HOUSTON, March 10 (Reuters) - Dominion Resources Inc expects to decide in the fall whether to continue working with General Electric Co/Hitachi Ltd on a proposed nuclear plant in Virginia, a spokesman said.
Dominion opened a competitive process this month to broaden its discussions with potential nuclear vendors, spokesman Richard Zuercher said on Monday.
The move to look at competing engineering and construction partners came after Dominion disclosed in January that it was unable to reach agreement with General Electric Co /Hitachi Ltd on terms to build the company's advanced nuclear design, the 1,550 MW Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor.
'This fall we expect to have reviewed (the proposals) and will make a decision whether to continue going forward with GE/Hitachi, assuming that they participate in the process,' Zuercher said.
Dominion has been working with GE since May 2007 and filed a license application to build a third reactor at its North Anna Power station with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in November 2007, citing growing electric demand in Virginia.
The new reactor was expected to begin operation in 2016-2017.
'If we end up selecting a different technology, we would notify the NRC, and there would probably be a schedule adjustment,' Zuercher said.
Citing confidentiality, GE Hitachi officials declined to say if they plan to participate in Dominion's process.
'We are in active discussions with a number of U.S. customers, both about the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor and the ESBWR designs,' Danny Roderick, a senior vice president of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, said in a statement.
Exelon Corp, the country's largest operator of nuclear plants, dropped the ESBWR design for a proposed Texas nuclear plant last fall. Exelon is expected to announce a new technology choice in the next few weeks.
In January, New Orleans-based Entergy Corp asked the NRC to suspend review of its applications to build two GE/Hitachi ESBWR reactors, also citing 'unsuccessful attempts' to come to terms with the company on an engineering and construction contract to build the new reactors.
Dominion has not suspended its NRC application process.
A spokeswoman for DTE Energy, which also selected the ESBWR for a proposed nuclear expansion in Michigan, said the company continues to pursue its NRC license application based on the GE/Hitachi design.
Roderick of GE/Hitachi said the company is 'committed to the ESBWR and strongly believe it will be an industry leader' once the technology is certified by the NRC.
Both the company's advanced nuclear designs 'represent excellent options,' Roderick said. GE/Hitachi plans to renew its ABWR design certification at the NRC for an additional 15 years. 'We expect more opportunities in the U.S. and globally,' he said.
While tightening credit markets have forced some U.S. utilities to begin to consider less expensive, non-nuclear generation, the need for more electric supply 'has not gone away,' Roderick said.
(Reporting by Eileen O'Grady; Editing by Walter Bagley)
((eileen.ogrady@thomsonreuters.com; +1 713 210 8522; Reuters Messaging: eileen.ogrady.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: UTILITIES NUCLEAR/DOMINION (For help: Click 'Contact Us' in your desk top, click here or call 1-800-738-8377 for Reuters Products and 1-888-463-3383 for Thomson products; For client training: training.americas@thomsonreuters.com ; +1 646-223-5546) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Dominion opened a competitive process this month to broaden its discussions with potential nuclear vendors, spokesman Richard Zuercher said on Monday.
The move to look at competing engineering and construction partners came after Dominion disclosed in January that it was unable to reach agreement with General Electric Co /Hitachi Ltd on terms to build the company's advanced nuclear design, the 1,550 MW Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor.
'This fall we expect to have reviewed (the proposals) and will make a decision whether to continue going forward with GE/Hitachi, assuming that they participate in the process,' Zuercher said.
Dominion has been working with GE since May 2007 and filed a license application to build a third reactor at its North Anna Power station with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in November 2007, citing growing electric demand in Virginia.
The new reactor was expected to begin operation in 2016-2017.
'If we end up selecting a different technology, we would notify the NRC, and there would probably be a schedule adjustment,' Zuercher said.
Citing confidentiality, GE Hitachi officials declined to say if they plan to participate in Dominion's process.
'We are in active discussions with a number of U.S. customers, both about the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor and the ESBWR designs,' Danny Roderick, a senior vice president of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, said in a statement.
Exelon Corp, the country's largest operator of nuclear plants, dropped the ESBWR design for a proposed Texas nuclear plant last fall. Exelon is expected to announce a new technology choice in the next few weeks.
In January, New Orleans-based Entergy Corp asked the NRC to suspend review of its applications to build two GE/Hitachi ESBWR reactors, also citing 'unsuccessful attempts' to come to terms with the company on an engineering and construction contract to build the new reactors.
Dominion has not suspended its NRC application process.
A spokeswoman for DTE Energy, which also selected the ESBWR for a proposed nuclear expansion in Michigan, said the company continues to pursue its NRC license application based on the GE/Hitachi design.
Roderick of GE/Hitachi said the company is 'committed to the ESBWR and strongly believe it will be an industry leader' once the technology is certified by the NRC.
Both the company's advanced nuclear designs 'represent excellent options,' Roderick said. GE/Hitachi plans to renew its ABWR design certification at the NRC for an additional 15 years. 'We expect more opportunities in the U.S. and globally,' he said.
While tightening credit markets have forced some U.S. utilities to begin to consider less expensive, non-nuclear generation, the need for more electric supply 'has not gone away,' Roderick said.
(Reporting by Eileen O'Grady; Editing by Walter Bagley)
((eileen.ogrady@thomsonreuters.com; +1 713 210 8522; Reuters Messaging: eileen.ogrady.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: UTILITIES NUCLEAR/DOMINION (For help: Click 'Contact Us' in your desk top, click here or call 1-800-738-8377 for Reuters Products and 1-888-463-3383 for Thomson products; For client training: training.americas@thomsonreuters.com ; +1 646-223-5546) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.