UniStar Also Preparing New York Site for First U.S. Evolutionary Power
Reactor
BALTIMORE, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- UniStar Nuclear Energy, a
strategic joint venture between Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) and the
EDF Group, today announced that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) has docketed UniStar's partial Combined License Application (COLA)
for an advanced design reactor adjacent to Constellation Energy's Calvert
Cliffs site in southern Maryland.
Michael J. Wallace, chairman of UniStar and executive vice president of
Constellation Energy, said the NRC action confirms that the environmental
portion of the application, as well as other critical information in the
partial application, are technically complete and ready for detailed NRC
review.
"The NRC decision is a major milestone in UniStar's plans to
potentially develop and construct a fleet of new nuclear plants in the
United States," Wallace said. "This regulatory step forward also supports
Constellation Energy's efforts to provide economic and environmentally
sound electricity to meet anticipated demand in the Mid-Atlantic region,
and in particular the state of Maryland."
Wallace said UniStar expects to make a final decision in the next 12-18
months on whether to proceed with a third reactor at the Calvert Cliffs
site. He noted the company also is pursuing a new reactor in upstate New
York as part of its strategy to build at least four U.S. Evolutionary Power
Reactors (EPRs) in the United States. He said any decision to build a new
nuclear plant will take into consideration a number of factors, including
project economics, ability to finance and the political and regulatory
climate in the state where the plant will be built.
"Ideally, we would like to break ground for a new reactor in southern
Maryland in late 2008 so this carbon-free, base-load source of electricity
can be in operation by 2015," Wallace said. "However, if we encounter
delays in Maryland, we are prepared to proceed with the first EPR at our
Nine Mile Point nuclear plant location in New York."
Wallace said the NRC decision to docket UniStar's partial Combined
License Application begins a comprehensive, detailed review process that
includes requests for additional information, site visits, public scoping
meetings, the development of a draft environmental impact statement, and
safety reviews.
UniStar plans to submit the remaining portion of its COLA -- which
includes the Final Safety Analysis Report -- to the NRC in March. NRC
regulations permit an applicant to submit one part of a COLA up to 18
months before submitting the remainder. Additional reviews and public
meetings and hearings will occur following NRC review and acceptance of the
remainder of the COLA.
The NRC decision, announced Jan. 25, continues to build momentum for
UniStar, which is working with Constellation Energy, EDF, PPL, AmerenUE and
emerging energy companies such as AEHI and Amarillo Power. U.S. EPRs have
been proposed at existing nuclear sites in Pennsylvania and Missouri, as
well as greenfield sites in Idaho and Texas. UniStar's full COLA will serve
as the reference document for all additional UniStar COLAs.
In December 2007, UniStar's partner in the U.S. nuclear renaissance,
reactor manufacturer AREVA, submitted its design certification application
for the 1,600-megawatt U.S. EPR to the NRC. In November 2007, UniStar
submitted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to the
Maryland Public Service Commission for the potential plant at Calvert
Cliffs and also announced an agreement with turbine-generator supplier
Alstom for the turbine- generator systems for the first four U.S. EPRs.
UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic joint venture between Constellation
Energy (NYSE: CEG) and EDF, is powering the nuclear renaissance in North
America through industry leadership, disciplined business practices and
effective risk-management. Based in Baltimore, Md., UniStar Nuclear Energy
provides the licensing, construction and operating services needed to
support the expansion of clean, safe and sustainable nuclear energy in the
United States.
Constellation Energy (http://www.constellation.com), a FORTUNE 125
company with 2006 revenues of $19.3 billion, is the nation's largest
competitive supplier of electricity to large commercial and industrial
customers and the nation's largest wholesale power seller. Constellation
Energy also manages fuels and energy services on behalf of energy intensive
industries and utilities. It owns a diversified fleet of 78 generating
units located throughout the United States, totaling approximately 8,700
megawatts of generating capacity. The company delivers electricity and
natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its
regulated utility in Central Maryland.
An energy market leader in Europe, the EDF Group is an integrated
energy company operating in all branches of the industry: generation,
transmission, distribution, and the trading and sale of energy. The top
electricity producer in Europe, the Group has predominantly nuclear and
hydroelectric power plants in France, supplying electricity that is 95
percent CO2-free. Its transmission and distribution subsidiaries operate
1,246,000 km of medium and low voltage overhead and underground electricity
lines and around 100,000 km of high and very high voltage networks. The
Group is involved in the supply of energy and services to more than 38
million customers worldwide with more than 28 million of them in France.
The Group's consolidated sales stood at euro 58.9 Billion in 2006 of which
42 percent was in Europe excluding France. EDF, which is listed on the
Paris Bourse, is a member of the CAC 40 index.
SOURCE UniStar Nuclear Energy
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Related links:
http://www.constellation.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/084087.html /
CONTACT:
Rob Gould, Maureen Brown or Lori A. Vidil,
all of Constellation Energy, +1-410-470-7433
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