NEWS RELEASE

Nuclear Energy Should Play Vital Role In Meeting Florida’s Future Electricity Demand

WASHINGTON—Progress Energy Florida today announced that it has selected a site and will file a construction and operating license application for a potential new nuclear plant in Levy County, Fla. Following is a statement from Marvin Fertel, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, in response to the announcement.

“Progress Energy Florida is taking an important step forward today to meet Florida’s future electricity needs by selecting a site and making preparations to file a license application for a new nuclear plant. By doing so, the company has laid the groundwork to make a decision at the appropriate time to meet the future power needs of its customers.

“With Florida’s population expected to increase by nearly 30 percent and the state’s electricity demand expected to grow 76 percent by 2030, new, large-scale power plants must be built to help meet this demand. An advanced design nuclear plant would provide Florida with a reliable and affordable supply of electricity without producing any greenhouse gases or air pollutants.”


The Nuclear Energy Institute is the nuclear energy industry’s policy organization. This news release and additional information about nuclear energy are available on NEI’s Internet site at http://www.nei.org.