US Nuclear Regulator Pledges to Speed Reviews of Aging Reactors

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is speeding up decisions to extend the life of the current fleet of reactors, a move that keeps more reactors operating to supply growing power demand while new reactor technology scales up.

Industry interest in extending the life of reactors from 60 years to 80 years—called subsequent license renewal—has exceeded the NRC’s expectations, said Christopher T. Hanson, chairman of the commission, in a speech Tuesday. The nuclear industry has turned the tide from just five years ago when reactors were shutting down, and it appeared the number of operating plants would continue to decline, he ...