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7 August 2006 -- GE Energy's nuclear business and the STP Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC), acting as agent for NRG South Texas LP, have signed a project development agreement to study the deployment and begin licensing activities for two GE Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs) that would be located at the South Texas Project Electric Generating Station (STP).
The proposed project would be built adjacent to the existing STP nuclear plant, located near Bay City and about 90 miles southwest of Houston. The existing plant utilizes two 1,312 MW pressurized water reactors (PWRs) to supply power to customers in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Corpus Christi and surrounding areas.
The agreement comes just weeks after STP's 44 percent owner, NRG Energy Inc., announced its intention to pursue the two-unit ABWR project. The projects are part of a larger initiative to expand and repower NRG's generation portfolio in Texas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana and New York.
On July 27, STPNOC, NRG and GE representatives met with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to discuss their intention to prepare a combined license (COL) application for the two-unit project.
With the recent ABWR announcement, NRG joins a growing number of generation companies that have notified the NRC of their potential interest in building new, advanced reactors.
The NRC issued final design certification for the GE ABWR in 1997, allowing it to be used in U.S. projects. The ABWR is a "Generation III" reactor design that is more advanced than existing reactors in operation. For example, the ABWR design incorporates digital controls and has relocated recirculation pumps inside the reactor containment vessel for enhanced safety.
The STP plant is operated by STPNOC and owned by Austin Energy, CPS Energy and NRG Texas. STP's current twin reactors produce about 2,600 MW of electricity.
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