NEWS RELEASE

NEI Applauds Historic License Renewal At Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission this afternoon announced that it has approved 20-year extensions of the operating licenses for the two-unit Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant located in Lusby, Md. The plant is owned by Constellation Energy Group. The following is a statement by Nuclear Energy Institute Senior Vice President Angelina S. Howard in response to the NRC’s action, which marks the first license renewal in the history of the commercial nuclear energy industry.

"This is a historic and exciting day for the nuclear energy industry. This breakthrough renewal of operating licenses for a commercial nuclear power plant in the United States is the first of many, many more to come. It demonstrates both the excellence of the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant and the strength and vitality of the commercial nuclear energy industry overall.

"The Nuclear Energy Institute congratulates Constellation Energy Group and its employees for this historic achievement. They truly are our nation’s new nuclear pioneers.

"License renewal applications for another six of the nation’s 103 operating reactors already have been filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Additionally, utilities owning another 22 reactors have informed the NRC of their plans to apply for license renewals by the year 2003. Clearly, the next chapter in our nation’s nuclear energy history already is being written, and it is full of promise.

"Nuclear power is our nation’s largest emission-free source of electricity. It is operating at record-high levels of safety and plant performance. And it is demonstrating its value in a competitive electricity marketplace every day."