Dive Brief:
- Nuclear regulators have granted 20-year license renewals to 74 of the 100 operating reactors in the United States.
- Those reactors, which represent a cumulative capacity of a little more than 69,000 MW, may operate for 60 years.
- With the bulk of the existing nuclear fleet licensed before 1990, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said nearly all existing reactors will be more than 60 years old by 2050.
Dive Insight:
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently reviewing license renewal applications for 17 reactors, and expects to receive seven more applications in the next few years — all indications that the United States' nuclear fleet is beginning to show its age.
"Nearly all existing reactors will be more than 60 years old by 2050," EIA said. "Unless a utility applies for and receives a Subsequent License Renewal (SLR) that could further extend the operating lives of their reactors up to 20 additional years, the reactors will not generate power beyond age 60."
The EIA's Electric Utility Cost Group estimated that the industry invested $6.4 billion in capital projects to upgrade and maintain nuclear power plant systems during 2013.