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Archived News
Columbia Generating Station Information
December 20, 2006
News Release 06-19
Brad Peck, Corporate Communications
(509) 377-8247
RICHLAND, Wash. – AREVA Corporation presented an award today to Energy Northwest officials recognizing the public power agency’s performance at Columbia Generating Station, the region’s only nuclear power plant.
The award highlighted the longest continuous operations run in the plant’s 22-year history, a run of more than 16 months that ended on Oct. 31. The record-setting run produced well over half-a-billion dollars worth of low-cost electric power for the region. As a public power agency Energy Northwest delivers all its power to Washington utilities at-cost.
AREVA has nuclear fuel fabrication facilities in Richland and manufactures the nuclear fuel assemblies used to power Columbia Generating Station.
The next scheduled shutdown of Columbia is set for May 2007 when the plant will go off-line for refueling and planned maintenance work. About one-third of the reactor’s fuel rods are replaced every two years.
Energy Northwest is a joint operating agency with 20 public power member utilities throughout Washington. In addition to Columbia, Energy Northwest owns and operates the Nine Canyon Wind Project, Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project, and White Bluffs Solar Station.