The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Friday that the transfer of the operating license for the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in upstate New York had been approved. As of March 31, the plant's license will be transferred from Entergy Nuclear Operations to Exelon Generation Company.
Entergy announced that, unless it was sold, it would shut down the plant due to “unfavorable economic conditions,” the NRC noted.
Exelon, however, agreed to take over the plant and to keep it running after the New York Public Service Commission approved a subsidy plan that would reward upstate nuclear power plants for their zero-emissions electricity generation.
The two companies jointly applied for the license transfer on Aug. 18.
The FitzPatrick plant is a boiling-water reactor located near the shore of Lake Ontario in Scribba, N.Y., about six miles northeast of Oswego. The license for the plant is viable through Oct. 17, 2034.
The license transfer includes the the generally licensed independent spent fuel storage installation, which is located on the plant grounds.
The federal regulator said Exelon was approved based on four criteria. The company is financially able to take over the plant and has the technical know-how. The company also met the NRC's requirement on decommissioning funding for the facility. Finally, Exelon “is not owned, controlled or dominated by a foreign entity,” the NRC said.