DTE Energy received approval yesterday from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to construct and operate a new nuclear energy facility in Michigan.

DTE Energy has not committed to building the new plant, but will keep the option open for long-term planning purposes.

The license would allow the facility on the site of the existing Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant in Newport, Michigan.

"With this license, DTE Energy now possesses the most diverse, comprehensive slate of options to plan for Michigan's energy future," said Steven Kurmas, DTE Energy's president and chief operating officer. "The potential of additional nuclear energy gives us the option of reliable, base-load, generation that does not emit greenhouse gases."

The decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission caps a six-year process that examined the technical, safety and environmental aspects of the potential unit.

DTE Energy says the unit built on the site would be a GE Hitachi ESBWR (Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor) which is a design that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission certified in 2014.

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