James M. Talent: “I rise to honor approximately 3,000 permanent and supplemental workers, who recently set a new world time record while…”

“I rise to honor approximately 3,000 permanent and supplemental workers, who recently set a new world time record while conducting a safe and successful work outage on AmerenUE's Callaway Nuclear Plant. The Callaway Plant is located in my home State of Missouri and provides permanent jobs to more than 1,000 people. Since 1984, Callaway has generated an average of 8.9 billion kilowatthours of electricity per year--equal to the amount used annually by more than 750,000 average households. The Callaway Plant is owned and operated by AmerenUE, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, which provides energy services to about 2.3 million electric customers in Missouri and Illinois. Callaway, along with 102 other nuclear powerplants in the United States, is a critical component of our Nation's energy mix, providing low-cost, reliable, and clean energy from an abundant fuel source. Approximately every 18 months nuclear plants must be shut down for refueling, during which time the employees perform literally thousands of maintenance activities, modifications, and tests. In Callaway's case, the plant supplies nearly a quarter of Ameren's electricity production, thus it is critical that the work be done in a safe and timely manner so the plant can be brought back online as soon as possible.…”