DOE and a consortium of energy companies are getting serious about licensing new plants.
While keeping a low profile, five leading energy companies and two nuclear reactor vendors plan to form a consortium that will work with the U.S. Department of Energy to obtain a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) for advanced nuclear power reactors. No commitments have been made to build any plants, and no such decisions are expected until after 2010 at the earliest. Nonetheless, the consortium represents a first step toward resurrecting nuclear power.