Platts - Monday, January 31, 2005 
http://www.platts.com

------------

Constellation Energy considering fleet expansion

Washington (Platts)--28Jan2005

Increasing earnings by expanding its nuclear fleet is a strategy Constellation
Energy will continue to pursue, Michael Wallace, the president of the
company's generation group, said during a conference call today with financial
analysts. Wallace said Constellation "will continue to assess all forms of
nuclear ownership," citing as an example its recent filing with DOE to request
financial support for work on an early site permit to reserve space at a site
for a potential future plant. Last year Constellation completed its purchase
of Ginna from Rochester Gas & Electric Co. Including special items,
Constellation reported 2004 net income of $3.12 per share, compared to
$2.76/share for 2003. Excluding special items, 2004 earnings were $3.24/share.

------------

Debate on waste management planned in France

Paris (Platts)--27Jan2005

France's industry minister will order a public debate on waste management.
Minister Patrick Devedjian told a parliamentary hearing in Paris today that he
and his colleague at the environment ministry, Serge Lepeltier, are preparing
a formal request to the National Commission on Public Debate to organize a
debate this fall on "general options concerning management of high-level and
long-lived (nuclear) waste." The government, for its part, is preparing a
white paper on waste management. Devedjian stressed the government's support
for the reprocessing-recycling option and for research permitting
transmutation of plutonium and minor actinides in "new (generation) nuclear
reactors" beginning in 2040. Because transmutation can't eliminate all
long-lived waste, however, "interim storage facilities and disposal facilities
will be needed," Devedjian said. The debate, he said, will seek answers to
questions of timing of such facilities, what kind of waste should be put
there, whether "retrievable disposal" can replace interim storage facilities,
and whether one underground waste laboratory is sufficient or whether a second
is needed, as stipulated by French law.

------------

Cooper now under routine NRC oversight

Washington (Platts)--26Jan2005

Cooper has completed all NRC requirements and will be subject to routine NRC
oversight now, rather than the more frequent quarterly inspections for problem
plants, according to the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). The 801-MW BWR
had been under increased NRC scrutiny for more than two years after NRC in
2002 categorized Cooper as one of the worst performing nuclear plants in the
country. NRC and NPPD met in Brownville, Neb. last night. According to a
statement released by NPPD last night, NRC Region IV Administrator Bruce
Mallett said, "We inspected you often and thoroughly and you passed the test,
but you have to continue your journey of improvement so your performance does
not decline."

------------

USEC begins centrifuge component testing at Oak Ridge

Washington (Platts)--25Jan2005

USEC Inc. announced today that it has begun testing together key components of
a full-size gas centrifuge machine at the K-1600 test facility in Oak Ridge,
Tenn. This facility, which USEC leases from DOE, contains special test stands
that have instrumentation to assess the performance of an individual
centrifuge. The current testing, however, does not involve the use of any UF6,
USEC said. The next milestone for USEC is in June when the manufacturing of
centrifuges for installation at the company's lead cascade facility at
Portsmouth, Ohio is expected to begin. USEC has contracted with Boeing and
Honeywell to manufacture those centrifuges. USEC said it still expects to have
that lead cascade up and running this year.

------------

Finnish regulators support construction license for new EPR

Stockholm (Platts)--24Jan2005

Finnish regulators said today there are no safety problems standing in the way
of building a 1,600-MW EPR at Olkiluoto and they recommended that the
government grant a construction license for the unit. But, in their report to
the Ministry of Trade & Industry, officials at the Finnish Radiation & Nuclear
Safety Authority (STUK) said that a more detailed plan is needed for the
unit's waste management. STUK said also that more comprehensive information
about the unit's systems will be required as their design progresses. The
Finnish government has promised to deal quickly with the construction license
application from Teollisuuden Voima Oy, which will operate the unit. It is
being built by Framatome ANP.

------------