The current ABWR design certification ends next year, and a renewal would extend it for 15 years beyond June 2012.
The application includes important updates to the 1,350-plus-megawatt ABWR design including the current NRC requirement for an aircraft-impact assessment.
In 1997, GEH’s ABWR became the first Generation III model certified for US construction, but more than 13 years later, most utilities are still deciding whether to begin building new nuclear power plants.
The first two of four ABWRs operating in Japan entered service in 1996 and 1997 while five additional ABWRs are currently being built in Japan and Taiwan.
