The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said that had cleared the way for agency's Office of New Reactors to issue two combined Licenses for Duke Energy's Levy County site in Florida.
The decision followed the mandatory hearing on the licensing issue. “Based on the mandatory hearing on Duke's application, the commission found the staff's review adequate to make the necessary regulatory safety and environmental findings,” the NRC said, noting the NRC staff would work to issue the COLs “promptly.”
The licenses authorize Duke Energy Florida to build two AP1000 reactors at the Levy County site near Inglis, Fla. The staff will impose conditions on the COL permits, including specific post-Fukushima Daiichi requirements for mitigation strategies and spent fuel instrumentation, the NRC said. Additionally, a pre-start up schedule for implementing post-Fukushima Daiichi aspects to emergency preparedness plans are expected.
Duke said in June of this year that it would study the option of constructing a new plant on the Levy County site, opting to keep the license application process going, despite assumptions that the project was considered dead. In 2014, media reports were calling the project dead in the water, as Duke and Westinghouse Electric Company wrangled over money, for what was considered a canceled project. But it was not officially canceled and Duke allowed the application process to continue to keep its options open.