US / Duke Energy Proposes North Carolina Site For Small Modular Reactors

Projected in-service date for first Belews Creek reactor is first quarter of 2034

Duke Energy Proposes North Carolina Site For Small Modular Reactors
Belews Creek in North Carolina is being considered as a site for small modular reactors. Courtesy Duke Energy.

US utility Duke Energy has proposed building small modular reactors at a coal and natural-gas fired station in North Carolina and a second site still to be determined.

In a timeline the Charlotte-based company utility said it plans to choose an SMR technology for the Belews Creek site between 2023 and 2025 and to apply for an early site permit from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission in mid-2025.

The projected in-service date for the Belews Creek SMR would be the first quarter of 2034, with the SMR at the second site coming online in the first quarter of 2035.

The new-build plans are part of an update to Duke Energy’s 2022 integrated resource plan as the utility aims to comply with North Carolina’s emission mandates.

Want to keep reading?

Register free and get full access to NucNet for 14 days. No card required.

Republish or license this article

MORE THAN 30 YEARS OF NUCLEAR INDUSTRY REPORTING.

Subscribe for full access to every article, the archive and the SMR and AMR database.

Join NucNet