Baltimore, Maryland - June 5, 2008 - UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic joint venture between Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) and the EDF Group, today announced that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted the remainder of UniStar's Combined License (COL) application for an advanced design reactor in southern Maryland.
The NRC action means the second portion of UniStar's application, which includes the final safety analysis report, is technically complete and ready for detailed NRC review. UniStar submitted the documents in March 2008.
"The NRC acceptance represents another significant milestone in UniStar's plans to develop and deploy a potential fleet of advanced nuclear plants in the United States," said George Vanderheyden, president and chief executive officer of UniStar.
UniStar expects to make a final decision by the end of this year whether to proceed with early site work for a third reactor next to Constellation Energy's Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant in Lusby, Md. The proposed plant is part of UniStar's strategy to build at least four U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactors (EPRs) in the U.S. Vanderheyden said the decision to build a new nuclear plant will be based on factors that include project economics, regulatory approvals and the U.S. Department of Energy's issuance of a loan guarantee.
The NRC's decision to accept the remaining portion of UniStar's COL application begins a comprehensive, detailed review process that includes requests for additional information, site visits, safety reviews and public meetings and hearings.
In March, the NRC held public scoping meetings on the Environmental Report portion of UniStar's COL application, which was submitted in 2007 and accepted and docketed for review in January.
UniStar announced in February it had engaged an AREVA-Bechtel Power Consortium to begin detailed design engineering for AREVA's 1,600-megawatt U.S. EPR.
UniStar's COL application for a U.S. EPR at Calvert Cliffs would serve as the reference document for all future UniStar plants.
UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic joint venture between Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) and EDF Group, is powering the nuclear renaissance in North America through industry leadership, disciplined business practices and effective risk-management. Based in Baltimore, Md., UniStar Nuclear Energy provides the licensing, construction and operating services needed to support the expansion of clean, safe and sustainable nuclear energy in the United States.
Constellation Energy, a FORTUNE 125 company with 2007 revenues of $21 billion, is the nation's largest competitive supplier of electricity to large commercial and industrial customers and the nation's largest wholesale power seller. Constellation Energy also manages fuels and energy services on behalf of energy intensive industries and utilities. It owns a diversified fleet of 78 generating units located throughout the United States, totaling approximately 8,700 megawatts of generating capacity. The company delivers electricity and natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated utility in Central Maryland.
The EDF Group, one of the leaders in the energy market in Europe, is an integrated energy company active in all businesses: production, transport, distribution, energy selling and trading. The Group is the leading electricity producer in Europe. In France, it has mainly nuclear and hydraulic production facilities where 95 percent of the electricity output involves no CO2 emissions. EDF's transport and distribution subsidiaries operate 1,246,000 km of low and medium voltage overhead and underground electricity lines and around 100,000 km of high and very high voltage networks. The Group is involved in supplying energy and services to more than 38 million customers around the world, including more than 28 million in France. The Group generated consolidated sales of euro 59.6 billion in 2007, of which 44 percent was in Europe excluding France. EDF is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange and is a member of the CAC 40 index.
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