Maryland PSC Issues State Approval for Proposed Nuclear Energy Facility at Calvert Cliffs
30 Juni 2009 - 1:13AM
PR Newswire (US)
State Regulatory Milestone Provides Greater Certainty for UniStar's
Proposed Project in Southern Maryland BALTIMORE, June 29
/PRNewswire/ -- The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) today
issued a final order approving an application for a Certificate of
Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for a proposed new nuclear
energy facility at Calvert Cliffs in Lusby, Md. The application was
submitted by UniStar Nuclear Energy, LLC (UniStar), a strategic
joint venture of Constellation Energy (NYSE:CEG) and EDF Group, the
global leader in nuclear power. The CPCN, which is required prior
to the commencement of any construction activities, addresses a
range of environmental and reliability impacts of the proposed
nuclear energy facility, including air, water, wetlands, and
cultural and historic impacts. UniStar's proposed project has been
the subject of numerous public hearings since the submission of the
CPCN application to the PSC in November 2007. In April, a hearing
examiner assigned by the PSC issued a proposed order approving
UniStar's application. "This decision serves as another significant
milestone in UniStar's efforts to build certainty for our proposed
Calvert Cliffs Unit 3," said George Vanderheyden, president and
chief executive officer of UniStar. "This is a crucial step in the
state regulatory process and demonstrates Maryland's commitment to
providing clean, safe, reliable and carbon-free electricity to the
region." The announcement provides greater momentum for UniStar's
potential new reactor at Calvert Cliffs as well as its planned
fleet of U.S. EPR reactors at selected sites throughout the United
States. On May 19, UniStar announced that its Calvert Cliffs Unit 3
project was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of
four projects to enter the final phase of due diligence for a
portion of $18.5 billion in federal loan guarantees for advanced
nuclear projects. Receipt of a conditional loan guarantee
commitment by the end of 2009 would position UniStar to make a
final decision to proceed with the project. On June 1, Bechtel
Construction Company (Bechtel) and the Building and Construction
Trades Department (BCTD), AFL-CIO, the National Construction
Alliance II and all affiliated international unions announced the
approval of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the construction of
Calvert Cliffs Unit 3. The 1,600-megawatt reactor is proposed to be
built next to Constellation Energy's existing Calvert Cliffs
facility and would create up to 4,000 construction jobs and
approximately 400 permanent jobs. In parallel with state regulatory
reviews, UniStar is pursuing approval from the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) to license and operate the proposed new
facility. UniStar's Combined License Application (COLA) is
currently under review by the NRC. If built, the facility would
generate enough carbon-emissions-free electricity to power 1.3
million homes and would bring much-needed, reliable,
around-the-clock power to Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region.
About UniStar Nuclear Energy UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic
joint venture between Constellation Energy (NYSE:CEG) and EDF
Group, is powering the nuclear renaissance in North America through
industry leadership, disciplined business practices and effective
risk-management. Based in Baltimore, Md., UniStar Nuclear Energy
provides the licensing, construction and operating services needed
to support the expansion of clean, safe and sustainable nuclear
energy in the United States. About Constellation Energy
Constellation Energy (http://www.constellation.com/) is a leading
supplier of energy products and services to wholesale and retail
electric and natural gas customers. It owns a diversified fleet of
generating units located throughout the United States, totaling
approximately 9,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and is among
the leaders pursuing the development of new nuclear plants in the
United States. The company delivers electricity and natural gas
through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated
utility in Central Maryland. A FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in
Baltimore, Constellation Energy had revenues of $19.8 billion in
2008. About EDF Group The EDF Group, one of the leaders in the
energy market in Europe, is an integrated energy company active in
all businesses: generation, transmission, distribution, energy
supply and trading. The Group is the leading electricity producer
in Europe. In France, it has mainly nuclear and hydraulic
production facilities where 95% of the electricity output involves
no CO2 emissions. EDF's transport and distribution subsidiaries in
France operate 1,274,000 km of low and medium voltage overhead and
underground electricity lines and around 100,000 km of high and
very high voltage networks. The Group is involved in supplying
energy and services to more than 38 million customers around the
world, including more than 28 million in France. The Group
generated consolidated sales of euro 64.3 billion in 2008, of which
47% in Europe excluding France. EDF is listed on the Paris Stock
Exchange and is a member of the CAC 40 index. DATASOURCE: UniStar
Nuclear Energy CONTACT: Lori Vidil Dries or Laura Eifler,
+1-410-470-7433 Web Site: http://www.constellation.com/
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