The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission last month received the first full license application for a nuclear power plant in nearly three decades.  

NRG Energy Inc. and South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Co. filed a combined construction and operating license (COL) application to build two General Electric Advanced Boiling Water Reactors at the South Texas Project (STP) plant site in Matagorda County.  

The NRC now is conducting an acceptance review process for the license application.  If the agency accepts the application, it could take up to 42 months for a complete review.  

If the NRC approves the application, NRG said it expects to begin construction in 2010, with the new reactors beginning electricity production in 2014 and 2015.  Texas’ energy needs are projected to increase by 10,000 megawatts (MW) by that time.  Together, STP 3 and 4 would produce more than 2,700 MW of electricity—enough to serve more than 2 million homes.  Two existing reactors at the site produce 2,500 MW.

“I believe that any serious effort to address climate change must include nuclear power, which is why I’m so pleased to see the first application to build a plant in 29 years filed with the NRC,” said Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.).  “I’m hopeful that this application will be the first of many.”

The NRC could receive up to four applications for new nuclear reactors this year.  Altogether, 17 companies and consortia have plans to submit applications for more than 30 new reactors in the coming years.  

In July, UniStar Nuclear Energy LLC submitted a portion of its combined license application to the NRC for Constellation Energy’s Calvert Cliffs site in Maryland.  

UniStar Nuclear is an alliance between Constellation and Electricité de France.  Together, they will pursue plans to build AREVA’s U.S. EPR reactor design at Calvert Cliffs and the Nine Mile Point plant site in New York.  

“Constellation Energy strongly believes nuclear power must play a prominent role in our nation’s energy future, which will be vitally important in helping America achieve its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and moving toward greater energy independence,” said Mayo Shattuck, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Constellation Energy.

Florida may nearly double its nuclear energy output, if one of the state’s utilities proceeds with plans it announced in August.  Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) is considering building two nuclear reactors at its Turkey Point power plant in southern Florida.  The new reactors, which could be operational by 2020, would add up to3,000MW of power to the state’s electric grid.

FPL also plans to add approximately 400 MW of  power capacity to two reactors at both the Turkey Point and St. Lucie plants through modifications to the plant that will increase electricity production.  The company expects to complete the project by 2012.

Powering up Worldwide

Internationally, AREVA has entered into a partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to develop, market, license and sell a new 1,100-MW pressurized water reactor design, the ATMEA 1.  The two companies have collaborated for nearly a year to define the conceptual basis for the reactor, and AREVA said it plans to begin the licensing application process in less than three years.

Meanwhile, Westinghouse Electric Co. has taken several steps to advance the company’s position in the international market for new nuclear power plants.  In South Africa, Westinghouse signed an agreement to purchase IST Nuclear (ISTN), a leading provider of services and systems for the pebble bed modular reactor.

ISTN, which will become Westinghouse Electric South Africa (Pty) Ltd., will expand its scope to service existing light water reactors in South Africa and elsewhere.  The company will design key systems for a pebble bed modular reactor demonstration unit in South Africa by 2011.

Shortly after Westinghouse acquired ISTN, the South African government issued a nuclear energy policy and draft strategy that lays out plans to expand uranium mining and build new reactors in an effort to establish the nation’s self-sufficiency in the nuclear fuel cycle.  Two reactors produce 6 percent of South Africa’s electricity.

In China, Westinghouse and The Shaw Group Inc. committed to building four AP1000 nuclear plants, beginning in 2009.  They signed multi-billion-dollar contracts with four Chinese companies to build the four plants in pairs at the Sanmen and Haiyang sites, with the first plant expected to begin operating in 2013.