The Turkey Point nuclear plant in Miami-Dade County, Fla.

Source: Florida Power & Light

Two nuclear reactors at Florida Power & Light Co.'s Turkey Point power plant have had their operating licenses renewed by federal regulators for a second time, making them the first units to be authorized to operate up to 80 years.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced on Dec. 5 that the unit 3 and 4 licenses at Turkey Point in Miami-Dade County, Fla., have been extended from 2032 and 2033, respectively, to July 19, 2052, and April 10, 2053. The decision comes after the NRC's staff found in its final supplemental environmental impact statement that the environmental impacts of renewing Turkey Point's licenses are so limited that preserving the renewal option for policymakers would not be unreasonable.

The two Turkey Point units began operating in 1972 and 1973 under their initial 40-year licenses and were later granted 20-year extensions. Dominion Energy Inc. is also pursuing a second license extension for one of its nuclear plants.

FPL, a NextEra Energy Inc. subsidiary, plans to upgrade the two units' combined capacity, now 1,652 MW, by 40 MW and is working with the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department to build a water reclamation facility to use treated wastewater for cooling at the natural gas-fired, combined-cycle Turkey Point unit 5 and improve water quality in the nuclear units' cooling canals.

FPL spokesperson Bianca Soriano said in an email that Turkey Point's license renewal is a positive development for not only the utility but also for FPL customers and the local economy. The NRC's decision is "a major milestone for the continued production of affordable, reliable and clean nuclear power in Florida," Soriano said.

However, it is unclear what the license extension means for FPL's plans to build and operate two more nuclear reactors, units 6 and 7, after the NRC gave the greenlight for the those units' licenses in April 2018. Soriano said the company is not releasing an updated project schedule at this time.

The NRC's decision comes as U.S. nuclear plant operators have faced significant market pressures in recent years that have led them to retire merchant nuclear facilities, while natural gas and renewable energy facilities have become more cost-competitive. While some utilities have chased after policy and market changes such as zero-emission credits to keep nuclear plants competitive, industry observers continue to debate if it is worthwhile to preserve the domestic nuclear fleet.

During an Oct. 2 investor presentation, NextEra Chairman, President and CEO Jim Robo said nuclear power has a role in decarbonization within the U.S., but renewables paired with natural gas will be the main drivers.

"If we get to 70% or 75% [renewables penetration] with the balance being natural gas, you're going to cut U.S. electric emissions by 80 or 90%, which is what we need to do," Robo said. "But you're not going to get to zero."