The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted renewed licenses for units 1 and 2 at the Sequoyah nuclear power plant in Tennessee, the organization announced on Monday.
This renewal would extend operations of the nuclear power plants by 20 years. The first unit is authorized to operate until Sept. 17, 2040, and Unit 2 is authorized to operate until Sept. 15, 2041.
The NRC reports that this renewal brings the total number of nuclear reactors operating commercially under renewed licenses to 78, with an additional 16 that are currently within the process.
The nuclear facility is located approximately 16 miles northeast of Chattanooga. It is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and both units have a combined electrical output capacity of 2,282 in the summer. The TVA reports that the plant generated approximately 18,000,764 megawatt-hours over the course of 2010.
The TVA initially submitted their request to renew the plant's licenses in January of 2013. As a part of their process the NRC issued their safety evaluation report on the facility on Jan. 29 of this year, which has been supplemented this month. The NRC issued its supplemental environmental impact statement on March 20 of this year.
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