Testing the Waters

Nuclear Power Plants. (H/T QandO)

At least eight utilities, including all the major operators of nuclear power plants, have been testing the regulatory environment to determine how fast a new reactor might get approved by the NRC. Though no final decision on a project has been announced, several companies have indicated they would like to build a new reactor by 2010.

Three reactor vendors — Westinghouse, General Electric, and the French company AREVA — are competing with different new reactor designs.

Under the Nustart plan, the reactor at Grand Gulf would be a GE designed reactor, while the one in Alabama would use a Westinghouse design.

Makes one hope that they are looking at something more innovative than the usual BWR.