SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549-1004
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) October 27, 1999
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Commission File Number 0-7624
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WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS ELECTRIC COMPANY
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
MASSACHUSETTS 04-1961130
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(State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization) Identification No.)
174 BRUSH HILL AVENUE, WEST SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS 01090-0010
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(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(413) 785-5871
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(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
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(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Item 5. Other Events
On October 27, 1999, Northeast Utilities (NU) and its subsidiaries The
Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) and Western Massachusetts Electric
Company (WMECO) agreed in principle with New England Power Company (NEP), a
subsidiary of New England Electric System and Montaup Electric Company (MEC),
a subsidiary of Eastern Utilities Associates, to settle various arbitration
and litigation claims arising out of the operation of the Millstone 3 nuclear
power plant. These claims had been asserted by NEP, MEC and the other non-NU
owners of Millstone 3 in August 1997 and concerned an extended outage at the
unit that began in 1996. The proposed settlement would involve the payment of
fixed and contingent amounts to NEP and MEC and is subject to the execution
of a definitive agreement. The settlement is not contingent upon acceptance
by the other non-NU owners. The NU companies own approximately 68% of
Millstone 3, and NEP and MEC collectively own approximately 16% of the unit.
Reference is made to Item 1, "Business-Nuclear Generation," and to Item
3, "Legal Proceedings," in NU's, CL&P's and WMECO's Form 10-K for 1998 for
further discussion of the joint owners' Millstone 3 claims.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS ELECTRIC COMPANY
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Registrant
Date: October 29, 1999 By /s/ John B. Keane
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Vice President-Generation Divestiture
