NRC Grants Design Certification to Westinghouse AP1000
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ — The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) today approved Design Certification for Westinghouse Electric Company’s AP1000 standard nuclear plant design, making the AP1000 the first Generation III+ plant to receive such certification.
Westinghouse Senior Vice President Daniel S. Lipman said achieving Design Certification is another in a series of positive developments that will ultimately culminate in new plant construction in the United States. “Design Certification is the final step in the process of rule-making and regulation,” he said. “Westinghouse is certainly pleased to have achieved this latest milestone for the AP1000, and we look forward to working with utilities both in the U.S. and worldwide to build this advanced, inherently safe plant.”
The Certification becomes official 30 days following publication in the Federal Register. It is also conditional upon approval by the Office of Management and Budget of the information collection requirements contained in the rule.
Mr. Lipman also said that as momentum toward a U.S. nuclear renaissance continues to build, it is clear that the AP1000 is leading the way in terms of safety and constructability. “The AP1000′s reliance on naturally occurring phenomena such as gravity, natural circulation and condensation guarantees safe operation,” he said. “In addition, the modular construction of the AP1000 will improve quality while reducing construction time to about 36 months from the time concrete is poured until fuel load.”
In September of 2004, the NRC awarded Final Design Approval to the AP1000, clearing the way for the company to begin selling the 1100 MWe design internationally. The safest, most economical nuclear plant design currently available with NRC approval, the AP1000 has already received strong interest from potential customers in the United States, Asia and Europe.
In the United States, the NuStart consortium has selected TVA’s Bellefonte site and the AP1000 to develop a COL application, while Duke Power has announced plans and selected the AP1000 design for its COL application. Interest is also being expressed by other U.S. power companies.
Westinghouse Electric Company is the world’s pioneering nuclear power company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world’s operating nuclear plants.
Note: Generation III+ is DOE’s nomenclature for the new generation of competitive reactor designs that will follow the Generation III Advanced Light Water Reactors developed in the 1990s.
Westinghouse Electric Company
CONTACT: Vaughn Gilbert of Westinghouse Electric Company,+1-412-374-3896, or gilberhv@westinghouse.com
Web site: http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/
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