Texas' new nuclear reactors

Applications have been filed for the first new reactors in the US since 1977, and they may be fast-tracked:

The resurgence of nuclear power in the United States comes as companies seek new generating capacity from energy sources that do not emit carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.

The NRC says it expects US companies to file applications for about 30 new combined construction and operating licenses in coming months. If granted by the NRC, the licenses would allow companies to construct and operate a nuclear plant in one fell swoop, minimizing possible regulatory delays.

No applications for new nuclear power plants have been filed since at least 1977, and several planned plants were canceled after the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania that sparked a backlash against the technology.

Now Dominion Resources, Duke Energy and Southern Co are among the utilities in the process of seeking plant licenses, according to the NRC.

The regulator is expected to take about three years to process applications, and construction could take four years, putting the first new US reactors online sometime around 2015.

Planet Ark - NRG Seeks First US Nuclear Plant Permit in Decades

Blogged with Flock