Extension plans follow those already announced for Clinton reactor
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its Dresden nuclear power station in Illinois that could see the facility remain in operation until 2051.
Constellation, which operates 21 nuclear plants at 14 sites, said the move is another in a series of investments the company is making to add clean, firm energy to the grid.
The filing begins a comprehensive, multi-year review by the NRC to renew the licence for Dresden, which has two boiling water reactor units. The facility’s licence was first renewed by the NRC in 2004.
Unit 2, an 894-MW BWR, is currently licensed to operate to 2029 and Unit 3, an 879-MW BWR, until 2031. They have been in commercial operation since 1970 and 1971.
Unit 1 at the Dresden site is a 197-MW BWR that was permanently shut down in 1978.
Baltimore, Maryland-based Constellation said Dresden produces enough electricity to power the equivalent of nearly 1.4 million homes.
The company has been investing to maintain and expand its nuclear power generation. It said in February it was seeking licence renewal for its Clinton-1 nuclear power plant, also in Illinois, and last month issued a corporate green bond worth $900m (€842m) to finance its nuclear energy projects.
The planned licence renewals for Dresden and Clinton mark a reversal in fortune for both facilities, which a few years ago were on the road to early retirement due to unfavourable economics.
Their continued operation has been enabled by state legislation enacted in 2016, and the enactment of the federal nuclear production tax credit in 2022, which extended policy support until 2032.
