PADUCAH, Ky. – The United States Enrichment Corporation will conduct an emergency response exercise at its Paducah plant on Tuesday, September 19, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. This exercise is designed to fully test plant emergency plans and procedures. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will evaluate the plant's overall performance.

In addition to the NRC and U.S. Department of Energy, a number of local agencies will also participate. As a part of the exercise, local residents may see or hear emergency vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances, uniformed emergency response personnel, local law enforcement, public warning sirens and Emergency Alert System information.

Participants in the exercise may include community residents involved in emergency response activities, as well as employees that are involved in the emergency response organization at the plant.

“Making sure we are fully prepared to respond to any kind of emergency is important to USEC,” said Steve Cowne, Regulatory Affairs manager, who oversees the plant’s Emergency Management Group.

“A key to being well prepared is to regularly test our emergency response programs with challenging scenarios. This exercise, scheduled every two years, is especially valuable in that it extends beyond plant boundaries and provides an opportunity for interaction with the community agencies that would assist in the unlikely event of a major plant emergency."

"When the exercise is over,” Cowne added, "we conduct thorough critiques, collecting feedback from our own staff as well as the NRC and community response agencies, taking careful note of where and how response can be improved."

To find out more about the exercise, contact the plant’s Public Affairs office at (270) 441-6981.

The United States Enrichment Corporation is a subsidiary of USEC Inc. (NYSE: USU), a global energy company that is a leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.

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