Exelon, Shaw teaming for Saudi nuclear plants

A unit of Exelon Corp. is teaming up with engineering consultants Shaw Group and technology company Toshiba Corp. to design, build and run new nuclear electric-generating plants in Saudi Arabia, the companies announced Monday.

Exelon Nuclear Partners, whose stable of nuclear plants includes Limerick Creek, Oyster Creek, Peach Bottom and Three Mile Island, would provide operations services for the new sites. Exelon's parent owns Philadelphia-based Peco Energy Co.

Louisiana-based Shaw has an office in Moorestown employing close to 300, primarily working on power projects, and company spokeswoman Gentry Brann said they could be involved in this work.

She added that, although the companies have a working agreement with each other, the United States and Saudi Arabia need an agreement that allows U.S. companies to work there on nuclear-related projects. "We want to be ready for when that has happened," Brann said.

Shaw and Westinghouse Electric Co., a unit of Toshiba, already have an agreement to build six nuclear plants in the United States and four in China.    - Roslyn Rudolph