Group items tagged

Exelon Corporation and NRG Energy, Inc.; South Texas Project, Units 1 and 2; Notice of Consideration of Approval of Application Regarding Proposed Merger of NRG Energy, Inc. and Exelon Corporation, and Indirect Transfers of NRG South Texas LP's Facility Operating Licenses, and Opportunity for a Hearing The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission, NRC) is considering the issuance of an order under Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 50.80 approving the indirect transfer of control of the Facility Operating Licenses, which are numbered NPF-76 and NPF-80, for the South Texas Project (STP), Units 1 and 2, respectively, to the extent held by NRG South Texas LP (NRG South Texas).

The cost escalation of a new nuclear project is the subject of an investigation by Texas utility CPS Energy, which warned that new reactors "must be affordable". CPS is warning that the price must be right for South Texas Project 3 and 4 In June the project to build two Advanced Boiling Water Reactors at the South Texas Project was valued at $10 billion - or $13 billion including finance. CPS is responsible for half of the project, but the firm's reaction to a reported $4 billion cost increase has cast its involvement has been cast into doubt.

The cost escalation of a new nuclear project is the subject of an investigation by Texas utility CPS Energy, which warned that new reactors "must be affordable". CPS is warning that the price must be right for South Texas Project 3 and 4 In June the project to build two Advanced Boiling Water Reactors at the South Texas Project was valued at $10 billion - or $13 billion including finance. CPS is responsible for half of the project, but the firm's reaction to a reported $4 billion cost increase has cast its involvement has been cast into doubt.

CPS Energy CEO Milton Lee and Interim General Manager Steve Bartley are heading to Japan on Tuesday to square off behind closed door meetings with Toshiba Corp. officials to discuss why the cost projection on two new nuclear reactors are higher than expected. Toshiba Power Systems is the lead contractor for the proposed expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear power plant in Matagorda County, Texas. There have been reports indicating that the price tag could be as much as $4 billion higher than originally projected. CPS Energy's partner in the South Texas Project expansion, NRG Energy, will also be involved with discussions. CPS Energy will press the Japanese for a pricing structure on the two new reactors that is more affordable than the current cost projection. CPS Energy wants the cost of the nuclear reactors to have no more than a 5 percent impact on customer bills, Bartley says.

CPS Energy CEO Milton Lee and Interim General Manager Steve Bartley are heading to Japan on Tuesday to square off behind closed door meetings with Toshiba Corp. officials to discuss why the cost projection on two new nuclear reactors are higher than expected. Toshiba Power Systems is the lead contractor for the proposed expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear power plant in Matagorda County, Texas. There have been reports indicating that the price tag could be as much as $4 billion higher than originally projected. CPS Energy's partner in the South Texas Project expansion, NRG Energy, will also be involved with discussions. CPS Energy will press the Japanese for a pricing structure on the two new reactors that is more affordable than the current cost projection. CPS Energy wants the cost of the nuclear reactors to have no more than a 5 percent impact on customer bills, Bartley says.

"A San Antonio municipal utility's public and acrimonious divorce from a proposed two-unit, 2,700-megawatt nuclear power plant is nearly final. San Antonio municipal utility CPS Energy has been trying to separate itself from South Texas Project units 3 and 4 for several months. Last week, a settlement was reached between CPS Energy and Nuclear Innovation North America (NINA) (New York, New York), a consortium of NRG Energy Incorporated /quotes/comstock/13*!nrg/quotes/nls/nrg (NRG 21.84, -0.23, -1.04%) (Princeton, New Jersey) and Toshiba Corporation (TYO: 6502) (Tokyo, Japan) that is developing the two-unit nuclear expansion of the South Texas Project (STP). All that remains is for the CPS Energy board to ratify the deal. Toshiba is the engineering, procurement, and construction firm for STP units 3 and 4. Subcontractors include Fluor Corporation /quotes/comstock/13*!flr/quotes/nls/flr (FLR 42.80, -2.25, -4.99%) (Irving, Texas), Sargent & Lundy LLC (Chicago, Illinois), Bechtel Group Incorporated (San Francisco, California) and Westinghouse (Monroeville, Pennsylvania). "

