| William States Lee III Nuclear Generating Station | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Cherokee County, nearGaffney, South Carolina |
| Coordinates | 35°2′0″N81°30′40″W / 35.03333°N 81.51111°W /35.03333; -81.51111 |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Construction cost | $11 billion (estimate) |
| Owner | Duke Energy |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | AP1000 |
| Reactor supplier | Westinghouse |
| Power generation | |
| Units planned | 2 × 1117 MW |
TheWilliam States Lee III Nuclear Station was a planned two-unit nuclear power plant inCherokee County,South Carolina.Duke Energy filed theCombined Construction and Operating License (COL) application for the plant on December 13, 2007 to theNRC. On December 19, 2016, the NRC issued two Combined Licenses authorizing Duke to build and operate two AP1000 reactors at the site.[1]
In August 2017, Duke decided to seek permission from the North Carolina Utility Commission to cancel the project due to the bankruptcy of Westinghouse and "other market activity", although they will retain the option of restarting the project at some point in the future if circumstances change.[2]
The plant was named forWilliam States Lee III (1929–1996), formerchief executive officer (CEO) of Duke Energy (1982–94). This site would have been be adjacent to theCherokee Nuclear Power Plant site, which was also never completed and abandoned in the early 1980s, then later used byJames Cameron as a film set for the 1989 movieThe Abyss.
In December 2007, Duke Power announced that it would spend $160 million in 2008 on the plant and that total costs could range 5–6 billion dollars.[3] In November 2008, Duke estimated the overnight cost of the plant at $11 billion.[4]
Duke submitted the Lee application to the NRC on Dec. 12, 2007. The NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards independently reviewed aspects of the application that concern safety, as well as the staff's final safety evaluation report. The committee provided the results of its review to the Commission on Dec. 14, 2015. The NRC completed its environmental review and issued the final impact statement for the proposed William States Lee reactors in December 2013.
The Commission authorized the agency's Office of New Reactors to issue the licenses, having found the staff's review of Duke's application adequate to make the necessary regulatory safety and environmental findings. The licenses were issued Dec. 19. The licenses contain conditions, including:
The William States Lee III Nuclear Generating Station was planned to consist of twoAP1000 reactors.
| Reactor unit[5] | Reactor type | Capacity | Construction started | Electricity grid connection | Commercial operation | Shutdown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net | Gross | ||||||
| William States Lee III -1 (planned)[6] | AP1000 | 1117 MW | MW | ||||
| William States Lee III -2 (planned)[7] | AP1000 | 1117 MW | MW | ||||
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