BALTIMORE, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Constellation Energy today announced that its Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (CCNPP) has been awarded the American Nuclear Society's 2008 Utility Achievement Award for sustained outstanding performance. Jim Spina, vice president at CCNPP, accepted the award on behalf of the approximately 780 employees at Calvert Cliffs at an Aug. 4 conference hosted by the American Nuclear Society in Amelia Island, Fla.
"It is significant that the American Nuclear Society has recognized Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant employees for their strong and unwavering commitment to operational excellence," said Spina. "I'm extremely proud of all the employees at Calvert Cliffs for their dedication and commitment to safety and hard work. They continue to set the example for others in the industry."
The utility achievement award was established in 1994 to recognize the commercial nuclear power plant that demonstrates outstanding achievement in performance. Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is the first Constellation Energy-owned power plant to receive the award.
Calvert Cliffs was recognized for demonstrating a prolonged dedication to safe nuclear generation as evidenced by a record high capacity factor and the highest site generation in four of the last five years. The capacity factor, represented as a percentage, is the ratio of actual output to rated or projected output. The high capacity factor can be attributed to improved equipment reliability, well-planned refueling outages and maintenance performed in a timely manner. Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 had the highest capacity factor in the world in 2007 and the highest in United States in 2005.
In February 2008, the plant completed its Unit 1 refueling outage in 19 days, a record not only for Calvert Cliffs, but for any U.S. combustion engineering plant. The plant also set a site record for industrial safety during the refueling outage.
The award also recognized Calvert Cliffs for advancing industry efforts in license renewal, physical security, emergency preparedness and new nuclear generation.
Constellation Energy (http://www.constellation.com/), a FORTUNE 125 company with 2007 revenues of $21 billion, is the nation's largest competitive supplier of electricity to large commercial and industrial customers and the nation's largest wholesale power seller. Constellation Energy also manages fuels and energy services on behalf of energy intensive industries and utilities. It owns a diversified fleet of 83 generating units located throughout the United States, totaling approximately 9,000 megawatts of generating capacity. The company delivers electricity and natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated utility in Central Maryland.
