WARRENVILLE, Ill., March 16, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall

 

Exelon Nuclear takes full responsibility for low-level tritium contamination near the Braidwood Generating Station in Will County and is moving forward with remediation plans and work, the company said today.

Exelon has not had the chance to study the complaint filed today, but the company is continuing discussions with the Illinois Attorney General's Office on this matter.

"We have an aggressive remediation plan that the state is evaluating now," said Exelon Nuclear Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Thomas S. O'Neill. "We expected this announcement, and the positive aspect is that we can now focus on removing the tritiated groundwater and move on.

"Given the sensitivity of this issue, we want to reiterate that Exelon is committed to operating within all state and federal rules. We want to reiterate as well that the levels of tritium that we are dealing with here do not represent a health or safety hazard. It is very important, given the real concerns of our plant neighbors over this issue, that any public discussion be fact-based," O'Neill said.

"We also know we have some bridge-rebuilding to do with our neighbors near the plant and regulators," O'Neill said. "We intend to do whatever it takes to strengthen our relationship with our neighbors."

Tritium is a form of hydrogen produced naturally in the earth's upper atmosphere and is found in virtually all water. Tritium emits a low level of radiation and is produced in high concentrations in commercial nuclear reactors. The U.S. EPA has established safe drinking water standards for tritium. There is no evidence that any amount of consumption below those standards carries any health or safety risk, and no such health impact has ever been observed.

Tritium is a byproduct of all nuclear power generation and is both licensed and permitted for environmental discharge. In Braidwood's case, tritium was being diluted and sent to the Kankakee River for discharge on four occasions between 1996 and 2003 when valves on the pipe transporting it broke and spilled tritiated water on the ground. The groundwater contamination that was the subject of today's announcement came primarily from a large above-ground spill that occurred in 1998 that was left to evaporate or soak into the ground.

Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.2 million customers and more than $15 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry's largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.2 million customers in northern Illinois and Pennsylvania and natural gas to more than 470,000 customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.

SOURCE Exelon Nuclear

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