Exelon to file 20-year license extension request for Peach Bottom nuclear plant

Exelon Corp. announced an intention on Wednesday to file a second 20-year license extension to extend the operations at the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in an effort to continue to provide safe, carbon-free energy to Pennsylvania residents.

“The second license renewal of the Peach Bottom facility would position Pennsylvania for decades more of clean, reliable energy,” NEI Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer Anthony Pietrangelo said. “Peach Bottom, along with Pennsylvania’s four other nuclear facilities, is the leading source of carbon-free power generation producing 93 percent of Pennsylvania’s carbon-free electricity and is the only clean-air source that can produce large amounts of electricity around the clock. Its continued operation would provide reliable energy for homes and businesses and assist in meeting and maintaining the state’s carbon emission goals.”

Exelon plans to submit its intention for renewal to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2018. If approved, the plant would continue to operate until 2053 and 2054. Under its current regulations, the plant can run until 2033 and 2034.

The Peach Bottom plant opened in 1974 with a 40-year operational agreement. In 2003, Exelon requested that the plant continue operations for an additional 20 years, under which the plant still operates today. If Peach Bottom continues to operate into the middle of the century, it could continue to provide clean, carbon-free energy to more than two million customers.