Entergy Focuses on Louisiana in Application for Second New Nuclear License
09/25/08
Jackson, Mississippi – September 25, 2008 - Entergy on Thursday submitted a license application for a potential new nuclear plant in St. Francisville, La., further maintaining the option of building clean-air nuclear energy plants to meet the region’s future electricity needs.
The combined construction and operating license application, a 13,000-page document filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, seeks authorization for an additional nuclear reactor at the current site of Entergy’s River Bend Station, a General Electric boiling water reactor that began commercial operation in 1986.
“Taking this step now will preserve the option to build nuclear plants in the future and meet the future energy needs of our customers,” said Renae Conley, president and chief executive officer of Entergy Louisiana, LLC and Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, L.L.C. “We need electricity that is generated from a diverse mix of fuels. This action will ensure that this opportunity remains available to our customers.”
Earlier this year, Entergy filed a similar application for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station site in Port Gibson, Miss.
Today’s filing further positions the company as leader in the nation’s drive to pursue all avenues in cutting foreign energy dependence and ensuring available electricity for the country’s growing power needs. Already, the current River Bend reactor meets more than 8 percent of Louisiana’s energy demand, employs more than 530 people and contributes $15 million to the tax base.
Like the Grand Gulf submittal, the River Bend license application references the GE Hitachi ESBWR technology. The Grand Gulf construction and operating license application, also called a COLA, was developed under the Department of Energy''s Nuclear Power 2010 program.
While Entergy has made no commitment to build a new nuclear reactor at either site, working to secure a license now will keep the nuclear option open for the future.
The ESBWR design builds on the current generation of nuclear reactors to improve technologies that already have proven themselves over decades of operation. Where possible, the ESBWR uses natural forces to further strengthen safety designs and eliminate complexity. Design features such as these can help stabilize expenses through reduced operational and maintenance costs.
Once the NRC accepts and dockets the River Bend application, the regulatory process will call for a comprehensive review of approximately 36 to 42 months. The actual review schedule will be determined only after the NRC completes its acceptance review of the application.
Subsequently, the agency will allow the public at least 60 days to review the application and make comments.
The full application will be posted on the NRC’s electronic reading room at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html, and the agency will schedule a public meeting in the St. Francisville area to solicit public input.
With energy demands rising across the nation, many energy companies are pursuing clean, safe nuclear options. The U.S. Department of Energy states 250 to 500 new baseload power plants – those designed to help meet basic electrical needs – will be needed across the country by 2030.
Nuclear energy offers many benefits to customers, national government and the general society. Nuclear plants are reliable sources of affordable electricity, emitting no greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Today, Entergy’s operation of a single reactor at River Bend avoids the emission of nearly six million metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly, not to mention the elimination of tons of other environmental emissions such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. In addition, energy from diverse sources strengthens the country’s security and energy independence.
Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and approximately 14,300 employees.
Members of NuStart Energy consortium are:
DTE Energy, Detroit, MI, Duke Energy, Charlotte, NC, EDF International North America, Washington, D.C., Entergy Nuclear, Jackson, MS, Exelon Generation, Philadelphia, PA, Florida Power & Light Company, Juno Beach, FL, Progress Energy, Raleigh, NC, South Carolina Electric & Gas, Columbia, SC, Southern Company, Atlanta, GA, Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, TN, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Wilmington, NC, Westinghouse Electric Co., Pittsburgh, PA