GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Awarded $50M Uprate Contract for Constellation's Nine Mile Point Unit 2.

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $50 million to provide equipment and services in support of a planned extended power uprate (EPU) for Constellation Energy's Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station Unit 2 in central New York state.

The Nine Mile Point Station has two boiling water reactor (BWR) units on the shores of Lake Ontario near Oswego, 45 miles north of Syracuse.

The station's two reactors generate a total of 1,757 megawatts (MW), enough energy to supply the equivalent of more than two million households in New York. Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station's Unit 2, a GE BWR-5 unit with a GE turbine-generator, currently has an output of approximately 1,148 MW.

The planned EPU would increase Unit 2's output by 20 percent above its original licensed thermal power (OLTP) level, which could add as much as 158 MW of electricity to the grid.

"This uprate, combined with a 20-year plant operating license extension issued in 2006, will provide a substantial addition to Constellation Energy's generation portfolio and is proof that EPUs continue to be a valuable investment for existing plants," said Andy White, president and CEO of GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy, the new global nuclear business joint venture of GE and Hitachi Corp. that was launched in June 2007.

For the project, GEH will perform engineering evaluations and help prepare the EPU license amendment request to be submitted to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which reviews and approves all proposed utility uprate requests.

The EPU implementation, a two-phased approach, is now in progress and is targeted for completion in 2012.

GE Energy, as well as Chicago based architectural engineering firm Sargent & Lundy, are key partners on the EPU project. GE's steam turbine "Dense Pack" engineering and equipment is to be supplied by GE Energy's steam turbine plant in Schenectady, N.Y.

The planned EPU at Nine Mile Point is the latest of a variety of licensing, outage services and modification projects GEH is performing on behalf of Constellation Energy nuclear power plants, including the Oswego station. Constellation Energy is the sole owner of Nine Mile Point Unit 1 and owns 82 percent of Unit 2, with Long Island Power Authority owning the balance.

U.S. utilities have taken proactive steps to boost the output of the country's 104 reactor units in commercial operation, including comprehensive uprate projects. Many nuclear generator licensees are also continuing a parallel industry trend of seeking NRC approval to extend the operating licenses of their respective plants. As a result, nuclear plant designers and suppliers like GEH are seeing an increased demand for products and services to help utilities optimize their existing reactor fleets further into the future.

About GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy

Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) is a world-leading provider of advanced reactors, nuclear fuel and nuclear services. Established in June 2007, GEH is a global nuclear alliance created by GE (NYSE: GE) and Hitachi to serve the global nuclear industry outside Japan. The new nuclear alliance is executing a single, strategic vision to create a broader portfolio of solutions, expanding its capabilities for new reactor and service opportunities. The alliance offers customers around the world the technological leadership required to effectively enhance reactor performance, power output and safety.