Feds move closer to approving nuclear reactor

— Federal regulators are leaning toward approving the reactor design for what would be the first new U.S. nuclear plant in a generation.

As of Wednesday, three of the five members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission have said they will approve the AP1000 reactor design from Westinghouse Electric Co.

But those preliminary votes do not become official until the NRC holds a final vote during a public meeting. And commissioners must still decide if the approval will then take effect immediately or only after a 30-day waiting period.

Utility companies want to use the reactors for potential nuclear plants in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas. Atlanta-based Southern Co. has asked the NRC to speed up the approval process for its planned plant in Georgia.

The Associated Press