Construction pipeline

(of a nuclear reactor)

  The various stages involved in the acquisition of a nuclear reactor by a utility. The events that define these stages are the ordering of a reactor, the licensing process, and the physical construction of the nuclear generating unit. A reactor is said to be "in the pipeline" when the reactor is ordered and "out of the pipeline" when it completes low power testing and begins operation toward full power.

  U.S. Dept. of Energy, Energy Information Administration's Energy Glossary