nuclear power plants.  

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said it will now withhold 
certain kinds of information on the country's 103 nuclear power 
plants, especially information on when a plant that has been shut for 
maintenance is likely to return to service.  

``Many (nuclear plant licensees) now consider this proprietary 
information because its disclosure can significantly affect the price 
the licensee has to pay for replacement power in a deregulated 
market,'' the federal commission said in a statement.  

NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said the decision was taken internally 
after much ``hand-wringing and consternation'' but under ``no 
pressure from the industry.''  

He emphasized that the move will not affect publication of the NRC's 
daily report on the operating status of the plants, which account for 
about 20 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S.  

Dricks said stock market analysts who follow the fortunes of the 
nation's publicly traded utilities sent up the loudest lament over 
the loss of the information.  

Knowing how long a power plant is going to be down is a key component 
when calculating a company's earnings potential because it forces a 
company to buy replacement power on the open market.  

But not all analysts automatically fear the NRC's decision will 
result in an information vacuum.  

``Certain companies, like PECO Energy (NYSE:PE - news) and Southern 
Co (NYSE:SO - news), are amassing large portfolios of nuclear assets. 
Because communicating to investors about the operation of these 
assets is so critical to their value, the flow of information may be 
just as good as before,'' said Andre Meade, a utilities analyst at 
Commerzbank Capital Markets Corp. in New York.  

Meade also pointed out that the NRC's decision is merely the latest 
step in a general tightening of information from inside the utility 
industry as companies, shedding decades of federal and state 
regulation, realize that detailed knowledge of their operations 
carries newfound value in a competitive marketplace.  

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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