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The NuStart group, which was formed in March, includes Exelon (Chicago), Southern Co. (Atlanta), Entergy (New Orleans), Constellation Energy (Baltimore), Électricité de France (Paris), the Tennessee Valley Authority (Knoxville), General Electric (Atlanta) and Westinghouse (Pittsburgh). Duke Energy (Charlotte) also has joined the consortium sincen March.

The group will carry out detailed engineering work and decide by 2008 on a proposal to build either a GE European Simplified Boiling Water Reactor or Westinghouse Advanced Passive 1000 reactor at a still-to-be chosen site probably in Illinois or Mississippi.

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It will then seek a construction and operating license (COL) from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission based on the proposal. Once the COL is issued, the consortium members will decide whether to actually build a plant.

NuStart said six utility members will each contribute $7 million to the effort, TVA will supply in-kind services and the two reactor groups will provide the bulk of the consortium’s $400-million share of the costs.

DOE already has received a similar proposal from a consortium led by Dominion Energy, Richmond, Va. That group hopes to license a Canadian-designed reactor at a site in Virginia.

Also TVA has asked DOE aid for a $4-million study of whether it would be feasible to build an advanced GE reactor at TVA’s abandoned Bellefonte nuclear plant site in Alabama. The TVA proposal is separate from the NuStart effort and involves a different reactor design.

DOE will continue soliciting for proposals through the end of the year and must also obtain appropriations for the program. NuStart executive lead Marilyn Kray said the group had made its proposal ahead of the deadline to demonstrate to Congress that there is strong industry interest for the program.

n April 26, NuStart Energy Development LLC filed a proposal to DOE for the $800-million licensing effort that would be funded half by consortium members and half by DOE under its Nuclear Power 2010 initiative.