The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in a dramatic reversal on Feb. 24 threw out a key environmental review that staff applied to subsequent license renewal (SLR) approvals for units at Turkey Point and Peach Bottom nuclear plants in 2019 and 2020, deeming their applications “incomplete.”
In a series of orders, the federal regulatory agency’s three commissioners also halted all SLR license issuances until deficiencies can be addressed and adequate environmental reviews can be completed. The decisions pose substantial new hurdles and delays for at least 20 U.S. reactors that have so far set out to seek lifetime extensions of up to 80 years.
