Unit 1 will now operate until 2056 and Unit 2 until 2063
Units 1 and 2 at Florida’s two-unit St. Lucie nuclear power station will now be able to operate until 2056 and 2063 respectively following a 20-year lifetime extension by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Plant operator Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), confirmed that its subsequent licence renewal application made in 2021 had received the green light from the NRC. The St. Lucie renewals follow the renewal of FPL’s two-unit Turkey Point nuclear plant, also in Florida, in 2024.
Subsequent licence renewals by the NRC allow US nuclear power plants to operate for 80 years – two 20-year renewals beyond the initial 40-year licence.
The renewals mean St. Lucie will operate for a full lifetime of 80 years with St. Lucie-1 operating until 2056 and St. Lucie-2 until 2063.
Unit 1 began commercial operation in 1976 and Unit 2 in 1983. Together, they provide just over 2,000 MW, or around 11% of FPL’s generation. Both units are pressurised water reactor (PWR) units.
“This approval ensures that St. Lucie will continue to provide safe, reliable, low-cost energy for generations to come,” said Scott Bores, FPL’s president.
“We are pleased that nuclear power will remain an integral part of Florida’s energy future and a vital contributor to the local and state economies.”
The St. Lucie plant powers around 1 million homes and businesses in the region, and provides 400 jobs, FPL said.
FPL’s other nuclear station, Turkey Point, has a capacity of around 1,650 MW split between two PWR units and will operate until 2052 and 2053.
As of early 2026, the NRC had granted over 90 initial licence renewals extending operation to 60 years. The NRC has also approved multiple subsequent license renewals to extend plant operations from 60 to 80 years, with 13 such renewals granted in 2025 alone.
