December 2, 2009: Tell Chu/Congress: Suspend loan guarantees for Areva reactors. Alert!

December 2, 2009: 22 Environmental Groups Urge Energy Secretary Chu to Suspend Loan Guarantee Process for Areva EPR Reactors. Press Release.

December 2, 2009: Letter from 22 environmental groups urging Energy Secretary Steven Chu to suspend loan guarantees for EPR reactors due to unresolved safety and economic concerns.

October 13, 2009: NRC Commissioners order hearing on foreign ownership/domination issues in Calvert Cliffs-3 case and uphold rights of people within 50 miles of any reactor to participate in licensing decisions. NRC rejects all arguments from nuclear utility UniStar Nuclear in appeals case.

March 2009: The High Cost of Nuclear Power: Why America Should Choose a Clean Energy Future over New Nuclear Reactors, a new report by Maryland PIRG Foundation.

The story so far...

A 1,600 MW US EPR new nuclear reactor has been proposed for the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant in Lusby, MD (Calvert County). The US EPR reactor is not certified in the US. UniStar is expected to submit the design application within the next few months. The same design is currently under construction in Finland. Delays and cost overruns have already been reported. UniStar has thus far submitted the environmental portion of the combined construction and operating license application. They are expected to submit the safety analysis by March of 2008. They have speculated that the project will cost $5 billion. They have further indicated that, "Without the federal loan guarantees, this whole thing will come to a stop," said George Vanderheyden UniStar CEO. If the proposal moves forward the regulatory review is expected to take approximately three years, and construction is expected to take about four years. The best-case scenario (from UniStar’s perspective) would see the new reactor operational in 2015. Read more

Express your organization's opposition to the construction of a new nuclear reactor in Maryland. Download and Sign the Statement here.

Who is Constellation Energy Consorting With? Get to know Electricite de France (EDF) and AREVA

At What Cost: Why Maryland Can’t Afford A New Reactor

Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition exists to challenge and subsequently stop the proposed new reactor at Calvert Cliffs.