Action Sets Stage for Detailed Review of Safety Analysis For Potential New
Reactor in Southern Maryland
BALTIMORE, June 5 /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 accepted the remainder of UniStar's Combined License (COL)
application for an advanced design reactor in southern Maryland.
The NRC action means the second portion of UniStar's application, which
includes the final safety analysis report, is technically complete and
ready for detailed NRC review. UniStar submitted the documents in March
2008.
"The NRC acceptance represents another significant milestone in
UniStar's plans to develop and deploy a potential fleet of advanced nuclear
plants in the United States," said George Vanderheyden, president and chief
executive officer of UniStar.
UniStar expects to make a final decision by the end of this year
whether to proceed with early site work for a third reactor next to
Constellation Energy's Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant in Lusby, Md. The
proposed plant is part of UniStar's strategy to build at least four U.S.
Evolutionary Power Reactors (EPRs) in the U.S. Vanderheyden said the
decision to build a new nuclear plant will be based on factors that include
project economics, regulatory approvals and the U.S. Department of Energy's
issuance of a loan guarantee.
The NRC's decision to accept the remaining portion of UniStar's COL
application begins a comprehensive, detailed review process that includes
requests for additional information, site visits, safety reviews and public
meetings and hearings.
In March, the NRC held public scoping meetings on the Environmental
Report portion of UniStar's COL application, which was submitted in 2007
and accepted and docketed for review in January.
UniStar announced it February it had engaged an AREVA-Bechtel Power
Consortium to begin detailed design engineering for AREVA's 1,600-megawatt
U.S. EPR.
UniStar's COL application for a U.S. EPR at Calvert Cliffs would serve
as the reference document for all future UniStar plants.
UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic joint venture between Constellation
Energy (NYSE: CEG) and EDF Group, 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.
The EDF Group, one of the leaders in the energy market in Europe, is an
integrated energy company active in all businesses: production, transport,
distribution, energy selling and trading. The Group is the leading
electricity producer in Europe. In France, it has mainly nuclear and
hydraulic production facilities where 95 percent of the electricity output
involves no CO2 emissions. EDF's transport and distribution subsidiaries
operate 1,246,000 km of low and medium voltage overhead and underground
electricity lines and around 100,000 km of high and very high voltage
networks. The Group is involved in supplying energy and services to more
than 38 million customers around the world, including more than 28 million
in France. The Group generated consolidated sales of euro 59.6 billion in
2007, of which 44 percent was in Europe excluding France. EDF is listed on
the Paris Stock Exchange and 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 of Constellation Energy, or
Lori A. Vidil of UniStar Nuclear Energy, +1-410-470-7433
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