Nuclear Plant License Renewal Announcement Bodes Well for Nation's Energy Future
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 5, 1998 Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) on Wednesday announced plans to replace all four steam generators at its two-unit Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant and to continue to seek renewal of the plant's operating licenses for an additional 20 years. The following is a statement by the Nuclear Energy Institute's senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, Ralph Beedle, in response to the BGE announcement.
"Our nation's energy future looks brighter today because of the announcement by Baltimore Gas and Electric that it is making a major commitment toward renewal of the operating licenses for its two nuclear power plants. Nuclear energy is and will be a vital component of our nation's energy portfolio. It is a safe, reliable means of generating large amounts of electricity without burning precious fossil fuels.
"Baltimore Gas and Electric's forthcoming investment in its nuclear future is doubly significant in that it belies the conventional wisdom about nuclear energy's prospects in a competitive electricity marketplace. Industrywide, nuclear energy continues to run neck and neck with coal as the low-cost producer of electricity, and nuclear energy's value relative to other electricity sources will only increase in the years to come as the United States relies on it to meet our clean-air goals.
"The Nuclear Energy Institute has developed guidelines that will help BGE and other electric utilities that want to operate their nuclear power plants beyond the initial 40-year license. Nuclear plants undergo continuous inspection as well as vigorous maintenance, testing and upgrading over the course of their operation. Renewing the operating license means that the plant can continue to do what it does best--generate electricity safely and cleanly--and we all benefit because the power plant won't have to be replaced for years to come."
###
For more information, contact NEI's media relations staff at (202) 739-8000 during business hours or at (703) 644-8805 after hours and weekends.
The Nuclear Energy Institute is the nuclear energy industry's Washington-based policy organization. Additional information about nuclear energy is available on NEI's Internet site at http://www.nei.org.
RSS