Platts - Friday, January 23, 2004 http://www.platts.com ------------ Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--22Jan2004 Dominion asks Millstone license renewal Dominion submitted a license renewal application for Millstone-2 and -3. If the joint application which Dominion submitted Jan. 22 is approved, the operating licenses for Millstone-2, an 870-MW Combustion Engineering PWR, and Millstone-3, an 1,150-MW Westinghouse PWR, would be extended to let them run for another 20 years. The licenses for Millstone-2 and -3 expire in 2015 and 2025, respectively. ------------ Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--21Jan2004 Progress Energy reports 2003 earnings up Progress Energy reported 2003 earnings of $844-million, up from $827-million in 2002. Results do not include one-time items. Earnings were driven by electric utility customer growth and usage, higher synthetic fuel sales, and increased natural gas sales, Progress Energy said. The company has five nuclear units--Brunswick-1 and -2, Crystal River-3, Harris-1, and Robinson-2. ------------ Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--21Jan2004 NRC approves power uprate for Fort Calhoun NRC said it approved a 1.6% uprate for Fort Calhoun, which will allow the unit's 478-MW (net) generating capacity to increase to 485 MW. Omaha Public Power District plans to implement the uprate by mid-February, NRC said. The uprate is based on using more accurate feedwater flow measurement equipment. ------------ Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--20Jan2004 RG&E: Ginna sale to Constellation could be threatened Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) said its sale of Ginna to Constellation could be threatened if the New York Public Service Commission adopts a "draconian and wrongful" proposal by the Department of Public Service (DPS) staff in an ongoing rate proceeding. Constellation Energy Group announced Nov. 25 that it would pay $401- million to buy Ginna from RG&E. In a statement Jan. 20, RG&E said that despite the successful auction of Ginna, the DPS staff proposal "artificially engineers enormous and disproportionate benefits for customers at the expense of the company's financial condition." Among other things, the utility said, the DPS staff rejected RG&E's proposal to use proceeds from the Ginna sale to pay off RG&E's pre-1983 DOE spent nuclear fuel disposal liability of about $107-million. A decision in the rate case is not expected until July. ------------ Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--20Jan2004 Westinghouse plans to buy PaR Systems nuclear business Westinghouse plans to acquire PaR Systems Inc.'s nuclear business. The companies announced Jan. 19 a letter of intent calling for Westinghouse Electric Co. to purchase a controlling, 80% interest in the PaR commercial Nuclear Equipment & Services Group. PaR is majority- owned by American Capital Inc. Terms were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to be finalized by March 31. PaR provides new equipment, upgrades, and maintenance services for refueling systems and reactor containment and spent fuel building cranes. ------------