William States Lee III Nuclear Generating Station
| Company type | Proposed nuclear power facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy, Nuclear power |
| Founder | Duke Energy |
| Headquarters | Cherokee County , United States |
Area served | United States (South Carolina) |
Key people | William States Lee III (namesake) |
| Products | Electricity generation (planned) |
| Parent | Duke Energy |
The William States Lee III Nuclear Station was a proposed nuclear power facility featuring two units, intended to be located in Cherokee County, South Carolina and developed by Duke Energy. On December 13, 2007, Duke Energy submitted its application for a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) to the NRC. Subsequently, on December 19, 2016, the NRC granted two Combined Licenses permitting Duke to construct and operate a pair of AP1000 reactors at this location.
In August 2017, Duke Energy requested authorization from the North Carolina Utility Commission to terminate the project, citing Westinghouse's bankruptcy and adverse market conditions as primary reasons. However, the company maintained the possibility of resuming development should the situation improve.
The facility was named in honor of William States Lee III (1929–1996), who served as Duke Energy's CEO from 1982 to 1994. The site is adjacent to the defunct Cherokee Nuclear Power Plant, which gained recognition as a filming location for James Cameron's 1989 film The Abyss.
Costs and economics
At the end of 2007, Duke announced an investment of $160 million planned for 2008, with initial total project costs estimated between $5 billion and $6 billion. By November 2008, this overnight cost projection was increased significantly to approximately $11 billion.
Licensing and construction
Duke filed the Lee project application with the NRC on December 12, 2007. The NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards conducted a thorough review of safety considerations alongside the staff’s final safety evaluation report, presenting their findings to the Commission on December 14, 2015. The NRC finalized its environmental assessment and issued the comprehensive environmental impact statement for the William States Lee reactors in December 2013.
Following confirmation that Duke’s application complied with all regulatory safety and environmental requirements, the Commission authorized the Office of New Reactors to issue licenses. These licenses were granted on December 19 and included specific conditions such as:
- Implementation of measures related to post-Fukushima Mitigation Strategies and Spent Fuel Pool Instrumentation
- A mandated pre-startup timeline for emergency preparedness plans addressing post-Fukushima regulatory requirements
Reactor data
The William States Lee III Nuclear Generating Station was designed to consist of two AP1000 reactor units.
| Reactor unit | Reactor type | Capacity | Construction started | Electricity grid connection | Commercial operation | Shutdown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net | Gross | ||||||
| William States Lee III -1 (planned) | AP1000 | 1117 MW | |||||
| William States Lee III -2 (planned) | AP1000 | 1117 MW | |||||