Exelon & NRG Energy in Nuclear Power Shootout

It is being reported that Exelon is attempting a hostile takeover of NRG Energy in order to get access to its proposed nuclear power plant project in Texas. A $6.2 billion proposal has already been rebuffed, but Exelon seems to be determined and will make another offer.

NRG Energy has a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved reactor, the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR), but the proposed Exelon reactor, the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR), has not yet been certified by the NRC. Evidently Exelon wants to move away from the ESBWR reactor and adopt the ABWR. It is interesting that the cost of a company is now less than the projected cost of a new nuclear reactor, which is now being estimated to cost $11-$12 billion. Both the ABWR and the ESBWR are General Electric products.

The NRC staff has issued the following design certifications:

Applicant: General Electric (GE) Nuclear Energy
Design: Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR)
Applicant: Westinghouse Electric Company
Design: System 80+
Applicant:Westinghouse Electric Company
Design: Advanced Passive 600 (AP600)
Applicant: Westinghouse Electric Company
Design: Advanced Passive 1000 (AP1000)

Design Certification Applications Currently Under Review

Applicant: Westinghouse Electric Company
Design: AP1000 Amendment
Applicant: GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy
Design: Economic Simplified Boiling-Water Reactor (ESBWR)
Applicant: AREVA Nuclear Power
Design: U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (U.S. EPR)
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Design: U.S. Advanced Pressurized-Water Reactor (US-APWR)

(The Wall Street Juornal, Nov 25, 2008) (NRC Reactor Information)