The proposed expansion of the South Texas Nuclear Project (STP) would cost as much as $22 billion, boost the cost of electricity for consumers and curtail investment in energy-efficiency programs and solar power, a report released today by Public Citizen finds. The report, "Costs of Current and Planned Nuclear Power Plants in Texas: A Consumer Perspective," provides some answers to many of the key questions about CPS Energy's proposed partnership in the STP expansion that municipal candidates have said must be resolved before they can decide what is right for San Antonio. "We've been down this road before," said Tom "Smitty" Smith, director of Public Citizen's Texas office. "This nuclear expansion will have a significant impact on consumers in San Antonio, and perhaps throughout the Texas market. It is an irresponsible investment."

CPS Energy of San Antonio, a 50-50 partner with a unit of NRG Energy (NRG.N) in a plan to build two new nuclear reactors in Texas, asked a state court to "clarify" its liability should it pull out of the project, the company said on Monday. Stocks The San Antonio municipal utility said it filed a petition in state district court late Sunday "to clarify the roles and obligations" of CPS Energy and Nuclear Innovation North America (NINA), a partnership of NRG and Toshiba Corp (6502.T). NINA is developing a two-unit expansion plan at the South Texas Project, Texas largest nuclear station, expected to cost more than $10 billion. Rising cost estimates for the project have created concern among San Antonio's city leaders.

CPS Energy of San Antonio, a 50-50 partner with a unit of NRG Energy (NRG.N) in a plan to build two new nuclear reactors in Texas, asked a state court to "clarify" its liability should it pull out of the project, the company said on Monday. Stocks The San Antonio municipal utility said it filed a petition in state district court late Sunday "to clarify the roles and obligations" of CPS Energy and Nuclear Innovation North America (NINA), a partnership of NRG and Toshiba Corp (6502.T). NINA is developing a two-unit expansion plan at the South Texas Project, Texas largest nuclear station, expected to cost more than $10 billion. Rising cost estimates for the project have created concern among San Antonio's city leaders.

If CPS Energy thinks the citizens of South Texas are just going to stand by while the company sinks billions of dollars into a risky nuclear expansion project, it looks like they've got another think coming. Several Texas groups filed a petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week to block the expansion of two more reactors at the South Texas Project in Bay City.

"Agency Is Refusing to Adhere to an Order to Release Document That Would Help Determine Safety of New Nuclear Reactors WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) should stop balking and provide a critical document that would reveal how the owners of a Texas nuclear plant expansion project plan to deal with a fire or explosion, three public interest groups told the commission late last week. Three administrative judges of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board have ordered the agency to provide at least a redacted version, but NRC staffers have refused. The NRC's lack of transparency could impact the ability to get adequate safety-related information not only about the South Texas Project (STP) but about other proposed reactors around the country as well. Late Friday, the groups - the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Coalition, Public Citizen and the South Texas Association for Responsible Energy - filed a brief with the NRC. It noted that the NRC staff's refusal to provide the information violated President Barack Obama's new transparency policy. The groups also said the NRC is acting arbitrarily and trying to shut the public out of NRC proceedings."

South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company Application for the South Texas Project Units 3 and 4; Notice of Order, Hearing, and Opportunity To Petition for Leave To Intervene

A request for a temporary restraining order against CPS Energy has been denied by Bexar County District Judge John D. Gabriel. Nuclear Innovation North America (NINA) LLC, the joint venture of NRG Energy and Toshiba Corp., had sought the order during a hearing to determine a court date when legal pleadings will be heard concerning CPS Energy's lawsuit against NINA. The legal dispute arose over questions about the cost estimate of two nuclear reactors at the South Texas Project near Bay City, Texas. CPS Energy contends that the estimate came in $4 billion higher than the utility anticipated.

