The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved Southern Nuclear Operating Company’s (SNC) application for two Combined Licenses (COL) at the Vogtle site in Georgia. These are the first new reactor construction licenses in the U.S. since 1978.
The COLs are expected to be issued within 10 business days and will authorize SNC to build and operate two Westinghouse AP1000 reactors at the Vogtle site, adjacent to the company’s existing reactors near Augusta, Ga. The NRC certified Westinghouse’s amended AP1000 design on Dec. 30, 2011. The AP1000 is a 1.1 GW electric pressurized-water reactor that includes passive safety features designed to cool down the reactor after a "station blackout" incident like that at Fukushima Daiichi without the need for electric power from external or backup generator sources and without human intervention.
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