19 Sept (NucNet): Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) said today that it plans a joint venture company with US utility Luminant for the potential development of two new reactor units at the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant in Texas.
MHI said Luminant, formerly TXU Power and operator of the existing twin-unit plant, will file a combined licence (COL) application today with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The COL is expected to seek approval for using MHI's 1,700-megawatt US-Advanced Pressurised Water Reactor (US-APWR) design.
The joint venture is expected to be formed by the end of 2008, giving Luminant an 88 percent ownership share and MHI a 12 percent share. MHI said the joint venture is expected to continue development of the COL and fund project development costs up to the COL being issued.
Luminant selected the US-APWR as its technology of choice in March 2007, following an extensive evaluation of prospective nuclear generating technologies. MHI submitted an application to have the US-APWR design certified by the NRC in December 2007. The application is now under review – a process expected to continue until at least 2011.
Luminant and MHI plan to seek official support for financing from the US and Japanese governments and Luminant has already begun the process of submitting a loan guarantee application to the US Department of Energy.
The NRC approved the transfer of Comanche Peak’s operating licence from TXU Generation Company to Luminant in September 2007.
– by John Shepherd
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
TXU Chooses Mitsubishi's US-APWR For Possible New Units (News No. 64, 14 March 2007)
Regulators Accept US-APWR Design For Review (News in Brief No. 23, 3 March 2008)
New Japan Institution To Help Finance Nuclear New Build In US (News in Brief No. 110, 18 September 2008)
