Duke Energy’s Oconee plant, in Seneca, S.C. (Photo: Duke Energy)
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted for review the subsequent license renewal application for Duke Energy’s Oconee nuclear plant, the agency announced yesterday. The utility submitted the application for an additional 20 years of operational life for Oconee on June 7. A public version of the application (with proprietary details removed) is available on the NRC website.
Located on Lake Keowee in Seneca, S.C., Oconee is Duke’s largest nuclear plant, housing three pressurized water reactors: the 847-MWe Unit 1, 848-MWe Unit 2, and 859-MWe Unit 3. The NRC approved initial license renewals for the units in May 2000, with Oconee-1 currently licensed to operate through February 6, 2033; Oconee-2 through October 26, 2033; and Unit 3 through July 19, 2034. Subsequent, or second, license renewals would extend those licenses to 2053 and 2054.
Complaint department: An NRC notice regarding the opportunity to petition for an adjudicatory hearing on the SLR review process was published in the July 28 Federal Register. The deadline for submitting petitions is September 27. More information on the hearing process is available on the NRC website.
In case you missed it: In September 2019, Duke announced its intent to seek SLRs for its entire nuclear fleet of 11 reactors, with Oconee scheduled to be the first. SLR applications are expected to follow for Brunswick-1 and -2, in Southport, N.C.; Catawba-1 and -2, in York, S.C.; Harris, in New Hill, N.C.; McGuire-1 and -2, in Huntersville, N.C.; and Robinson, in Hartsville, S.C. Robinson, the oldest reactor in the fleet, could operate until 2050 if its application is approved, while Harris, the last Duke reactor to begin commercial operation, could be licensed to operate into 2066.
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