Summary
Exelon Corporation, through its subsidiary Exelon Generation Company, LLC, has entered into an Administrative Consent Order (ACO) with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) on December 9, 2010. This agreement addresses environmental regulations concerning the Oyster Creek Generating Station (OCGS). Crucially, the ACO allows Generation to permanently cease operations at OCGS by December 31, 2019, provided certain conditions are met. In exchange, the NJDEP has acknowledged that closed-cycle cooling is not the most appropriate technology for OCGS and has agreed to issue a revised New Jersey Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NJPDES) Surface Water Permit. This revised permit will not mandate the construction of cooling towers, a significant departure from the NJDEP's previous stance in January 2010.
Key Highlights
- 1Exelon Generation Company, LLC (Generation) entered into an Administrative Consent Order (ACO) with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) on December 9, 2010.
- 2The ACO allows Generation to permanently cease operations at the Oyster Creek Generating Station (OCGS) by December 31, 2019, subject to ACO conditions.
- 3NJDEP agreed that closed-cycle cooling is not the best technology available for OCGS.
- 4NJDEP will issue a new draft NJPDES Surface Water Permit for OCGS that does not require cooling towers or other closed-cycle cooling facilities.
- 5This revised permit supersedes the January 2010 draft permit which mandated the installation of closed-cycle cooling facilities.
- 6The ACO is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 8-K.