A request for a temporary restraining order against CPS Energy has been denied by Bexar County District Judge John D. Gabriel. Nuclear Innovation North America (NINA) LLC, the joint venture of NRG Energy and Toshiba Corp., had sought the order during a hearing to determine a court date when legal pleadings will be heard concerning CPS Energy's lawsuit against NINA. The legal dispute arose over questions about the cost estimate of two nuclear reactors at the South Texas Project near Bay City, Texas. CPS Energy contends that the estimate came in $4 billion higher than the utility anticipated.

Early 1960s: The federal government proposes a nuclear reactor alongside Town Lake. The City Council rejects the proposal, which contracting giant Brown and Root had advised the city would have major cost overruns. 1971: Houston Lighting & Power announces a feasibility study of building a nuclear power plant to be shared by Austin, San Antonio and Corpus Christi. September 1972: Austin voters reject a $289 million bond referendum proposed by then-mayor Roy Butler for nuclear power, 52 percent to 48 percent. It would have funded Austin's involvement in the South Texas Nuclear Project, which Brown and Root was going to build. November 1973: Voters approve a $161 million bond referendum for nuclear power, 51 percent to 49 percent. 1976: The first concrete for the project is laid. With University of Texas students out, Austin voters reject a referendum in August requiring Austin to sell its share of the South Texas Nuclear Project, 75 percent to 25 percent.

Uranium mining supporters say a new report proves exploratory drilling does not contaminate South Texas groundwater. The uranium was there in the water all along, they said Wednesday. Critics in this circular debate, however, don't trust the report's data. As early as the 1970s, levels of naturally occurring uranium found in South Texas groundwater exceeded today's federal standards, the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association reported Wednesday. The association is a group of 100 mining industry members. The group crunched an extensive online database hosted by the U.S. Geological Service. The mining group found high levels of uranium existed in groundwater in areas that had yet to be mined, members said. "This is a pretty significant finding," said Larry McGonagle, chairman of the mining association's uranium subcommittee. "Exploration causes contamination? There's not really a basis in that conclusion."

New signs will be posted at the South Texas Project nuclear power plant, as a new law takes effect making it a federal crime to carry a gun into a nuclear plant. While security has always been tight, with armed guards manning metal detectors at the heavily fortified main gates, it has never actually been against federal law to pack heat at the nation's 102 nuclear power plants until now. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said plants had to rely on local prosecutors to accept "Carrying a Prohibitied Weapon" charge, which was unlikely since there was such a grey area in the law. The new law now allows the FBI and federal prosecutors to arrest and charge anyone found with a gun at those metal detectors.

New signs will be posted at the South Texas Project nuclear power plant, as a new law takes effect making it a federal crime to carry a gun into a nuclear plant. While security has always been tight, with armed guards manning metal detectors at the heavily fortified main gates, it has never actually been against federal law to pack heat at the nation's 102 nuclear power plants until now. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said plants had to rely on local prosecutors to accept "Carrying a Prohibitied Weapon" charge, which was unlikely since there was such a grey area in the law. The new law now allows the FBI and federal prosecutors to arrest and charge anyone found with a gun at those metal detectors.

The proposed expansion of a South Texas nuclear plant would probably finish billions of dollars over budget and years late, and investing in the deal would be too risky for the City of Austin even under the most optimistic financial projections, according to an independent report commissioned by the City Council. The council must vote today on whether to participate in the expansion. Following the advice of a nuclear power consultant and Austin's electric utility, the council is scheduled to say no to the proposal, which would put the city on the hook for as much as $2 billion in construction costs, in addition to its current commitment to the South Texas Project.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a schedule for the Combined License (COL) review of the South Texas Project (STP 3&4) expansion today. Based on the NRC's schedule, Nuclear Innovation North America LLC (NINA) - the nuclear development company jointly owned by NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) and Toshiba Corporation, anticipates receiving the COL for the new units in 2012. With this permitting schedule established, we can now move to complete the detailed design and construction schedules from pouring first concrete to fuel load and startup. Issuing the schedule marks the continuation of NRC's review based on a revision to the STP expansion application filed in September 2008. The revision incorporated a limited number of changes to enhance safety and increase the ability to complete the units on time and on budget using the proven NRC-certified Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) design.

