Constellation Applies to Extend Lives of Two New York Reactors

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Written by Eric Funderburk for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Constellation Energy reported late last week that it has applied to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the operating lives of two reactors in upstate New York until 2049.

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Historic Reactors

Constellation Energy reports that it has applied to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to extend the operating licenses for the sole reactor at the Ginna nuclear power plant and Unit 1 at the Nine Mile Point nuclear power plant, both located at different locations on the shores of Lake Ontario in upstate New York.

Extending the lives of the reactors is of some significance to the U.S. nuclear fleet as they currently are the two oldest nuclear reactors operating in the U.S. The older, the 644-megawatt (MW) Nine Mile Point Unit 1 began operating in 1969, followed by the 576-MW Ginna reactor in 1970.

Nine Mile Point Unit 1 was joined by the 1,375-MW Unit 2 in 1988. Initial license extensions were previously granted to both of the Nine Mile units so that Unit 1 is now licensed until 2029 and Unit 2 until 2046. The Ginna reactor's current license also lasts until 2029, hence Constellation's applications to keep the older units operating for another 20 years until 2049 and contributing around 1,200 combined megawatts to the grid.

Constellation also has a third nuclear plant in upstate New York. The Fitzpatrick Clean Energy Center is next to the Nine Mile Point plant near Oswego and provides 842 MW from a single reactor that began operating in 1975 and is currently licensed until 2034.

Nuclear Operating Licenses

Nuclear reactors in the U.S. initially are licensed to operate for 40 years by the NRC, which can then be extended by another 20 years to a 60-year reactor life and then by another 20 years to 80 operating years in a subsequent license renewal. The Ginna and Nine Mile Point applications are both subsequent license renewals.

The NRC has granted a handful of subsequent license renewals so far this year. These include:

• Florida Power & Light's St. Lucie units 1 and 2 in Florida, which began operating in 1976 and 1983, respectively, and are now licensed until 2056 and 2063.
• Duke Energy's 759-MW H.B. Robinson Unit 2, now licensed to operate to 2050 and representing one the fastest turnarounds on a subsequent license renewal in the NRC's history, achieved less than 12 months after the application.
• Units 1 and 2 at Georgia Power's Edwin I. Hatch nuclear power plant, now licensed through 2054 and 2058, respectively, and also achieved in less than 12 months.

For more information, readers can view May 4, 2026, article - Florida Power & Light's St. Lucie Nuclear Licenses Renewed Another 20 Years and June 12, 2026, article - One More U.S. Nuclear License Renewed Another 20 Years.

Aging Plants

Along with the extended operating licenses for U.S. nuclear plants comes necessary upgrades and modernizations. Industrial Info Resources data indicate several power uprates, generator replacements and controls-upgrade projects on the books at U.S. nuclear plants.

In addition to capital upgrades and additions, Industrial Info Resources also is tracking more than 90 planned maintenance shutdowns at U.S. nuclear reactors, valued at more than $2 billion combined. The Ginna unit underwent a refueling outage in the second quarter of 2026, and the next refueling outage for Nine Mile Point's Unit 1 is expected in the first quarter of 2027, while the next refueling of the plant's Unit 2 isn't expected until early 2028.

Key Takeaways

• Constellation Energy has applied with the NRC to extend the lives of two upstate New York nuclear reactors until 2049.
• The reactors, Unit 1 at the Nine Mile Point Plant and the Ginna nuclear plant's single reactor are the two oldest operating reactors in the U.S.
• The NRC has granted a handful of subsequent license renewals this year, which extend reactors' operating lives to 80 years. Two of these were achieved within 12 months of application.

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