GE-Hitachi's reaffirmed its fall forecast for regulatory approval of its new boiling water reactor with the close of the public comment process earlier this month.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that only three of the comments received must be addressed in its final rulemaking for the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor. After the
agency granted the ESBWR a final safety evaluation report and
final design approval in March, the end of the comment period
represented one of the last remaining steps in licensing the Generation
III+ reactor design that
DTE Energy has ordered for a third unit at its Michigan Fermi plant.
“The limited number of public comments received is a reflection of the NRC staff’s thoroughness in reviewing our application, as well as our team’s successful efforts to provide the NRC with the information it needed as quickly as possible,” said Caroline Reda, CEO of GEH. “GEH stands ready to respond with any additional information the NRC may need to help ensure a timely completion of the federal rulemaking.”
First submitted to the NRC in 2005, the ESBWR design features multiple passive safety systems, fewer pumps and simplified systems compared to existing boiling water reactors.