NRC extends Ohio's Davis-Besse nuclear plant license

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, received a renewed operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), bringing a five-year review process to a close, the NRC said on Tuesday.

The new permit allows the plant to operate for another 20 years, through April 22, 2037. The single pressurized-water-reactor plant began operating in 1979 and is located approximately 21 miles southeast of Toledo, on the shores of Lake Erie.

FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. applied to renew the operational license in 2010 and has been awaiting completion of environmental-impact reports and an NRC safety review since then.

The Davis-Besse operating license renewal marks the 81st U.S. nuclear power reactor to receive a renewed license this year from the NRC. Thirteen more nuclear plants are awaiting responses from the NRC on their renewal applications.