April 26, 2024
Florida Power and Light requested a license extension to operate reactors 3 and 4 an additional 20 years into the future, bringing the operating period to 2052 and 2053, respectively. As we’ve said before, the plant is perched in a low-lying area along the coast and subject to impacts of sea level rise and climate change. There is also a massive hypersaline groundwater plume hanging around underneath the Turkey Point property that also has migrated radially around the plant and its cooling canal system. Miami Waterkeeper petitioned to intervene in 2018, contending that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission–which issues the licenses–needs to do a better job in its environmental reviews that are part of the licensing process. In 2022 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission agreed with us. Yes! Victory! But wait… In fall of 2023, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to the previous EIS that we challenged. Critical review had not been done by the NRC. Egads! On November 26, 2023 Policy Team issued a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, telling the agency that they need to do an adequate review of Florida Power and Light’s request to operate reactors 3 and 4 and additional 20 years into the future.