CATAWBA NUCLEAR STATION SETS COMPANY RECORD

YORK, S.C. – Catawba Nuclear Station, operated by Duke Power, set a company reliability record operating unit 2 for 531 continuous days. The record ended Sept. 11 when the unit was taken off line for a planned maintenance and refueling outage. During this period, Catawba generated more than 14.7 billion kilowatt-hours, enough to supply electricity to more than 1 million households.

"This record reflects the skills and professionalism of the entire Catawba team,” said Dhiaa Jamil, Duke Power vice president, Catawba Nuclear Station. "We are committed to providing safe, reliable electricity to the Carolinas and look forward to meeting our customers’ needs for many years to come."  

Earlier this year, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission recognized Catawba for its safe operations during the station’s annual performance assessment. “At Catawba, and in the nuclear industry, excellence in operations is an expectation,” Jamil added. “The safety of our neighbors and employees is, and always will be, our top priority. We, along with our regulators and neighbors, will settle for nothing less.”

Duke Power's efficient nuclear operations are a key reason why the company's power plant fuel costs are among the lowest in the Southeast. These savings are realized by customers annually in fuel proceedings before the North Carolina Utilities Commission and the Public Service Commission of South Carolina.

Catawba Nuclear Station is a two-unit power plant located on Lake Wylie in York County, S.C. Each of its units can generate electricity at a rate of 1,129 megawatts. Catawba unit 1 began commercial operation in 1985, unit 2 in 1986. The station is jointly owned by North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1, North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, Piedmont Municipal Power Agency, Saluda River Electric Cooperative Inc. and Duke Power.

Duke Power, a business unit of Duke Energy, is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities and provides safe, reliable, competitively priced electricity and value-added products and services to more than 2 million customers in North Carolina and South Carolina. In 2004, Duke Power celebrates 100 years of service. The company operates three nuclear generating stations, eight coal-fired stations, 31 hydroelectric stations and numerous combustion turbine units. Total system generating capability is approximately 19,900 megawatts. More information about Duke Power is available on the Internet at: http://www.dukepower.com.

Duke Energy is a diversified energy company with a portfolio of natural gas and electric businesses, both regulated and unregulated, and an affiliated real estate company. Duke Energy supplies, delivers and processes energy for customers in North America and selected international markets. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: http://www.duke-energy.com.

Contact:	Julie Case
Phone:	803/831-3948
24-Hour Phone:	704/382-8333, option 1
e-mail:	jccase@duke-energy.com