FPL Announces Operating Licenses Renewed For St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant.

Energy Editors/Business Editors

JUNO BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2003

Florida Power & Light Company today announced the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued operating licenses for the two units at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant that will add 20 years to the original license period. The license renewals were granted after an extensive three-year application and review process that included a comprehensive safety and environmental analysis. The public was involved throughout the process through community dialogue and public meetings.

"This is a significant accomplishment that will allow us to continue to provide a reliable source of safe, clean, low-cost power to our customers for many years to come," said Art Stall, senior vice president of FPL's nuclear division.

FPL owns and operates two nuclear reactors at its St. Lucie plant site located on Hutchinson Island midway between Stuart and Ft. Pierce. Unit 1 began operation in 1976 and Unit 2 in 1983. The original 40-year operating licenses were scheduled to expire in 2016 and 2023. After demonstrating that the programs and procedures are in place to ensure continued safe operation of the plant for an additional 20 years, FPL was granted renewed licenses that allow operation until 2036 and 2043. FPL sought the license renewal years in advance as part of its long range planning process.

"We are very appreciative of the local community's support for license renewal," Mr. Stall said. "Many of our neighbors took the time to come to the public meetings and express their views on the plant's importance to the community. We sincerely thank them for their support. I also want to recognize the plant employees who worked hard to establish the excellent safety, reliability, and environmental record that led to license renewal. We are committed to continuing that focus on safety and environmental stewardship throughout the operation of the plant."

The two units at St. Lucie Plant combined provide enough power for approximately 500,000 homes and are a significant source of electricity for FPL's customers in the Treasure Coast and South Florida area. Previously, in June 2002, the NRC granted renewed operating licenses for the two nuclear reactors at FPL's Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant located south of Miami near Homestead. The renewed licenses for the Turkey Point plant allow operation of those units until 2032 and 2033. Nuclear power provides approximately 24 percent of FPL's energy mix.

Florida Power & Light Company is the principal subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE:FPL), nationally known as a high quality, efficient and customer-driven organization focused on energy-related products and services. With annual revenues of more than $8 billion and a growing presence in 24 states, FPL Group is widely recognized as one of the country's premier power companies. Florida Power & Light Company serves more than 4 million customer accounts in Florida. FPL Energy, Inc., FPL Group's energy-generating subsidiary, is a leader in producing electricity from clean and renewable fuels. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.FPL.com, http://www.FPLGroup.com and http://www.FPLEnergy.com.

Note to Editors: High-resolution logos and executive head shots are available for download at http://www.fpl.com/news/contents/logos.shtml .