With its recent recommendation to move forward with construction of two new nuclear power units in South Texas, the staff of CPS Energy has placed San Antonio at the forefront of a national debate that has been raging for more than two dozen years. There hasn't been a new nuclear power reactor constructed in the U.S. since the 1970s, but now there are five potential units on the horizon, including two that would be located in South Texas supplying power for CPS Energy - which serves San Antonio and Bexar County. Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman came to San Antonio recently as co-chair of a group advocating for the expansion of nuclear energy nationwide and acknowledged the Alamo City's central role in the debate.

The field of U.S. companies competing for $18.5 billion in government-backed loans to build new nuclear plants has narrowed to five from about 14 last year, company sources said. Officials with projects in Texas, Maryland and South Carolina confirmed they were still in the running for a piece of U.S. Energy Department loan backing, which could be crucial to spurring the first round of nuclear plant building in more than 30 years. NRG Energy's South Texas Project units 3 and 4; Unistar Nuclear's Calvert Cliffs 3 reactor in Maryland; and SCANA Corp/Santee Cooper's two-unit expansion at the Summer station in South Carolina are among five projects still under DOE consideration, company officials said.

"NRG-CPS Energy lawsuit complicates ownership question HOUSTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - A Japanese electric utility is mulling a stake in a Texas nuclear plant under development by NRG Energy Inc (NRG.N), which is a leading contender for billions of dollars in federal loan guarantees. Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc (9501.T), operator of the world's largest nuclear plant in Japan, is considering taking a stake in the $10 billion-plus project to be built in South Texas by 2016, said a spokesman for the Japanese utility. TEPCO's interest surfaced just as NRG's nuclear development unit and San Antonio utility CPS Energy prepared to square off in court in a dispute over CPS' right to reduce its ownership share or withdraw from the project."

CPS Energy, San Antonio's electricity company, sued NRG Energy for $32 billion because of contractual disputes involving the expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear power facility. CPS owns a stake in the facility, which NRG also owns and operates. CPS says in the lawsuit that NRG, NRG's Nuclear Innovation North America joint venture, and Toshiba, "made misrepresentations and also failed to disclose project critical information to induce CPS Energy to participate in the project."

CPS Energy, San Antonio's electricity company, sued NRG Energy for $32 billion because of contractual disputes involving the expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear power facility. CPS owns a stake in the facility, which NRG also owns and operates. CPS says in the lawsuit that NRG, NRG's Nuclear Innovation North America joint venture, and Toshiba, "made misrepresentations and also failed to disclose project critical information to induce CPS Energy to participate in the project."

The government says nuclear power is safe, but others say an airplane hit or frontal assault would be big trouble. BAY CITY, Texas (CNNMoney.com) -- At a nuclear power plant in Texas, two men dressed in combat gear are perched atop a steel-framed watchtower armed with assault rifles, firing on both moving and stationary targets some 300 yards away. This is only a drill, but the threat they're preparing for is very real. It's one of the worst disaster scenarios imaginable: Terrorists infiltrate a nuclear power plant and cause a meltdown.

The government says nuclear power is safe, but others say an airplane hit or frontal assault would be big trouble. BAY CITY, Texas (CNNMoney.com) -- At a nuclear power plant in Texas, two men dressed in combat gear are perched atop a steel-framed watchtower armed with assault rifles, firing on both moving and stationary targets some 300 yards away. This is only a drill, but the threat they're preparing for is very real. It's one of the worst disaster scenarios imaginable: Terrorists infiltrate a nuclear power plant and cause a meltdown.