NRC approves V.C. Summer’s second license renewal

The 966-MWe pressurized water reactor was first issued a 40-year operating license by the NRC in 1982. That license was renewed for 20 years in 2004, and in August 2023, Dominion applied for a 20-year subsequent license renewal.

The Atomic Energy Act allows the NRC to issue licenses for commercial power reactors to operate for up to 40 years, and regulations permit licenses to be renewed beyond that for an additional period, limited to 20-year increments per renewal. There are no specific limitations in the AEA or the NRC’s regulations restricting the number of times a license may be renewed.

Summer, whose subsequent license renewal was issued on June 30, is the 13th commercial power reactor to be approved by the NRC to operate up to 80 years.

The renewal: The NRC’s review of Dominion’s license renewal application proceeded on two tracks: a safety evaluation report, which was issued in February 2025, and a final supplemental environmental impact statement, which was issued in May 2025. These documents, as well as other information regarding Summer’s license renewal application, are available on the NRC website.

Additional information about the license renewal process can also be found on the NRC’s website.

Quote: “V.C. Summer nuclear station has provided reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean energy for our customers in the Palmetto State for more than 40 years,” said Eric Carr, Dominion Energy’s chief nuclear officer. “With steady population growth and economic development, South Carolina will continue to need a clean and reliable workhorse like V.C. Summer to power our customers’ homes and businesses around the clock well into the future.”

Units 2 & 3 update: Earlier today, Reuters reported that South Carolina’s state-owned utility and project owner Santee Cooper has selected several proposals from parties interested in potentially acquiring and finishing the abandoned project to add two new AP1000 power reactors at the V.C. Summer site.

Following years of extensive and costly delays and then bankruptcy by reactor vendor Westinghouse, Santee Cooper voted to stop construction of Units 2 and 3 in July 2017 and, with majority owner South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (now Dominion Energy), abandoned the project. SCE&G transferred its interest in the assets to Santee Cooper in 2018.

In January, responding to national interest in new nuclear power to help meet growing electricity needs, Santee Cooper issued a request for proposals for those interested in acquiring the project and related assets and potentially completing one or both units or pursuing alternative uses of the assets. Bids were due May 25.

According to Reuters, Santee Cooper expects to complete its evaluation of the final proposals by the end of the year. The company said it does not intend to own or operate the units.