WASHINGTON, DC - March 08, 2010
-- U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced selections for
the award of approximately $40 million in total to two teams led by
Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse Electric Co. and San Diego-based General
Atomics for conceptual design and planning work for the Next Generation
Nuclear Plant (NGNP). The results of this work will help the
Administration determine whether to proceed with detailed efforts
toward construction and demonstration of the NGNP. If successful, the
NGNP Demonstration Project will demonstrate high-temperature gas-cooled
reactor technology that will be capable of producing electricity as
well as process heat for industrial applications and will be configured
for low technical and safety risk with highly reliable operations.
Final cost-shared awards are subject to the negotiation of acceptable
terms and conditions.
About 16 percent of the Nation's
greenhouse gas emissions come from industrial process heat
applications. The process heat or steam generated by the
high-temperature nuclear reactors could be used for highly-efficient
electricity co-generation, which has the potential to help
energy-intensive industries, such as petrochemical producers, reduce
carbon dioxide emissions.
"This investment reflects President
Obama's commitment to building the next generation of nuclear reactors
that will create thousands of jobs and supply the clean energy to power
our economy," said Secretary Chu. "It's time for America to recapture
the lead in the nuclear energy industry and lay the foundation for a
stronger, cleaner, and more competitive economic future."
The
NGNP project is being conducted in two phases. Phase 1 comprises
research and development, conceptual design and development of
licensing requirements. The selections announced today will support the
development of conceptual designs, cost and schedule estimates for
demonstration project completion and a business plan for integrating
Phase 2 activities. The Department of Energy will use information from
its independent Federal advisory committee, the Nuclear Energy Advisory
Committee, information and data gathered in Phase 1, and other factors
in determining whether the project should continue to Phase 2.
Phase 2 would entail detailed design, license review and construction of a demonstration plant.
The
Department will now negotiate the final terms and conditions for the
awards with the intention of completing conceptual designs by August
31, 2010.