By Ovetta Wiggins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 1, 2007

UniStar Nuclear has selected a site in Calvert County as the potential location of a nuclear plant that could bring thousands of jobs, company officials said yesterday.

But the decision angered environmentalists, who complained about the danger of such facilities.

The Lusby property is adjacent to Constellation Energy's Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactor.

UniStar Nuclear, a Baltimore-based company that is in a joint venture with Constellation Energy and AREVA Inc., plans to submit an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission next year to build and operate the new plant.

"Moving ahead with our reference application is an important step in realizing the UniStar Nuclear vision of a fully standardized fleet of . . . nuclear power plants," George Vanderheyden, president of UniStar Nuclear, said in a statement.

He added that UniStar Nuclear is still in discussions with potential investors, partners and customers interested in new nuclear efforts across the country.

"This is not a commitment to build," said Robert Gould, a spokesman for Constellation Energy. "It's one step in the process." The earliest the plant would open is 2015, he said.

County officials have touted the additional jobs and broader economic impact the facility could have. The plant would create an estimated 3,200 temporary construction jobs and 300 to 400 permanent jobs, said Brian Meeley, a UniStar spokesman.

Wilson H. Parran (D), president of the Calvert County Board of Commissioners, said: "I remember Calvert County when we didn't have a nuclear power plant. Tax dollars are infused into our county because of this."

In fiscal 2007, Parran said, the plant contributed $16.2 million to the county. "It's enabled us to have the lowest property taxes in the region," he said.

Johanna Neumann, a policy advocate for Maryland Public Interest Research Group, said yesterday that she was disappointed. She called nuclear plants "dangerous and dirty" and said that their "environmental risks outweigh any benefits."