28 Sep (NucNet): The Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) board of directors has approved a plan to submit a combined construction and operating licence (COL) application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for two reactors at TVA’s unfinished Bellefonte project in Alabama.
The company said the application is scheduled to be submitted to the NRC this autumn, with a licence decision expected in 2011.
TVA has said the granting of a licence does not necessarily mean it will push ahead with new units. A statement on 27 September 2007 said: “Construction of the plant would require further board approval following the licensing process.”
TVA halted construction of the Bellefonte nuclear plant in 1988. In 2005 TVA wrote off its 3.9 billion US dollar (USD) (2.7 billion euro) investment in the project, but said the site could still be used in the future.
TVA is a member of the NuStart consortium, which comprises 10 electric companies and two reactor vendors that is developing the COL application for Bellefonte.
Three US consortia, including NuStart, are taking part in a US Department of Energy initiative to share the costs of preparing COL applications for a new reactor design. As part of the government’s efforts to encourage nuclear investment, the DOE will pay 50 percent of the cost to develop the COL application and complete the detailed engineering design.
In August 2007 TVA approved a recommendation to complete the second unit at its Watts Bar nuclear power plant in Tennessee at an estimated cost of USD 2.49 billion for the five-year construction project.
Yesterday the board also approved a 2008 budget of USD 9.7 billion including USD 317 million to begin construction of the second Watts Bar unit.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
NuStart Consortium Names Sites For Potential New Units (News No. 153, 23 September 2005)
TVA Approves Plan To Complete Second Unit At Watts Bar (News No. 180, 2 August 2007)
