Duke Energy has signed a contract with the US Department of Energy (DOE) for the disposal of used fuel from its proposed William States Lee III nuclear power station. Under the terms of the contract, the DOE will accept and permanently dispose of all the station's fuel, for which Duke will pay a levy of $1 per megawatt-hour for electricity generated and sold from the plant. The terms are consistent with those in place for existing nuclear plants. The US Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1992, which requires operating nuclear power plants to have a contract with the DOE for disposal services, was recently extended to cover radioactive waste generated by new nuclear power reactors. This means that new plants will require a waste contract before they can receive a construction and operating licence (COL) from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Duke Energy chief nuclear officer Dhiaa Jamil described the contract as "a vital step in supporting the timely licensing of Lee Nuclear Station."