Nuclear power plant proposed for Fresno, California

Friday, 12 January 2007 [Fresno Bee Online, 14 December] A group of businessmen are considering constructing a nuclear power plant in Fresno, California, USA. The group has formed a corporation – Fresno Nuclear Energy Group LLC – which plans to construct a $4 billion, 1600 MWe plant that would be cooled with water from the city’s waste water treatment plant. The group has signed a letter of intent with UniStar Nuclear Development LLC – a subsidiary of Constellation Energy – to design, build and operate the plant. The plan would be to operate the plant under a public-private partnership. John Hutson, President and CEO of Fresno Nuclear Energy Group, acknowledged California’s moratorium on nuclear power plant construction is an obstacle, but said advances in nuclear fuel recycling, or a resolution by the federal government on storage of spent fuel, could allow the plan to go forward.