Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2 issued the following announcement on Dec. 8.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has approved Florida Power & Light’s
application for an additional 20 years of operation for Turkey Point Nuclear Generating
Units 3 and 4, located approximately 20 miles south of Miami. This is the first time the NRC has
issued renewed licenses authorizing reactor operation from 60 to 80 years.
Turkey Point Unit 3’s subsequent renewed license expires on July 19, 2052. Unit 4’s
subsequent renewed license expires on April 10, 2053. The rationale for the NRC’s decision is
documented in the staff’s July 2019 final Safety Evaluation Report on the application, as well as the
staff’s October 2019 final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. The NRC’s Advisory
Committee on Reactor Safeguards also reviewed the safety aspects of renewing the licenses.
The NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board terminated the adjudicatory proceeding
regarding the application in October 2019, concluding that no contested matters remained before it
for resolution. The Board’s decisions have been appealed to the Commission. The NRC staff has
determined that issuing the subsequent renewed licenses before the Commission acts on the appeals
would not foreclose or prejudice any action by the Commission.
FPL submitted the Turkey Point subsequent license renewal application on Jan. 30, 2018,
amending the application with additional information through April 10, 2018. The subsequent
license renewal process determines whether an operating reactor can safely extend its license for an
additional 20 years (from 60 to 80 years of operation).
Original source can be found here.
