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Press Releases
NRC Grants Design Certification to Westinghouse AP1000
- Formal completion of all public interest and rule-making activities
- First Generation III+ plant to receive Design Certification
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) today approved Design Certification for Westinghouse Electric
Company's AP1000 standard nuclear plant design, making the AP1000 the first
Generation III+ plant to receive such certification.
Westinghouse Senior Vice President Daniel S. Lipman said achieving Design
Certification is another in a series of positive developments that will
ultimately culminate in new plant construction in the United States. "Design
Certification is the final step in the process of rule-making and regulation,"
he said. "Westinghouse is certainly pleased to have achieved this latest
milestone for the AP1000, and we look forward to working with utilities both
in the U.S. and worldwide to build this advanced, inherently safe plant."
The Certification becomes official 30 days following publication in the
Federal Register. It is also conditional upon approval by the Office of
Management and Budget of the information collection requirements contained in
the rule.
Mr. Lipman also said that as momentum toward a U.S. nuclear renaissance
continues to build, it is clear that the AP1000 is leading the way in terms of
safety and constructability. "The AP1000's reliance on naturally occurring
phenomena such as gravity, natural circulation and condensation guarantees
safe operation," he said. "In addition, the modular construction of the
AP1000 will improve quality while reducing construction time to about 36
months from the time concrete is poured until fuel load."
In September of 2004, the NRC awarded Final Design Approval to the AP1000,
clearing the way for the company to begin selling the 1100 MWe design
internationally. The safest, most economical nuclear plant design currently
available with NRC approval, the AP1000 has already received strong interest
from potential customers in the United States, Asia and Europe.
In the United States, the NuStart consortium has selected TVA's Bellefonte
site and the AP1000 to develop a COL application, while Duke Power has
announced plans and selected the AP1000 design for its COL application.
Interest is also being expressed by other U.S. power companies.
Westinghouse Electric Company is the world's pioneering nuclear power
company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies
to utilities throughout the world. Today, Westinghouse technology is the
basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants.
Note: Generation III+ is DOE's nomenclature for the new generation of
competitive reactor designs that will follow the Generation III Advanced Light
Water Reactors developed in the 1990s.
SOURCE Westinghouse Electric Company
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