Brief: NRC Renews St. Lucie Nuclear Plant Licenses Extending Operations Through 2056, 2063

NextEra Energy

28/04/2026 18:13

By Laila Kearney

NEW YORK, April 28 (Reuters) - U.S. energy regulators on Tuesday granted a 20-year operating life extension for a Florida Power & Light-owned nuclear power plant, the company said on Tuesday.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's granting of license renewals of two units at the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant adds to a growing list of reactors that are staying on longer to meet the country's record electricity demand.

The NRC authorized St. Lucie reactors, which sit on Hutchinson Island in Florida, to operate through 2056 and 2063. The units began producing electricity in the mid-1970s and 1980s.

Operating licenses for commercial nuclear reactors in the U.S. are valid for 40 years and then may be renewed for another 20 years.

 (Reporting by Laila Kearney in New York; Additional reporting by Pranav Mathur; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

 ((laila.kearney@thomsonreuters.com))