To add a fourth nuclear plant to the three it already owns on Artificial Island in Salem County’s Lower Alloways Creek Township, PSEG (Public Service Enterprise Group) would purchase and fill 84 acres of wetlands from the federal government that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses as a dredge disposal site.
The company discussed its 4,000-page application during a public meeting Monday with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at the NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md. Information on PSEG’s application is available on the NRC’s website
The Atlantic City Press reports that the company applied in May for an early site permit, which is designed to resolve safety and environmental questions about the proposed location. The company has not chosen a reactor design and has not decided whether it actually will invest in a new nuclear plant. The NRC’s application review is expected to take three years.
According to the 136-page environmental report, PSEG also plans to build new 500-kilovolt transmission lines and a new causeway to the island, filling in 45 acres of wetlands and temporarily affecting 24 acres more.
The New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club said it would oppose any plans by PSEG to fill in wetlands.
Related:
PSEG Nuclear advances steps to build fourth reactor
