Security & Safety
A US Nuclear Regulatory Commission final safety evaluation report concluded there are no safety aspects that would prevent issuing a licence for construction and operation of a GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) at the Enrico Fermi nuclear power plant site in Michigan.
The proposed Fermi-3 would be the first ESBWR to be built. The NRC certified the 1,600-megawatt design earlier this year. The next phase of the licensing process is a mandatory hearing by the NRC early next year.
The NRC is reviewing two combined construction and operating licence applications referencing the ESBWR design. Detroit Edison is seeking a licence for Fermi-3 and Dominion Virginia Power is seeking a licence for North Anna-3 in Virginia.
Full report in NucNet Database: News No. 364, 20 November 2014.