Altmire, Murphy Unveil Plan to Open Up New Frontiers for Nuclear Energy in America

Press Release

During a press conference at Westinghouse Electric Company's Global Headquarters in Cranberry, PA today, U.S. Congressmen Jason Altmire (PA-04) and Tim Murphy (PA-18) unveiled new legislation designed to facilitate the development of America's first small nuclear reactors. The Nuclear Power 2021 Act (H.R. 1808) would support the design and licensing of small nuclear reactors, which could be used to bring nuclear power to new parts of the country in a safe and efficient manner.

"If we want to succeed in making America energy independent, we must continue to find ways to safely produce and use nuclear energy," Congressman Altmire said. "Today, it can take nearly two decades to design and develop new nuclear reactors. By creating public-private partnerships to streamline the development and licensing process, we can both improve our energy security and create good-paying jobs at companies like Westinghouse, both regionally and nationally."

"The safe expansion of new nuclear technology must be a part of any plan to win back our energy future," said Congressman Murphy. "While companies like Westinghouse are pushing the boundaries of newer and better technologies, government can help by making the process much more efficient without sacrificing safety. Any opportunity to provide more ways to power our economy and create more high paying jobs for Americans must be pursued, and this legislation puts us on that path."

The Nuclear Power 2021 Act is based upon the Nuclear Power 2010 program, which was created in 2002 to encourage the private sector to build new nuclear power plants in the United States. Through this program, Westinghouse was able to enter into a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy as it designed its new AP-1000® nuclear reactor and moved through the licensing process. Westinghouse's AP-1000 project has already created and sustained approximately 5,000 jobs in the United States, the largest concentration of which are based in western Pennsylvania.

"Under Congressmen Altmire and Murphy's legislation, the U.S. Department of Energy would be able to enter into public-private partnerships to design and license two small modular reactors by 2021," Dr. Aris S. Candris, president and CEO of Westinghouse Electric Company said. "Westinghouse is already designing a small reactor, whose development could be accelerated if this legislation becomes law. We also estimate that our small reactor projects could eventually support thousands of jobs in the areas of manufacturing, on-site construction, and plant operations."

Small reactors have many unique and attractive features. They could help a greater number of utilities develop nuclear generation capabilities, because they can be built and fueled more quickly and at a much lower cost than large reactors. Additionally, since some small reactors do not need to be located near large sources of water for cooling purposes, they could be used to bring nuclear energy to new parts of the country, such as the arid west.

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