NRC Okays Calvert Cliffs Nuke Plant Environmental Review

Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) says an environmental review hasn’t found anything to prevent licensing of a third nuclear reactor at the Calvert Cliffs power plant in Lusby, Maryland.  The NRC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Baltimore District released the Final Environmental Impact Statement on Friday. The corps of engineers will use the information in making its federal permit decision.

Publishing the environmental impact report is only part of the overall license review and the NRC is still working on its final safety evaluation report. The NRC says it’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board is also investigating a challenge of the environmental review. NRC is also examining whether the applicant for the license, Unistar, meets NRC requirements regarding foreign ownership.  Electricite de France is the principle partner in Unistar and they need a majority owner from the USA to qualify for a nuclear license.  A foreign company cannot be a principle owner of an American nuclear power plant. (The Daily Record, 5/13/2011)