Press Release-12-105, NRC Approves Increased Power Output for St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2

Press Release-12-105: NRC Approves Increased Power Output for St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2

ML12268A379
Person / Time
Site:	Saint Lucie
Issue date:	09/24/2012
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
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Press Release-12-105
Download: ML12268A379 (1)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No.12-105 September 24, 2012 NRC APPROVES INCREASED POWER OUTPUT FOR ST. LUCIE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT UNIT 2 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a power uprate request by Florida Power & Light (FP&L) that will increase the power output of St. Lucie Unit 2 by 17 percent, from approximately 853 to 1,002 megawatts electric.

A similar uprate was approved July 9 for St. Lucie Unit 1. The two pressurized-water reactors are located approximately 10 miles southeast of Ft. Pierce, Fla.

FP&L submitted a license amendment request on Feb. 25, 2011, (supplemented several times since) to raise the thermal output of St. Lucie Unit 2 from 2,700 to 3,020 megawatts thermal, which translates into the 17 percent increase in electricity generation.

The NRC staffs evaluation determined that FP&L could safely increase the reactors power output primarily by carrying out significant upgrades to several plant systems and components, including the steam and power conversion system and the condensate and feedwater system. As part of its evaluation, NRC staff reviewed the companys analysis showing the plants design can accommodate the increased power level.

The NRCs safety evaluation of the plants proposed power uprate focused on several areas, including the plants steam generators, the reactor pressure vessel material surveillance program, pressurized thermal shock, and reactor internal and core support materials.

FP&L intends to implement the uprate in the next few months.

The NRC previously published a notice about the power uprate application in the Federal Register. The agencys evaluation of the St. Lucie Unit 2 power uprate will be available through the NRCs ADAMS electronic document database by selecting accession number as the property and entering ML12235A463 as the value.

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