October 12, 2007—In a big step toward reinvigorating the nuclear power industry in the US, NRG Energy and the South Texas Nuclear Operating Company recently filed for a license to build and operate two new nuclear plants in Texas. According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), this is the first nuclear plant application filed in 29 years.
The two facilities will be built at the South Texas Project nuclear power station, where two nuclear power plants are already in operation. The proposed Units 3 and 4 will have a combined generating capacity of at least 2,700 megawatts and will employ Advanced Boiling Water Reactor technology, which is currently in use in Japan, notes DOE.
The two companies submitted their Combined Construction and Operating License Application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), making them the first to test this new application process. After a detailed review process by the NRC, the companies hope to receive their license approval and begin construction in 2010, with the aim of bringing Unit 3 online in 2014 and Unit 4 online in 2015.
DOE welcomed the news, hailing it as the first step to a “substantial deployment” of nuclear power in the US. DOE also released a Conditional Agreement for companies building new nuclear power plants in the US to qualify for a portion of $2 billion in federal risk insurance. Risk insurance covers costs associated with certain regulatory or litigation-related delays that stall the start-up of these plants.
