NRC agrees to review SLR application for St. Lucie reactors

September 30, 2021, 9:30AMNuclear News
The St. Lucie nuclear power plant.

Florida Power and Light Company is seeking to keep its St. Lucie nuclear plant in operation into the 2060s, and so far, so good: In early August, the utility submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission a subsequent license renewal application for the facility’s two units, and last Friday, the NRC accepted the application for review.

Located in Jensen, Fla., St. Lucie is the seventh U.S. nuclear plant whose licensee has sought 20-year SLRs for its reactors. The units’ initial 20-year license renewals were approved in October 2003. Unit 1, a 1,062-MWe pressurized water reactor, is currently licensed to operate through March 1, 2036, and Unit 2, a 1,074-MWe PWR, through April 6, 2043.

The NRC announced the docketing of the application, as well as an opportunity to request a hearing, in the September 29 Federal Register. According to the FR notice, requests must be filed by November 29. More information on the hearing process is available on the agency’s website.

Reactor SLR status: At this writing, the NRC is actively reviewing SLR applications for seven reactors—Oconee: 1, -2, and -3 (application docketed in July); Point Beach-2 and -3 (application docketed in January); and North Anna-1 and -2 (application docketed in October 2020).

To date, SLRs have been issued for Turkey Point-3 and -4, in December 2019 (NN, Jan. 2020, p. 15); Peach Bottom-2 and -3, in March 2020; and Surry-1 and -2, in May of this year.

There are no letters of intent for future SLR application submittals from licensees at this time, according to the NRC.


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