Dive Summary:

• The Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC) has suspended all license renewals and applications pending a nuclear waste investigation.
• Crystal River 3 (CR3) had requested a license renewal that would allow it to operate for an additional 20 years beyond its original 40-year lifespan, a deadline that is about to expire.
• Should CR3 remain closed permanently, Duke Energy would likely be forced to build a replacement power plant using natural gas in order to replace the electricity no longer generated by CR3.

From the article:

The Crystal River nuclear power plant in Citrus County north of Tampa Bay just can't get any respect. Built by St. Petersburg's Florida Power Corp., then owned by Progress Energy in a 2000 acquisition of Florida Power, the nuke plant's future now belongs to new owner Duke Energy. Duke inherited "CR3" after a tumultuous and, frankly, bumbling purchase of Progress Energy that featured a Machiavellian coup at the highest executive ranks that has hurt Duke's credibility as well as alienated utility regulators who will judge Duke's request for higher rates in the coming months and years. Now comes news that CR3 just suffered another setback. This is a regulatory one. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it will stop issuing licenses for nuclear plants until it addresses problems with its nuclear-waste policy that were raised by a recent federal appeals court decision. ...