The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a key environmental report that clears the way for Florida‘s St. Lucie nuclear plant to keep running for 20 more years. The final Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, supports extending licenses for both units at the plant through the mid-2050s and early 2060s.
St. Lucie is located in St. Lucie County, Florida, about 7 miles southeast of Fort Pierce. The plant sits on more than 1,000 acres of swamps, marshes, and beaches. Florida Power & Light, the state’s largest utility, operates the plant.
The NRC released the final EIS on Friday before March 23, 2026. Kimyata Savoy, Acting Deputy Director of the Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support, signed off on it. The report was based on analysis from NUREG-1437, published in roughly August 2024.
FPL’s Unit 1 license currently expires on March 1, 2036. Unit 2‘s license runs until April 6, 2043. The proposed extensions would push those dates to March 1, 2056 for Unit 1 and April 6, 2063 for Unit 2. That’d bring each unit’s total operating life to 80 years.
FPL filed its renewal application in August 2021. The NRC published the final EIS notice in the Federal Register on March 20, 2026. The agency consulted with federal, state, tribal, and local agencies throughout its review.
The EIS found that the environmental impacts aren’t severe enough to make the extension option unreasonable for energy planning purposes. The report looked at the proposed action, the no-action alternative, and possible replacement energy options. Members of the public can review the report at St. Lucie County library branches including Morningside and reportedly Kilmer.
St. Lucie’s renewal process is happening alongside Point Beach, another NextEra Energy affiliate plant. FPL’s Turkey Point plant in Florida was reportedly the first U.S. plant to receive a subsequent license renewal, back in December 2019. Turkey Point Units 3 and 4, which began operation in 1972 and 1973 respectively, are located an estimated 25 miles south of Miami. With recent extensions, the total number of U.S. reactors with second renewals has reportedly reached 18 units. The St. Lucie plant is situated on Hutchinson Island, a barrier island near Port St. Lucie along Florida’s Treasure Coast.
References
- https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2526/ML25267A023.pdf
- https://www.eenews.net/articles/feds-release-final-environmental-review-for-florida-nuclear-plant/
- https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/fpls-turkey-point-nuclear-plant-gets-approved-to-operate-for-20-more-years/
- https://www.nucnet.org/news/new-us-licence-extensions-takes-total-to-18-units
- https://policyrisk.com/research/federal-register/2026-00238
- https://www.nei.org/resources/statistics/second-license-renewal-filings-us-npp
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/09/2026-00238/florida-power-and-light-co-st-lucie-plant-units-1-and-2-draft-environmental-impact-statement
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/20/2026-05488/florida-power-and-light-company-st-lucie-plant-units-1-and-2-final-environmental-impact-statement
