GE Energy's nuclear business and the STP nuclear operating company (STP) have signed a project development agreement to study the deployment and begin licensing for two GE Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs) to be built adjacent to the existing South Texas nuclear plant, near Bay City.
The existing plant, 144km southwest of Houston, which is operated by STP and owned by Austin Energy, CPS Energy and NRG, comprises two 1,312MWe pressurised water reactors (PWRs)
STP, NRG and GE have already met with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to prepare a combined license (COL) application for the two-unit project and the ABWR design has been licensed since 1998.
“We are very excited to be working with STP and NRG to build the first ABWRs in the United States,” said Andy White, president and chief executive of GE Energy’s nuclear business.