NuStart

Entergy took a leading role in persuading other nuclear utilities to join together and form NuStart Energy Development LLC to obtain the first Construction and Operating License (COL) for a new nuclear reactor in 30 years. The consortium, NuStart Energy Development LLC, has a single objective – to get the nation’s first COL.

But even with 50-50 cost-sharing by the Department of Energy through its Nuclear Power 2010 Program to encourage new reactors, it will be 2008 before NuStart can finish the engineering to complete an application for a COL. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects to need until 2010 to review and approve the first license. NuStart’s two new licenses could be taken over by a member company and used to build the nation’s first new reactors.

Since NuStart was formed in 2004, six individual utilities have announced they also plan to apply for as many as 10 licenses to build new units. NuStart has selected Entergy’s Grand Gulf Nuclear Station at Port Gibson, Miss., for its application for a COL using General Electric’s Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor design. In addition, Entergy has also publicly committed to preparing an application for a COL for the same GE design reactor at its River Bend Station near St. Francisville, La. Doing both COL applications simultaneously will save 50 percent of the cost and give Entergy a choice of two sites if and when it decides to build in 2010.