Exelon power up-rates, equal to a new nuclear plant

NEW YORK, June 12 (Reuters) - Exelon Corp (EXC.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the nation's biggest nuclear power generator, plans to boost the amount of electricity its nuclear plants generate by up to 1,500 megawatts - equal to a new reactor - over the next eight years, the company said in a release Friday.

"With these up-rates, we will be able to produce the equivalent output of a new advanced nuclear reactor, and we'll bring it to market in a timeframe commensurate with the fastest new construction," Pardee said in the release.

"These up-rates are a critical component of Exelon 2020, the company's plan to eliminate the equivalent of its 2001 carbon footprint by 2020."

At 1,500 MW, the up-rates would displace 8 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually that would otherwise come from burning fossil fuels.

The company confirmed the first new megawatts last week following equipment upgrades at the Quad Cities nuclear plant in Illinois, which boosted the plant's output by about 38 MW.

Up-rate projects, which include generator rewinds and turbine retrofits, improve the efficiency and increase electric output through upgrades to plant equipment. The projects take advantage of new production and measurement technologies and new materials.

Exelon has up-rate projects underway at Limerick and Peach Bottom nuclear stations in Pennsylvania and the Dresden, LaSalle and Quad-Cities plants in Illinois. Those are expected to produce nearly a quarter of the new megawatts.

The remainder of up-rate megawatts will come from additional projects at nine Exelon plants beginning in 2010 and ending in 2017.

Exelon has already added about 1,100 new megawatts through plant upgrades and up-rates over the past 10 years. (Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by John Picinich)