Northeast Utilities To Reimburse Dominion For NRC Fine

June 25, 2002

WATERFORD, CT. - Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, a unit of Dominion (NYSE: D) and the operator of Millstone Power Station, announced Tuesday that it will not contest a $288,000 fine from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a violation that occurred while Northeast Utilities (NYSE: NU) operated the power station.

As part of an agreement associated with the sale of Millstone in March 2001, Northeast Utilities has agreed to reimburse Dominion for the full amount of the fine.

In November 2000, prior to the sale of Millstone, NU reported to the NRC that two fuel rods in the station's Unit 1 spent fuel pool were missing. A subsequent investigation by NU concluded that the fuel pins were cut into segments in 1979 and shipped to a low-level radioactive waste facility with other irradiated hardware sometime between March 1985 and December 1992. Dominion purchased Millstone in March 2001.

The NRC accepted Northeast Utilities' findings after conducting an independent review. The NRC has also concluded that Dominion has controls in place to account for all the remaining used fuel at Millstone.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a production capability of more than 3 trillion British thermal unit of energy per day. Dominion serves nearly 4 million retail natural gas and electric customers in five states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's web site at www.dom.com.


 

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