NRC Advances Nuclear Energy in US

NRC Advances Nuclear Energy in US

from AREVA North America: Next Energy Blog by AREVA North America Blog

We commend today’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval of two new nuclear reactors at Vogtle, and welcome the growing resurgence of modern nuclear energy in the United States. By approving these new reactor designs, the NRC takes the first step in advancing an era of even safer and more robust Generation III+ nuclear energy facilities, like AREVA’s EPR(TM) reactor. These advanced nuclear reactors incorporate defense-in-depth safety and design lessons learned from the Fukushima disaster that include:

• Multiple redundant passive and active safety features
• Double-hulled four-foot thick concrete reactor buildings able to withstand the impact of a jetliner
• Greater operating efficiency and reliability

As NEI president Marvin Fertel stated, “This is a historic day. Today’s licensing action sounds a clarion call to the world that the United States recognizes the importance of expanding nuclear energy as a key component of a low-carbon energy future that is central to job creation, diversity of electricity supply and energy security.”