Westinghouse AP600 Receives Design Certification From US NRC

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Thursday January 6, 11:33 am Eastern Time

Company Press Release

SOURCE: Westinghouse Electric Company

Westinghouse AP600 Receives Design Certification From US NRC; Company 
to Aggressively Market Advanced/Passive Reactor Throughout the World; 
Technology Offers Improved Safety Features; Will Enhance Nuclear 
Competitiveness  

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Westinghouse Electric Company's 
AP600 is now fully licensed for construction and operation throughout 
the United States and the world following the granting of design 
certification by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  

Charles W. Pryor, Jr., president and chief executive officer of 
Westinghouse, said design certification, while clearly the most 
significant AP600 milestone to date, is in reality only a stepping 
stone to the company's primary objective of actual construction and 
operation.  

``We have proven over the past decade that nuclear power can be 
competitive with other generating sources,'' he continued. ``Now, we 
have a licensed technology, representing a significant leap forward 
in terms of constructability, safety and economics, that will 
substantially enhance the long-term viability of our industry while 
helping to reduce greenhouse gases associated with fossil plants.''  

Design certification, awarded December 15, is the culmination of a 
ten-year, multi-million dollar effort by the NRC staff, the U.S. 
Department of Energy, the Electric Power Research Institute and 
supporting utilities, Westinghouse, its subcontractors and partners. 
In total, those organizations invested more than 2000 man years in 
testing, design engineering, research and analysis that confirms the 
AP600 is the safest, most economical nuclear plant ever designed.  

With simplicity and passive safety systems as its key technical 
concepts, the AP600 requires 50 percent fewer valves, 80 percent less 
piping, 70 percent less control cable, and 35 percent fewer pumps 
than traditional nuclear power plants. As a result, the AP600 should 
be built much quicker than conventional reactors, with Westinghouse 
estimating construction times, from first concrete to commercial 
operation, of 36 months or less.