Press Release

New York, N.Y. -- Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison) [NYSE: ED] will conduct a 10-second test of each of the 154 emergency alert and notification sirens located within the 10-mile emergency planning zone surrounding its Indian Point 2 nuclear generating station in Buchanan, N.Y. Each siren will be tested individually and will reach full volume during the 10-second tests, which will be conducted from Monday December 11, 2000 through Wednesday December 20, 2000. THESE ARE ONLY TESTS.

In accordance with guidelines established by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), these tests are part of the scheduled testing procedure of the plant’s alert notification system. FEMA guidelines require an annual full-volume test of all sirens. Con Edison, however, performs simultaneous full-volume tests twice a year, as well as two tests where each siren is checked individually.

The company will test a total of 154 sirens in the four counties surrounding the plant; 77 in Westchester; 51 in Rockland; 16 in Orange; and 10 in Putnam.

In the event of an actual emergency, the sirens would sound for three minutes, alerting individuals within the 10-mile radius surrounding the plant to tune to Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages broadcast on local radio or television stations for timely and accurate information and instructions.

EAS radio stations and television channels are listed in the Planning for Emergencies booklet, which is mailed annually to households located within 10 miles of the power plant.