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New Nuclear Power Plants

Duke Power

The African American Environmentalist Association has participated in the three Early Site Permit (ESP) hearings sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). AAEA also attended the Combined Operating License (COL) meeting between Duke Power and NRC. Descriptions of these activities are below.

NRC Public Meeting For New Plant(s) at Duke Power

March 14, 2005 -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held a public meeting to discuss Duke’s possible application for a Combined License (COL) to build a nuclear power plant. The meeting was held at NRC Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. The meeting includee discussion of possible COL application strategies and review schedules, as well as how the agency and Duke would interact during the pre-application stage.

The NRC amended its licensing regulations in 1989, creating the COL to provide an alternative to the existing process. When the nation’s current 104 licensed reactors were built, an applicant had to first obtain a construction permit. Following completion of construction and testing, the applicant then had to obtain an operating license before a plant could start up. A Combined License authorizes both construction and conditional operation of a nuclear power plant. The COL process incorporates inspections, tests, analyses and acceptance criteria into the construction phase to provide information necessary to demonstrate that the reactor could operate safely once construction is complete.

Duke plans to prepare a COL application that includes plant siting. Duke is in the initial stages of work on site selection and reactor technology selection, and anticipates making both of these selection decisions by December 2005.

McDonald at McGuire nuclear plant (Charlotte, NC)

With respect to reactor technology, Duke is presently considering three technologies:

1. General Electric's Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR)
2. Framatome ANP's Eveolutionary Pressurized Reactor (EPR) and
3. Westinghouse's Advanced Passive Pressurized Water Reactor (AP1000)

Duke plans to provide the NRC with its detailed plans and schedule for pre-COL and COL activities by July 2005. Duke's tentative schedule for submitting the COL application is early 2008.

McDonald at Catawba nuclear power plant in S.C.