A nuclear energy project that would use Areva’s U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor design received a key approval on Monday.
The Maryland Public Service Commission issued a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the proposed reactor at Constellation Energy’s Calvert Cliffs power plant near Lusby, Md.
UniStar Nuclear Energy, a joint venture between Constellation and Electricite de France, is leading the project.
The Maryland commission’s approval was required before construction could begin. It was one factor for which Constellation and UniStar were waiting before making a final decision to build an EPR.
Much of the design work on the U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor was done in Lynchburg by Areva NP Inc.
Areva is in the process of expanding and hiring 500 new employees in Lynchburg to support the detailed design and construction of proposed projects like the one in Maryland.
Areva employs more than 2,000 people in the Lynchburg region.
The Calvert Cliffs project is one of four that are undergoing the final due diligence and negotiations with the U.S. Department of Energy in hopes of receiving a federal loan guarantee, which could be essential to get loans for the project.
If it receives a loan guarantee by the end of 2009, UniStar could move forward on the project, according to a news release from Constellation.
The project also needs approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A new nuclear power reactor has not been built in the U.S. since the 1970s, and several companies are racing to be the first to build one soon.
The NRC has 20 construction license applications at various stages in the approval process, including four that cite Areva's design.
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