DOE Seeks Public-Private Partnerships

[Susan L Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

RadSafers might be interested in this announcement.



--Susan Gawarecki



November 21, 2003

DOE Seeks Public-Private Partnerships To Demonstrate "One-Step 

Licensing" of New U.S. Nuclear Power Plants



WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced today 

that the Department of Energy (DOE) is moving ahead with the next major 

phase of the Nuclear Power 2010 program, seeking formal applications 

from nuclear generating companies to partner with the department on 

licensing activities that would enable a new nuclear plant to be ordered 

and licensed for deployment early in the decade.  The activities include 

preparation and submittal of combined construction and operating (or 

“one-step”) license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

(NRC) and certification of advanced, Generation III+ nuclear plant designs.



“Nuclear power is clean energy and we want to expand its use in the 

U.S.,” Secretary Abraham said.   “It accounts for 20 percent of 

America’s energy needs.  This phase of the program could lead to 

licensing and construction of the first new nuclear plant in this 

country since the 1970s.”



Expansion of nuclear power in the U.S. is a key recommendation of the 

National Energy Policy in order to meet growing demand for electricity 

while reducing greenhouse gas and other air emissions.  Additional 

nuclear power will also help reduce the need for valuable domestic 

natural gas resources where scarcity has resulted in a doubling of 

prices over the last few years.



Under the Nuclear Power 2010 initiative, DOE matches industry 

investments over the next several years to demonstrate the key 

regulatory processes designed to make new plants more efficient, 

effective and predictable.  The program is currently working with three 

U.S. utilities to obtain permits for sites at which new plants could be 

built.  For this latest phase of the initiative, DOE is seeking 

proposals from teams led by U.S. power generating companies to develop 

and implement plans to license and build new plants.  Proposals will be 

evaluated on a first-come, first-serve basis.



Copies of the solicitation number DE-PS07-04ID14435, can be obtained 

from the department’s Interactive Procurement web site, 

http://e-center.doe.gov.



The “one step” licensing process, established by Congress in the Energy 

Policy Act of 1992   allows applicants of new nuclear plants to obtain a 

combined license to construct and operate the plant contingent on 

meeting pre-established NRC requirements.  The old licensing regime 

required separate licensing processes for construction and operation—an 

approach that led to unnecessary and expensive delays that cost 

ratepayers billions of dollars.  The new process allows for timely 

public access to relevant information, thorough NRC review and 

resolution of all issues related to plant design and operation, and 

approval to proceed with construction and operation of a new plant.



New Generation III+ designs considered for this solicitation have the 

advantage of combining technology familiar to operators of current 

plants with vastly improved safety features and significant 

simplification is expected to result in lower and more predictable 

construction and operating costs.   The last successful order for a 

nuclear power plant was in 1973.



“These Generation III+ designs will bring the nuclear power industry to 

the forefront of technological evolution” Secretary Abraham said.



Additional information on the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Power 2010 

program and other nuclear energy programs may be found on the nuclear 

energy web site, www.nuclear.gov .



Media Contact(s):

Joe Davis, 202/586-4940

Hope Williams, 202/586-5806



Number: R-03- 272

-- 

.....................................................

Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director

Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee

102 Robertsville Road, Suite B, Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Toll free 888-770-3073 ~ www.local-oversight.org

.....................................................





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