20080130 Constellation Threatens To Halt Plans For Reactor In Md

20080130 Constellation Threatens To Halt Plans For Reactor In Md

Hat Tip: Delusional Duck Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Constellation Energy Threatens To Halt Plans For Reactor In Md.

http://delusionalduck.com/index.php/site/constellation_energy_threatens_to_halt_plans_for_reactor_in_md/

Constellation Energy Group has threatened to build a new nuclear reactor in New York instead of Maryland if the state’s political and regulatory environment doesn’t improve. [WRC-TV]

Hat Tip: nbc4.com

Constellation Energy Threatens To Halt Plans For Reactor In Md.

http://www.nbc4.com/news/15175143/detail.html

POSTED: 11:23 am EST January 30, 2008

UPDATED: 11:36 am EST January 30, 2008

BALTIMORE -- Constellation Energy Group has threatened to build a new nuclear reactor in New York instead of Maryland if the state's political and regulatory environment doesn't improve.

In a statement released on Tuesday, executive vice president Michael Wallace said the company hopes to break ground on a new reactor at Calvert Cliffs this year but would proceed instead with plans for a reactor at New York's Nine Mile Point if the company encounters delays in Maryland.

The statement appears to be Constellation's latest effort to challenge efforts by Maryland regulators and lawmakers to revisit deregulation.

Gov. Martin O'Malley said he's committed to the nuclear project in Maryland and will work to make sure it gets a timely review.

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NRC Action on UniStar's Partial Combined License Application Sets Stage for Detailed Review of Potential New Reactor in Southern Maryland

http://ir.constellation.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=112182&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1101485&highlight=

UniStar Also Preparing New York Site for First U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor

BALTIMORE, Jan. 29, 2008 -- UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic joint venture between Constellation Energy and the EDF Group, today announced that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has docketed UniStar's partial Combined License Application (COLA) for an advanced design reactor adjacent to Constellation Energy's Calvert Cliffs site in southern Maryland.

Michael J. Wallace, chairman of UniStar and executive vice president of Constellation Energy, said the NRC action confirms that the environmental portion of the application, as well as other critical information in the partial application, are technically complete and ready for detailed NRC review.

"The NRC decision is a major milestone in UniStar's plans to potentially develop and construct a fleet of new nuclear plants in the United States," Wallace said. "This regulatory step forward also supports Constellation Energy's efforts to provide economic and environmentally sound electricity to meet anticipated demand in the Mid-Atlantic region, and in particular the state of Maryland."

Wallace said UniStar expects to make a final decision in the next 12-18 months on whether to proceed with a third reactor at the Calvert Cliffs site. He noted the company also is pursuing a new reactor in upstate New York as part of its strategy to build at least four U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactors (EPRs) in the United States. He said any decision to build a new nuclear plant will take into consideration a number of factors, including project economics, ability to finance and the political and regulatory climate in the state where the plant will be built.

"Ideally, we would like to break ground for a new reactor in southern Maryland in late 2008 so this carbon-free, base-load source of electricity can be in operation by 2015," Wallace said. "However, if we encounter delays in Maryland, we are prepared to proceed with the first EPR at our Nine Mile Point nuclear plant location in New York."

Wallace said the NRC decision to docket UniStar's partial Combined License Application begins a comprehensive, detailed review process that includes requests for additional information, site visits, public scoping meetings, the development of a draft environmental impact statement, and safety reviews.

UniStar plans to submit the remaining portion of its COLA -- which includes the Final Safety Analysis Report -- to the NRC in March. NRC regulations permit an applicant to submit one part of a COLA up to 18 months before submitting the remainder. Additional reviews and public meetings and hearings will occur following NRC review and acceptance of the remainder of the COLA.

The NRC decision, announced Jan. 25, continues to build momentum for UniStar, which is working with Constellation Energy, EDF, PPL, AmerenUE and emerging energy companies such as AEHI and Amarillo Power. U.S. EPRs have been proposed at existing nuclear sites in Pennsylvania and Missouri, as well as greenfield sites in Idaho and Texas. UniStar's full COLA will serve as the reference document for all additional UniStar COLAs.

In December 2007, UniStar's partner in the U.S. nuclear renaissance, reactor manufacturer AREVA, submitted its design certification application for the 1,600-megawatt U.S. EPR to the NRC. In November 2007, UniStar submitted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to the Maryland Public Service Commission for the potential plant at Calvert Cliffs and also announced an agreement with turbine-generator supplier Alstom for the turbine- generator systems for the first four U.S. EPRs.

UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic joint venture between Constellation Energy and EDF, 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 2006 revenues of $19.3 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.

An energy market leader in Europe, the EDF Group is an integrated energy company operating in all branches of the industry: generation, transmission, distribution, and the trading and sale of energy. The top electricity producer in Europe, the Group has predominantly nuclear and hydroelectric power plants in France, supplying electricity that is 95 percent CO2-free. Its transmission and distribution subsidiaries operate 1,246,000 km of medium and low voltage overhead and underground electricity lines and around 100,000 km of high and very high voltage networks. The Group is involved in the supply of energy and services to more than 38 million customers worldwide with more than 28 million of them in France. The Group's consolidated sales stood at euro 58.9 Billion in 2006 of which 42 percent was in Europe excluding France. EDF, which is listed on the Paris Bourse, is a member of the CAC 40 index.