Entergy has put on hold its applications to license two new nuclear power plants, including a proposed $5 billion facility in Port Gibson, after ending negotiations with a company to design the facilities.
In an announcement Friday, Paul Hinnekamp, vice president of business development for Entergy Nuclear, said the company had been unable to come to business terms with GE Hitachi over the design of the company’s Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor. Entergy on Friday asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to suspend its review of the company’s application for sites at Port Gibson and River Bend near St. Francisville, La., until further notice. “We continue to see value in developing the nuclear option, and the temporary suspension of the license application review effort does not reflect a change in position regarding new nuclear’s potential value,” Hinnekamp said in a statement. “We will continue to explore alternatives as we maintain our pursuit of a new nuclear option that is in our customers’ best interests.”
Entergy Nuclear spokesman Mike Bowling said the company is exploring partnerships with other reactor design companies, among other options.
Magnolia Tribune
