The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday it has
issued a new license that will allow Public Service Enterprise
Group Inc. (PEG) to operate the Hope Creek nuclear power plant in
New Jersey another 20 years.
The new license renews the plant's existing license, which
expires April 11, 2026. Under the new license, the 25-year-old,
1,060-megawatt plant, in Hancocks Bridge, N.J., will be able to
operate until April 2046.
The plant's single reactor uses a boiling-water reactor made by
General Electric Co. (GE) and GE's Mark I system for containing
radioactivity.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. Inc.'s (9501.TO) Fukushima Daiichi
plant, which suffered major damage after a powerful earthquake and
tsunami hit Japan's northern coast in March, uses the same
containment system.
The NRC noted that it is in the process of reviewing "lessons
learned" from the recent crisis at Fukushima Daiichi and that U.S.
plants like Hope Creek, that have received new licenses, will
nevertheless be required to make any additional safety improvements
that the NRC determines are necessary following its review.
-By Cassandra Sweet, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-439-6468;
cassandra.sweet@dowjones.com