Westinghouse AP1000 certified

Today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has certified the Westinghouse AP1000 pressurized water reactor design. This is a significant milestone, and with this announcement by the NRC it's clear that the COL process for Plant Vogtle and V.C. Summer stations (two reactors each station) could be complete in the first quarter of next year.

Here is the NRC's announcement on the NRC blog.

Here is American Nuclear Society's "ANS Nuclear Cafe" post on the subject.

Here is Westinghouse Electric Company's press release, including background and commentary.

4:40 PM Eastern Thursday, December 22, 2011
ATOMIC POWER REVIEW