The Maryland Public Service Commission approved a third nuclear facility to be built by a venture of Constellation Energy Group Inc. (CEG) and EDF Group at the Calvert Cliffs plant.

The plant - which will provide 1,600 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 1.3 million homes - is part of what is expected to be a wave of new construction of nuclear plants. Nuclear energy, after being considered an anathema for decades in the U.S., has become a key option for energy producers who are looking to generate electricity in a carbon-neutral way.

"Today's PSC approval is critical to Maryland's energy future and we applaud the commission for recognizing the vital environmental, economic and energy benefits of a third nuclear energy facility at Calvert Cliffs and the significant benefits it will create for businesses and residents across the state of Maryland," said Michael J. Wallace, vice chairman and chief operating officer of Constellation Energy and chairman of the UniStar Nuclear Energy venture.

In May, the Department of Energy chose the Calvert Cliffs project as one of four projects for advanced talks regarding a piece of $18.5 billion in federal loan guarantees for nuclear projects. Constellation said the project, pending federal regulatory approval, will generate 4,000 construction, engineering and craft jobs and about 400 permanent positions.

In after-hours trading, Constellation shares were down 0.5% at $26.69. The stock price has more than doubled in the past nine months but still remains down three-quarters from its high at the end of July last year.

-By Jay Miller, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2355; jay.miller@dowjones.com