OVERVIEW
 New baseload nuclear generating capacity is required to enhance U.S. energy supply diversity and energy security, a key National Energy Policy (NEP) objective. The Nuclear Power 2010 program, unveiled by the Secretary on February 14, 2002, is a joint government/industry cost-shared effort to identify sites for new nuclear power plants, develop and bring to market advanced nuclear plant technologies, evaluate the business case for building new nuclear power plants, and demonstrate untested regulatory processes. Accomplishing these program objectives paves the way for an industry decision to build new advanced light water reactor nuclear plants in the United States that would begin operation early in the next decade. The Department is actively engaged with the industry to address the issues affecting future expansion of nuclear generation.
BACKGROUND
Nuclear power plants generate 20 percent of the electricity produced in this country; however, all recent electric-generating capacity additions and projected future additions are primarily fueled by natural gas. To help meet our growing demand for new baseload electricity generation, the NEP has recommended expanding the role of nuclear energy as a major component of our Nation’s energy picture. Despite the excellent performance of current nuclear plants and decisions by power plant owners to seek license renewal and power uprates, no new plant has been ordered in this country for more than 25 years. The Department believes that an over reliance on a single fuel source, like natural gas, is a potential vulnerability to the long-term security of our Nation’s energy supply and new nuclear plants must be built in the next decade to address increasing concerns over air quality and to ease the pressures on natural gas supply.
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES FOR THE
DEPLOYMENT OF NUCLEAR POWER
 The NP-2010 program is focused on reducing the technical, regulatory and institutional barriers to deployment of new nuclear power plants based on expert recommendations documented in A Roadmap to Deploy New Nuclear Power Plants in the United States by 2010.
The technology focus of the Nuclear Power 2010 program is on Generation III+ advanced light water reactor designs which offer advancements in safety and economics over the Generation III designs certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the 1990’s. To enable the deployment of new Generation III+ nuclear power plants in the United States in the relatively near-term, it is essential to complete the first-of-a-kind Generation III+ reactor technology development and to demonstrate the untested Federal regulatory and licensing processes for the siting, construction, and operation of new nuclear plants. The Department utilizes competitive procurement processes and conducts program activities in cost-share cooperation with industry. The Department has initiated cooperative projects with industry to obtain NRC approval of three sites for construction of new nuclear power plants under the Early Site Permit (ESP) process, to develop application preparation guidance for the combined Construction and Operating License (COL) and to resolve generic COL regulatory issues, to obtain NRC approval of COL applications. The COL process is a "one-step" licensing process by which nuclear plant public health and safety concerns are resolved prior to commencement of construction, and NRC approves and issues a license to build and operate a new nuclear power plant.
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