FPL gets nod for St. Lucie nuclear plant expansion

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave Florida Power & Light approval today to expand four of its nuclear generators in St. Lucie County, the Sun Sentinel Reported. The expansion is expected to produce approximately 420 additional megawatts of energy, an increase of 12 percent — enough to power more than 300,000 homes. The NRC determined that there would be no safety risks associated with the expansion. Construction costs are estimated at coming in between $2.95 billion and $3.15 billion, which is a 64 percent increase from the $1.8 billion cost first estimated for the project 2007. “The upgrades at St. Lucie will help FPL maintain the lowest bill in the state of Florida by providing clean and cost-effective energy for our customers for decades to come,” said Mike Waldron, a spokesperson for FPL. [Sun Sentinel]