NEWS RELEASE

NEI Hails Federal Approval of License For Expansion of V.C. Summer Facility

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 30, 2012—The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced today that it has approved South Carolina Electric & Gas’ combined construction and operating license (COL) for the two-reactor expansion of V.C. Summer in South Carolina. SCE&G and its project partner, the state-owned electric utility Santee Cooper, will construct two Westinghouse Electric Co. AP1000 reactors at the site 20 miles northwest of Columbia, S.C. Following is a statement from Marvin S. Fertel, the Nuclear Energy Institute’s president and chief executive officer.

“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s approval of the license application to build two new advanced-design reactors continues the needed expansion of our nation’s electricity system.

“The Nuclear Energy Institute congratulates South Carolina Electric & Gas, partner Santee Cooper, Westinghouse Electric, the Shaw Group and other project participants on this important milestone. This will be one of the largest construction and engineering projects in South Carolina history. It will create thousands of well-paying jobs during construction and provide careers for several hundred more people over the decades that the new reactors will generate electricity.

“Coupled with the NRC’s recently approved expansion of the Vogtle facility in Georgia and the Tennessee Valley Authority’s ongoing completion of Watts Bar 2 in Tennessee, there will be an additional 5,600 megawatts of nuclear generating capacity on the Southeast’s electricity grid by the end of the decade. That’s reliable, low-carbon electricity for about 10 cities the size of Columbia, South Carolina.

“The V.C. Summer expansion will contribute to the electricity reliability and diversity of South Carolina and enhance its energy security. America’s energy future is getting stronger thanks to projects like this.”