Nuke Plant License Extension Process

License Extension Process

PG&E is seeking 20-year license extensions for each unit to ensure the long term availability of a valuable source of safe, clean, affordable and reliable electricity for more than 3 million northern and central California homes.
While the licensing process is clearly defined, the time required to complete this process is not easy to predict. For that reason, we believe it is prudent to initiate the process now to assure we will have sufficient time to meet our obligations of providing reliable, affordable and clean power.
For additional information about license renewal, visit the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) License Renewal page.
The full Diablo Canyon license renewal application can also be found on the NRC’s site.

Overview

Based on the Atomic Energy Act, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issues licenses for commercial power reactors to operate for up to 40 years and allows these licenses to be renewed for up to another 20 years. A 40-year license term was selected on the basis of economic and antitrust considerations, not technical limitations.
The decision whether to seek license renewal rests entirely with nuclear power plant owners, and typically is based on whether the power plant can meet NRC requirements and the utility’s economic situation. There are 104 reactors in the U.S. originally licensed to operate for 40 years. To date, the NRC has approved license renewal for 48 reactors.
The NRC has established a license renewal process that can be completed in a reasonable period of time with clear requirements to assure safe plant operation for up to an additional 20 years of plant life.

The Process

First, PG&E submitted an application to the NRC for license extension. The application includes general, environmental and technical information in compliance with federal regulations. The public will be given ample opportunities to comment on the application and share its thoughts with the Commission throughout this multi-year open and transparent process. All public meetings are posted on NRC’s Web site, with key ones being announced in press releases and in the Federal Register.
License renewal process can take between two to four years, including the time to conduct an adjudicatory hearing, if necessary, or approximately 22 months without a hearing.