NRC accepts COL application for STP

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted for review a combined construction and operating licence (COL) application for two new reactors at the South Texas Project in Texas. The acceptance review confirms that the application is technically complete and sufficiently addresses all necessary subject areas.

The NRC said, however, that it is seeking additional information before it establishes a complete technical review schedule for the application.

NRG Energy and South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC) filed the application with the NRC on 24 September. South Texas units 3 and 4 will be Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs) with a total capacity of at least 2700 MWe, according to NRG. The company anticipates receiving its licence approval in time to begin construction in 2010 and bring units 3 and 4 online in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

This is the first COL application that the NRC has accepted for review. The NRC is currently conducting acceptance reviews on COL applications for Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) Bellefonte site in Alabama and Dominion's North Anna site in Virginia.

David Crane, president and CEO of NRG, said, "The clock has officially started. Each day hereafter will bring us closer to a future of carbon-free, affordable nuclear baseload generation." He added, "Nuclear, like no other carbon-free technology currently in operation, has the power to move the needle in the fight against global warming."

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