Exelon Nuclear has selected two sites in southeastern Texas as possible locations for a new nuclear plant.
Illinois-based Exelon Nuclear, which operates the largest number of nuclear plants in the nation, said it is preparing a federal application that would allow construction and operation of a plant should the company decide to build one.
The primary prospective site is a tract about 10 miles south of Collegeport in Matagorda County. A secondary site is about 20 miles south of Victoria in Victoria County.
Two potential nuclear sites chosen
Exelon said it expects to submit the application to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission in November 2008. It expects the application process to cost about $23 million.
For the next 18 months, the company will work through an extensive process with the regulatory commission before the application is submitted, Exelon Nuclear spokesman Craig Nesbit said Thursday. After that, the NRC will take three to four years to evaluate the application.
Texas now has two nuclear power plants, the South Texas Project near Bay City in Matagorda County and Comanche Peak in Somervell County 80 miles southwest of Dallas. The operators of both projects have said they plan to add two new reactors to each site.
A consortium including NRG Energy, CPS Energy and Austin Energy operates South Texas. TXU operates Comanche Peak.
Fourteen percent of the state's power, 4,800 megawatts, came from nuclear units in 2006, according to state power grid operators.
Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald said the county supports the application.
"We have nuclear electrical generation in the county now," McDonald said, referring to the South Texas Project. "They have been a good partner for us, and this is another one of those. They are good, clean industries, they are well-financed, they bring excellent employment opportunities and a large tax base."
The U.S. Department of Energy projects that Texas will need 48 percent more generating capacity by 2030, said Tom O'Neill, Exelon Nuclear's vice president of new plant development.
"Nuclear energy is safe and clean and has a low operating cost," O'Neill said in a prepared statement. "That's why we believe nuclear energy is a key part of Texas' future energy mix, because of its inherent environmental and energy independence benefits."
But most of the environmentalist community opposes nuclear energy, said Tom "Smitty" Smith, director of the Texas office of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.
"The risks of nuclear power are extraordinary," Smith said. "One mistake could contaminate a large swath of Texas for tens of thousands of years."
Existing plants are beginning to age and like cars, will become more prone to breakdowns and leaks, he said.
Environmentalists also worry about terrorist attacks on plants and long-term disposal of nuclear waste, he said.
But South Texas Project spokeswoman Kelly Cripe said nuclear plants are clean, safe and reliable. She said Exelon's application is welcome because a new plant could help meet the state's growing energy needs.
Exelon said Wednesday that while a combined construction and operating license is required for construction of a new nuclear energy plant, the application does not imply that Exelon has made a commitment to build a plant.
Several issues must be resolved to Exelon's satisfaction before a formal decision to build is made, the company said.
Those include a plan for used fuel disposal, broad public acceptance of a new nuclear plant and assurances that a new plant would be financially viable.
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