The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has published the final environmental impact statement for Florida Power and Light St. Lucie Nuclear Plant’s subsequent license renewal.
A subsequent license renewal extends a reactor’s operation from 60 to 80 years and comes after the first license renewal that extends potential operating life from 40 to 60 years.
In a March 20 Federal Register notice, NRC staff said it “has determined that the adverse environmental impacts of SLR [subsequent license renewal] for St. Lucie (i.e., the continued operation of St. Lucie for a period of 20 years beyond the expiration dates of the renewed facility operating licenses) are not so great that preserving the option of SLR for energy-planning decision-makers would be unreasonable.”
NRC staff said the final environmental impact statement addresses comments received from the draft version of the document, issued in December 2025.
St. Lucie is a dual-pressurized water reactor unit plant in Jensen Beach, Fla. and generates around 2,000 megawatts. The operating license for Unit 1 is currently set to expire in 2036 and Unit 2 in 2043.
Florida Power and Light submitted its subsequent license renewal application for St. Lucie Units 1 and 2 in August 2021.
According to NRC’s website, this is one of the final steps before the director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation makes a decision on the issuance of the subsequent license renewal. A decision is expected next month.