Duke, Southern to study new South Carolina nuke

Duke Power said the application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected in late 2007 or early 2008. It does not commit Duke or Southern to build new plants and they will decide later whether to go ahead with construction.

The last nuclear power plant built in the United States was Ameren's Callaway station in Missouri, which was licensed in 1973 and began operations in 1984, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute.

The Three Mile Island accident in 1979 and the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 heightened safety fears and effectively halted new nuclear power projects in the United States.

Duke Power, a unit of Duke Energy Corp., said it has picked a site in Cherokee County in the state and is developing an application to the NRC for a combined construction and operating license.

The license would cover two Westinghouse Electric Co. AP1000 reactors, each capable of producing 1,117 megawatts. One megawatt is power for about 800 homes. British Nuclear Fuels Plc currently owns Westinghouse Electric but has agreed to sell it to Japan's Toshiba Corp.

Duke Power would be the licensed operator of the plant with Southern the co-owner.

Duke said it also is considering NRC early site permit applications for locations in Oconee County, South Carolina, and Davie County in North Carolina.

Duke Power, which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has two nuclear power stations in South Carolina and one in North Carolina.

Atlanta-based Southern operates two nuclear plants in Georgia and one in Alabama. It is looking at potential new nuclear projects in both states.