STP Begins Unit 2 Refueling Outage, Achieves Safety Milestone

Contact: Buddy Eller 361-972-8015 979-216-8303 [email protected] www.stpnoc.com

STP begins Unit 2 refueling outage, achieves safety milestone

Wadsworth, Texas – March 29, 2010 – The South Texas Project has safely started a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage for Unit 2 and also achieved another significant milestone. The two-unit facility – one of the nation’s largest nuclear power plants – has surpassed 10 million labor-hours without a lost-time or restricted-duty accident. This is the facility’s second consecutive major safety accomplishment. In February 2009, the company reached a Total Safety Industrial Accident (TISA) rate of zero for the preceding 18 months, ranking the facility in the top 10 percent of all U.S. nuclear plants in personal safety. The plant has maintained a TISA rate of zero for 31 months. “Safety is a core value and our top priority, each and every day,” said Ed Halpin, STP Nuclear Operating Company President and CEO. “Our 1,200 employees maintain an uncompromising commitment to safety. These achievements are the result of their focus on and commitment to safety. “We will have approximately 1,300 contractor teammates on-site during the Unit 2 outage. Safety will be our primary focus.” During the Unit 2 refueling outage, a new head will be installed on the reactor vessel, a large transformer will be replaced, and other major and minor modifications will be made to enhance equipment reliability. Numerous plant systems and components will be tested and inspected as well, and about one-third of the reactor’s fuel assemblies will be replaced with new ones. “Unit 2 was taken offline for routine refueling and the performance of approximately 12,000 maintenance tasks,” said Halpin. “Our priority is to make the current Unit 2 shutdown our fourth consecutive accident-free outage.” More than 85 percent of the 1,300 contractors – who came from across the country to STP – have previously worked here during refueling outages. “These additional contractor teammates provide a boost to the local economy and the revenue of our stores, restaurants, hotels and services,” Halpin said. “In addition, they provide the additional manpower necessary to accomplish the outage work scope efficiently and effectively.” The 10 million labor-hours safety milestone is the latest in a series of achievements for STP. The facility has led all two-unit nuclear plants in the country in energy production the past six years. Last fall, the company broke its own 50-year industry record by safely operating a unit continuously between refuelings, which are 18 months apart, for the fifth consecutive time. In addition, STP has a three-year net capacity factor, a reliability measure, of 98.87 percent – the highest of any multi-unit site in the country. STP also has earned more industry honors than any other plant nationwide. It has received the industry’s highest commendation, the B. Ralph Sylvia Best of The Best Award, three times and is the only repeat-winner of the recognition. STP also has won seven of the industry’s annual Top Industry Practice awards; Project of The Year Award for Best Nuclear Project worldwide; and the American Nuclear Society’s Utility Achievement and Utility Leadership awards. STP supplies approximately 7.5 percent of the electricity used in Texas, and schedules outages in the spring and fall when electrical demand is lowest. The plant is managed by the STP Nuclear Operating Company and owned by Austin Energy, CPS Energy and NRG Texas. STP's twin reactors produce 2,700 megawatts of carbon-free energy, powering more than two million homes throughout Texas. To learn more about STP, visit www.stpnoc.com.