Work Will Serve as Basis for Engineering, Procurement and Construction of
Proposed U.S. Fleet of Advanced Design Nuclear Power Plants
BALTIMORE, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- UniStar Nuclear Energy (UNE), a
strategic joint venture between Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) and the
EDF Group, today announced it has engaged an AREVA-Bechtel Power consortium
to begin initial development of the detailed design engineering that will
form the basis of UniStar's proposed fleet of at least four advanced
nuclear power plants in the United States.
George Vanderheyden, president and chief executive officer of UNE, said
starting detailed design engineering for UniStar's advanced reactor
technology -- AREVA's 1600-megawatt U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (U.S.
EPR) -- demonstrates why UniStar provides companies pursuing new nuclear
the clearest path forward with the greatest certainty of cost, licensing
and schedule.
"The fact that there are two EPRs currently under construction in
Finland and France, and EDF is bringing its experience from the Flamanville
project to UniStar puts us in a unique position in the marketplace," said
Vanderheyden. "Not only do we benefit from design information from the
previous two EPRs, we can more precisely lock down costs for a U.S. EPR and
provide greater certainty to our partners and customers."
The announcement continues to build momentum for UniStar. On January
25, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) accepted for detailed
review UniStar's partial Combined License (COL) application for its
reference plant -- a proposed third reactor adjacent to Constellation
Energy's Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby, Md. UniStar plans to
submit the remaining portions of the COL application in March. In December
2007, UniStar's partner in the U.S. nuclear renaissance,
reactor-manufacturer AREVA, submitted the design certification application
for the U.S. EPR to the NRC. Late last year, UniStar announced an agreement
with turbine-generator supplier Alstom to secure the turbine-generator
systems for the first four U.S. EPRs.
UniStar is also working with Constellation Energy, EDF, PPL, and
AmerenUE and emerging energy companies such as AEHI and Amarillo Power to
develop potential U.S. EPRs in New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Idaho and
Texas.
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 2007 revenues of $21 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 over 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:
Maureen Brown or Lori A. Vidil,
+1-410-470-7433, both of UniStar Nuclear Energy
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