Nov. 1, 2019 – LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK, N.J. – Thousands of highly-skilled, highly-specialized craftspeople assembled in Salem County to support the 22^nd refueling and maintenance outage of the PSEG Nuclear Hope Creek Generating Station.

The regularly scheduled, yet complex, undertaking began when Hope Creek operators safely removed the unit from the regional power grid in mid-October. Doing so initiated a multi-week, comprehensive work window during which time nearly 15,000 inspections, surveillances and sustainable maintenance activities are performed in unison.

“Our nuclear generating stations provide reliable, clean energy for New Jersey residents that continue to account for the vast majority of our state’s carbon emissions-free power generation,” said PSEG Nuclear President and Chief Nuclear Officer Eric Carr. “By using this brief period of time to complete essential capital project upgrades, the plant will be in prime position to perform reliably for over 17 months without interruption. That type of carbon-free dependability is indispensable – and we do it at a scale unmatched in New Jersey.”

The combined Salem and Hope Creek generating site, operated by PSEG, produces roughly 40 percent of the state’s electricity – enough to power 3.8 million homes – and over 90 percent of its carbon-free energy. Collectively, it is the second largest commercial nuclear power generating site in the United States and the single largest source of carbon-free energy in New Jersey.

In order to meet all of the refueling and maintenance deliverables and execute the sophisticated tasks, approximately 1,000 additional trade workers – representing more than a dozen unions – were contracted to join the 1,600 PSEG employees for day-to-day operations.

Buddy Thoman, President IBEW Local 94 said: “These plants employ thousands of men and women, 900 of which are union workers that not only serve in critical roles at the plant, but also contribute to the local economy as homeowners and consumers – significantly supporting the local economy. Our members value the meaningful assignments and opportunity to apply their expertise that regular plant refueling brings their way.”

Bill Mullen, NJ Building and Construction Trades Council President said: “For the NJ Building and Construction Trades Council, this type of reoccurring opportunity supports thousands of men and women in our trade unions who work at the plant during scheduled plant outages throughout the plant’s life, enabling them to practice their craft and provide for their families.”

Dan Cosner, South Jersey Trades President said: “Our members make plans and circle outage dates months in advance of the refueling; maintenance of the plants provides steady jobs throughout the year and twice a year calls 1,000 contractors to the site – many of them our members.”

The refueling and maintenance outages of our nuclear units in New Jersey bring added skilled trade work to Salem County approximately every six months. While on assignment, these individuals frequent area businesses and rely on local service providers for the extended duration. The additional workforce has a significant impact on the local economy.

Christina M. Renna, Senior Vice President at the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey said: “The benefit to the South Jersey region every time a refueling exercise takes place cannot be understated. This important work, and the influx of jobs that come with it, are critical to the ongoing stability and success of the region.”

PSEG Power

PSEG Power LLC is a multi-regional energy supply company that integrates the operations of its merchant nuclear and fossil generating assets with its power marketing businesses and fuel supply functions, primarily in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. PSEG Power is a nationally recognized industry leader on environmental issues. PSEG Nuclear LLC is one of four main subsidiaries of PSEG Power; it operates the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear generating stations in southern New Jersey and is a part-owner of the Peach Bottom nuclear generating station in Pennsylvania. PSEG Fossil operates the company’s portfolio of natural gas- and oil-fired electric generating units. PSEG Energy Resources & Trade LLC is the trading arm of PSEG Power. PSEG Power Ventures LLC develops utility-scale solar facilities outside PSE&G’s service territory through its subsidiary, PSEG Solar Source, and operates the Kalaeloa Cogeneration Plant in Hawaii.

PSEG Power is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company (https://corporate.pseg.com/). PSEG has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for North America for 12 consecutive years.

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