The first Nuclear plants to be built?

Federal loan guarantee money is released and the race is on!  Southern Company is ahead with the certified Westinghouse AP1000 design and all their ducks in a row.  STP was to be next but they are having some trouble with partner CPS possibly leaving Calvert Cliffs and V.C. Summer as the ones to look for to secure the remaining federal loan guarantee money.   In the mean time President Obama is seeking an additional $36B in loan guarantees.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/16/obama.jobs/index.html?iref=allsearch

-Approved $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees for two new Westinghouse AP1000 1,150 MW nuclear reactors at Southern's Vogtle site, Georgia

The rest of the peloton:

-Unistar Calvert Cliffs, MD using AREVAs EPR and
-V.C. Summer, SC for 2 Westinghouse AP1000 reactors
-NRG/CPS STP site in Texas using Toshibas ABWR

-Areva and Northrop Grumman are building a component manufacture facility in Newport News, VA.
-The Shaw Group and Westinghouse are building a similar plant near Baton Rouge, LA.
-Babcock & Wilcox are expanding their manufacturing capabilities in the Midwest.

Nice link on overall construction costs:  http://nuclearfissionary.com/2010/03/10/construction-costs-of-new-nuclear-energy-plants/

Recent news regarding a proposed reactor in Utah

Newcastle holdings is looking to build at the former uranium boomtown of Green River, UT.  Water rights are the first of many hurdles for this project.  It is in the initial planning stage.  The reactor will use a closed loop cooling water cycle so diverted water from the Green river will not be returned or used for other purposes.

http://www.hcn.org/issues/42.4/water-fallout