Combined Construction and Operating License
A group of utilities, reactor vendors, and construction firms led by the Tennessee Valley Authority applied on April 23, 2004 for $2.1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to explore building a 2-unit, 2600 MW Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) at the TVA's Bellefonte site near Hollywood, Alabama. On May 23, 2004, the DOE agreed to provide the funding. In 1988, after spending $2.5 billion on two reactors at the site, TVA halted construction.
While the study has been completed, it seems TVA has decided to go a different route, offering the Bellefonte site to the NuStart Energy Development consortium for a Combined Construction and Operating License. They've also decided to go with the Westinghouse AP-1000 reactor design instead of the ABWR. The consortium involved in the study included:
Tennessee Valley Authority
TVA operates three nuclear plants, including Browns Ferry Unit 1. That reactor was shut down in 1985 due to lingering concerns about a fire years earlier and the TVA's inability to convince the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that the reactor could be operated safely. TVA joined the consortium on April 25, 2004 and is also a member of the NuStart consortium.
General Electric
Designs and manufactures commercial nuclear reactors. Also a member of the NuStart consortium and Dominion-led consortium.
Bechtel
Bechtel provides operating services to many U.S. nuclear plants, as well as the Yucca Mountain repository site, the Hanford site in Washington state, the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), and the Nevada Test Site. Also a member of the Dominion-led consortium and UniStar.
Toshiba
Japan's main nuclear vendor and construction company. Currently seeking to build a reactor in Alaska, with the assistance of Cheney Energy Task Force Executive Director-turned-lobbyist Andrew Lundquist.
USEC
USEC operates the only uranium enrichment facility in the U.S. in Paducah, Kentucky. Enrichment is part of the refining process to create fuel for nuclear reactors. Read more about USEC and uranium enrichment here.
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