The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has decided to renew the operating licence for Entergy's Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts, allowing the plant to operate until 2032.
John Herron, president, CEO and chief nuclear officer of Entergy Nuclear, said, "The NRC conducted extremely thorough safety and environmental reviews of Pilgrim's application for license renewal and concluded the station can safely operate another 20 years.”
“The decision ensures Pilgrim's generation of safe, clean, reliable and low-cost energy will continue to benefit the New England area, as will the plant's existing 650 jobs and its $135 million in annual economic impact."
Robert Smith, Pilgrim's site vice president, said, "NRC approval of Pilgrim's license renewal application was the culmination of extensive and rigorous review by the NRC and a tremendous amount of hard work by Entergy. The NRC spent more than 20,000 hours conducting inspections and reviews. At the end of the process, we effectively demonstrated that our systems, structures and components will continue to safely perform their intended function during the 20-year renewal period."
The 688-MW Pilgrim boiling water reactor generates enough electricity to meet nearly 10 percent of the electrical demand in Massachusetts.
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