Entergy Selects GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's ESBWR Design in License Application to NRC
WILMINGTON, N.C.---September 25, 2008---New Orleans-based Entergy Corp. today submitted a combined construction and operating license application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, selecting GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's next-generation ESBWR reactor design.
The nation's second-largest nuclear plant operator, Entergy is seeking to reserve the option to build a potential new reactor at its River Bend Nuclear Generating Station in Louisiana, located along the Mississippi River in St. Francisville, about 30 miles north of Baton Rouge. The new reactor would help Louisiana address its increasing energy needs while mitigating climate change.
Nuclear energy is among the few available baseload sources of energy that do not create carbon emissions during the generating process. Nuclear energy is receiving increasing public support, and a recent public opinion survey by Zogby International found that two-thirds of Americans support the construction of nuclear plants.
Entergy is the third energy company this month to submit an NRC license application naming GEH's Generation III+ ESBWR design as its technology choice. In September, Detroit Edison, Michigan's largest electric utility, submitted a license application for a potential new ESBWR reactor at its existing Fermi 2 Power Plant site. And Exelon Corp. submitted an NRC license application to potentially build and operate two ESBWR reactors near Victoria, Texas.
Entergy is among four U.S. utilities that have selected the ESBWR for a total of six potential reactor units. The River Bend license application is Entergy's second application to the NRC in 2008 for a potential ESBWR project. Earlier this year, in conjunction with the utility consortium NuStart Energy Development, Entergy submitted a separate application for a potential ESBWR unit that would be built at its Grand Gulf Nuclear Station site in Port Gibson, Miss.
"We are pleased to support Entergy's application to the NRC to reserve the option of building a potential ESBWR to help address Louisiana's need for additional power generation capacity," said Jack Fuller, president and CEO of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. "By selecting the ESBWR, Entergy will be able to take advantage of project synergies, including the enhanced coordination of project equipment and labor supply chains."
By submitting its license application before a federal deadline of Dec. 31, Entergy remains eligible for tax incentives and loan guarantees offered by the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005. The incentives were adopted to help jumpstart the first group of new reactor orders in the United States since the 1970s.
Entergy's choice of the ESBWR highlights the growing interest among U.S. energy companies in considering the construction of new fleets of advanced nuclear reactors to meet rising energy demands.
GEH's 1,520-MW ESBWR is an evolutionary Generation III+ passive-safety reactor design undergoing final certification review by the NRC. Much of the site-specific engineering design work for future ESBWR projects will be performed at GEH's Advanced Technology Center in Wilmington, N.C., where the GE Hitachi nuclear alliance is headquartered.
Entergy's River Bend plant currently is powered by an earlier-generation, 980-MW boiling water reactor (BWR) unit designed by GE, which joined with Hitachi to create the GE Hitachi nuclear alliance in 2007.
About GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy
Based in Wilmington, N.C., GEH is a world-leading provider of advanced reactors and nuclear services. Established in June 2007, GEH is a global nuclear alliance created by GE and Hitachi to serve the global nuclear industry. The nuclear alliance executes a single, strategic vision to create a broader portfolio of solutions, expanding its capabilities for new reactor and service opportunities. The alliance offers customers around the world the technological leadership required to effectively enhance reactor performance, power output and safety.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2007 revenue of $22 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy works in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels. Numerous GE Energy products are certified under ecomagination, GE's corporate-wide initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges.
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Soteryx Corporation
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Howard Masto
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