Federal regulators are reexamining plans to keep Wisconsin’s last nuclear power plant in operation through mid-century.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission The review was suspendedNextEra Energys request to extend operating licenses at its Point Beach Nuclear power plant in Two Rivers, while the agency conducts an environmental impact review.
The original 40 year licenses for these units were renewed in 2005. They will expire in 2030 and 2033. NextEra applied for a 20-year extension known as subsequent license renewal.
Last month, the NRC suspended all future license renewals after concluding that a generic environment impact statement that was completed in 2013 did no meet federal requirements.
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Instead, the agency will perform site-specific environmental impact assessments for Point Beach as well as half a dozen other plants requesting license extensions.
The Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area is the largest tract at more than 1,900 acre. It is located east of Castle Rock Lake, a 6,600-acre preserve.
Scott Burnell, spokesperson for the NRC, stated that the public will be able to comment on the scope and contents of the new reviews once they are complete. Burnell said that no timeline has been set for the reviews.
It’s a small victory in a long battle, said Hannah Mortensen (executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin chapter).
The group opposing nuclear weapons claims that the plant is unsafe. It will press the NRC again to include data on climate change, the benefits of renewable energy, and conservation in its considerations of alternatives.
Amy Schulz, president of the NRC, stated that there is a redo opportunity for the NRC and that they should seize it.
NorthStar Group Services of New York claims it could complete the job for $550 million and return the rest to ratepayers.
The 1,200-megawatt facility is located on Lake Michigan between Manitowoc & Green Bay. It is Wisconsin’s largest source of electricity and a keystone of utility efforts towards producing carbon-free electricity by 2050.
We Energies, the original owners of the plant, sold it in 2007 and agreed that it would be purchased by the majority of its output under a long term contract that will almost double the price of electricity over ten years.
Photos: The most recent images of refugees fleeing war in Ukraine
Refugees fleeing war in Ukraine arrive at Palanca, Moldova’s border crossing Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Refugees fleeing war in Ukraine arrive at Palanca, Moldova’s border crossing Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
After fleeing Ukraine, refugees in thermal blankets wait in a line to be transported. They arrive at the border crossing in Medyka (Poland) Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced a cease-fire and a few humanitarian corridors to allow civilians flee Ukraine. These previous cease-fires have been a failure and Moscow’s armed forces continued to bombard some Ukrainian cities with rockets on Monday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
After fleeing Ukraine, refugees warm up in a tent and arrive at the border crossing to Medyka, Poland on Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced a cease-fire and a few humanitarian corridors to allow civilians flee Ukraine. Previous cease-fires and humanitarian corridors were a failure. Moscow’s armed force continued to bomb some cities in Ukraine with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
After fleeing Ukraine, refugees waited in a queue to be taken to the border crossing at Medyka, Poland on Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced a cease-fire and a few humanitarian corridors to allow civilians flee Ukraine. Previous cease-fires and humanitarian corridors were a failure. Moscow’s armed force continued to bomb some cities in Ukraine with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
A man is seated next to piles upon piles of chairs, which were moved to accommodate refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. This was inside a converted ballroom at a 4-star spa & hotel in Suceava, Romania, Friday March 4, 2022. The 4-star hotel and spa is located 50 km from Ukraine’s border. There are no wedding parties or conferences. Instead, the ballroom has been converted into a refugee shelter. AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A ballroom was converted into a refugee shelter by a 4-star hotel and spa in Suceava, Romania on Friday, March 4, 2022. A 4-star spa and hotel is 50 kilometers from Ukraine’s border. Wedding parties and conferences were cancelled and the ballroom was converted into a refugee shelter. This shelter allows those who have fled the Russian invasion to rest and warm up before they continue their journey. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
After crossing the border in Medyka, Poland, on Sunday March 6, 2022, refugee women and children slept in tents. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
A refugee fleeing conflict in Ukraine enters a tent at Romania-Ukrainian borders, in Siret (Romania), Saturday, March 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
