South Carolina reactor can now operate until 2062
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has renewed the operating licence for the Summer-1 nuclear power plant in South Carolina for an additional 20 years, a 30 June statement said.
This marks the second licence renewal for the 973-MW pressurised water reactor unit, which can now operate until August 2062.
The NRC said it had reviewed operator Dominion Energy’s application along two separate tracks: a safety evaluation report, issued in February, and a final supplemental environmental impact statement released in May.
The commission said both assessments supported the decision to extend the reactor’s operating life from 60 to 80 years.
Summer-1, near in Jenkinsville, South Carolina, began commercial operation in January 1984.
The plant received its first 20-year licence renewal in 2004, about 20 years before the expiry of the initial licence.
Dominion Energy applied for a second licence renewal in 2023.
The NRC is reviewing applications for initial licence extensions for four reactor units at three sites, including Perry, Diablo Canyon and Clinton.
Another 12 reactor units at six sites are being reviewed for subsequent licence extensions: Point Beach, St. Lucie, Browns Ferry, Dresden, Hatch and Robinson.
