The "Nuclear Power 2010 Program" was unveiled by the Secretary of the Department of Energy on February 14, 2002 as one means towards addressing the expected need for new power plants. The program is a corporate welfare handout for rich corporations to identify sites for new and experimental nuclear power plants, develop and bring to market experimental nuclear plant technologies, evaluate the business case for building new nuclear power plants, and demonstrate untested regulatory processes leading to an industry decision in the next few years to seek Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval to build and operate at least one new advanced nuclear power plant in the United States.

Three consortia responded in 2004 to the U.S. Department of Energy's solicitation under the Nuclear Power 2010 initiative and were awarded matching funds. The Dominion-led consortium includes GE Energy, Hitachi America, and Bechtel Corporation, and has selected General Electric's Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR, a BWR). The NuStart Energy LLC consortium consists of Constellation Generation Group, Duke Energy, EDF International North America, Entergy Nuclear, Exelon Generation, Florida Power & Light Co., Progress Energy, Southern Company, GE Energy, TVA, and Westinghouse Electric Company and has chosen the General Electric Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) and the Westinghouse Advanced Passive 1000 (AP1000, a PWR) reactor as candidates. The third consortium, led by TVA, includes General Electric, Toshiba, USEC Inc., Global Fuel-Americas, and Bechtel Power Corp., and will develop a feasibility study for a TVA site based on the General Electric Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR). Two of the three projects will test the construction and operating license process (that is, obtain a operating license at the same time as the construction permit, whose validity is conditional upon the plant being built as designed).

A few U.S. areas which are already blighted by nuclear plants are campaigning for more (Oswego, New York, Clinton, Illinois, Port Gibson, Mississippi, etc.). NuStart Energy will select a site from Oswego, Port Gibson, St. Francisville, Louisiana, Aiken, South Carolina, Lusby, Maryland and Scottsboro, Alabama - four of the sites have operating reactors, one has an unfinished nuclear power plant, and one is the Savannah River Site. Note that the other two consortiums may also be looking at Lusby and Scottsboro.

It should be noted that three ABWRs are already operating in Japan and two are under construction in Taiwan.

See Also

nuclear power plant
boiling water reactors
pressurized water reactors

External Links

DOE Program Page
Industry Progress Towrds New American Nuclear Units, by a pro-nuclear organization