ComEd 2010 Annual Report Download - page 20

Exelon at a Glance
exelon generation
Exelon Nuclear’s approximately 8,700 professionals operated its 17 nuclear reactors,
the nation’s largest commercial nuclear fleet, in a safe and reliable manner that
helped position Exelon for long-term financial success.
In 2010, Exelon Nuclear was recognized for its commitment to safety with the
2010 National Safety Council Green Cross for Safety Award, the first time a
utility has received the honor. In addition, Exelon Nuclear’s plants achieved
an average capacity factor of 93.9 percent in 2010, the eighth consecutive
year capacity factor exceeded 93 percent, and produced just over 140 million
megawatt-hours of electricity. Quad Cities Generating Station Unit 2 set a
station continuous-run record of 446 days, while Peach Bottom Atomic Power
Station’s Unit 2 set its own record of 691 days.
Exelon Nuclear continued executing several important projects within its nuclear
uprates program. Uprate projects take advantage of digital technology, new
equipment and modern production techniques to add clean megawatts to a
plant’s output at cost and risk levels far lower than those associated with new
plant construction. In 2010, uprates at Clinton, Dresden, LaSalle and Quad Cities
generating stations led to 59 megawatts of clean electricity being added to the
regional grid.
The company also announced its decision to retire Oyster Creek Generating Station by
Dec. 31, 2019, instead of 2029. This decision was the result of a unique set of economic
conditions and changing environmental regulations facing the plant that make
ending operations in 2019 the best option for the company and its shareholders.
Exelon Power’s fleet provided more than 10.7 million megawatt-hours of reliable
generation in 2010 and achieved record performance levels in unit availability,
delivering on the commitment of continuous improvement and performance
optimization. Power performed at distinguished levels in 2010 on three key
operational metrics: equivalent forced outage rate (demand), hydro equivalent
availability and event-free clock resets.
Exelon Power furthered its role as an environmental leader in 2010. Successes
included the awarding of LEED-Gold certification to the Conowingo Visitor
Center in Maryland and the July 2010 dedication of Exelon City Solar, the
nation’s largest urban solar plant. City Solar is a 10-megawatt solar facility
located on a former brownfield in the West Pullman neighborhood of Chicago.
In December, Exelon Power added 735 megawatts of wind generation to its
portfolio through the acquisition of John Deere Renewables, which marked
Exelon’s entry into owning and operating wind projects. Exelon Wind, a
division of Exelon Power, manages the company’s wind operations.
Exelon Power’s fleet now comprises 105 fossil (coal, oil and natural gas), landfill
gas and hydroelectric units, 36 wind projects and a solar plant, located in 11 states
and capable of generating more than 8,500 megawatts of electricity.
Exelon Power Team is the wholesale power marketing division of Exelon. Its role
is to manage the risk and maximize the economic value associated with Exelon’s
electric generating facilities, power purchase agreements, fuel requirements,
emissions credits, transmission contracts and load obligations. Power Team’s
wholesale marketing and transaction efforts are focused on the competitive
electricity markets in many regions of the United States. The Power Team trade
floor and headquarters are located in Kennett Square, Pa.
Exelon Energy is the retail marketing arm of Exelon. It markets electricity to
customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania, and natural gas to customers in Illinois,
Michigan and Ohio. Exelon Energy provides a valuable channel to market for
Exelon’s generation, while providing customers innovative products that can help
them manage risk and gain the most from the competitive energy environment.
Exelon Energy’s locally based sales representatives have a wealth of experience in
energy products and services and bring in-depth knowledge to the retail energy
customers they serve.
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ComEd had strong reliability performance in 2010, despite weathering the
second-highest number of storm-related service interruptions in a decade,
with a SAIFI (outage frequency) rate of 0.94 that was one of the best in ComEd’s
history. ComEd experienced a decline in safety performance in 2010 after posting
best-on-record performance the previous year. While still solidly in the top
quartile of industry performance, safety is a key focus area in 2011.
In response to continuing economic challenges, ComEd’s Operational Strategy and
Business Intelligence group collaborated with ComEd business units to offset cost
increases through ongoing efficiency and productivity improvements.
ComEd moved forward with its smart meter pilot and smart grid “innovation
corridor” technology study despite an Illinois Appellate Court ruling that struck
down the company’s mechanism for cost recovery. The company received Illinois
Commerce Commission approval to recover some of these costs through a
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