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Released July 10, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted a 20-year operating license extension for Vistra Energy Corporation's (Irving, Texas) Perry nuclear power facility in Ohio, allowing the plant's sole reactor to operate into the 2040s, the company said earlier this week.
The Perry plant began operating in 1986. Its single reactor provides more than 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of power and is now operating under its original 40-year operating license, which expires in 2026. The plant's owner at the time, Energy Harbor (Akron, Ohio), submitted the application for the reactor's initial license renewal to the NRC in 2023. The agency's license extension allows the plant to operate into 2046. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Plant Database can click here for the plant profile.
The Perry plant was the sixth and final Vistra nuclear unit to apply for the 20-year extension, all of which have now been granted. The company's five other nuclear units have licenses to operate for at least another 10 years, until they are 60 years old. These include:
The company significantly increased its nuclear fleet in February 2024, when the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Vistra's $3.4 billion acquisition of Energy Harbor. In the transaction, Vistra acquired the Beaver Valley, Davis-Besse and Perry plants.
As Vistra celebrates its latest license renewal, the possibility remains for the company to further extend the lives of some or all of its reactors. The NRC has licensed some reactors in the U.S. to operate for up to 80 years. The most recent example of this comes from Dominion Energy Incorporated's (Richmond, Virginia) single-reactor V.C. Summer nuclear plant in South Carolina, which is now licensed to operate to 2062. The initial renewal process for the reactor started early, in 2004 gaining approval to operate for an additional 20 years beyond its initially licensed date of 2022. The latest extension allows the plant to operate until 2062. For more information, subscribers can click here to view the plant profile and see July 7, 2025, article - Dominion Receives Approval to Operate V.C. Summer Nuclear Plant Through 2062.
The NRC lists six facilities and 12 reactors for which it is currently reviewing applications for the subsequent license renewals (SLRs) that extend a plant's life from 60 to 80 years.
In 2022, the NRC issued three orders impacting existing and future SLRs. The orders contained new environmental guidelines for the SLR process and affected the renewal applications of 13 reactors at six plants. The NRC's website notes that two affected reactors that had to revisit their existing SLR applications because of the new orders are now under review. The owner of Point Beach units 1 and 2 in Wisconsin, NextEra Energy Incorporated (Juno Beach, Florida), initially applied for SLRs for both units in 2020. A decision now is expected by the end of the year. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
The SLR process remains a viable option for all six of Vistra's reactors, including the Perry plant. Should the company choose this path, Vistra most likely will submit SLR applications for Pennsylvania's Unit 1 of the Beaver Valley plant and the single reactor of the Davis-Besse plant in Ohio, both of which expire in the 2030s. With the granting of Perry's license renewal, Vistra's other four reactors can operate well into the 2040s and beyond.
In May, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders regarding the nuclear industry, one of which ordered the license renewal process to be completed within 12 months of the application's submission.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
The Perry plant began operating in 1986. Its single reactor provides more than 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of power and is now operating under its original 40-year operating license, which expires in 2026. The plant's owner at the time, Energy Harbor (Akron, Ohio), submitted the application for the reactor's initial license renewal to the NRC in 2023. The agency's license extension allows the plant to operate into 2046. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Plant Database can click here for the plant profile.
The Perry plant was the sixth and final Vistra nuclear unit to apply for the 20-year extension, all of which have now been granted. The company's five other nuclear units have licenses to operate for at least another 10 years, until they are 60 years old. These include:
- Beaver Valley units 1 and 2 in Pennsylvania, which are licensed to operate through 2036 and 2047, respectively. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
- The single-reactor Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio, which is licensed to operate through 2037. (See plant profile.)
- Comanche Peak units 1 and 2 in Texas, which are licensed to operate through 2050 and 2053, respectively. (Click here for plant profile.)
The company significantly increased its nuclear fleet in February 2024, when the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Vistra's $3.4 billion acquisition of Energy Harbor. In the transaction, Vistra acquired the Beaver Valley, Davis-Besse and Perry plants.
As Vistra celebrates its latest license renewal, the possibility remains for the company to further extend the lives of some or all of its reactors. The NRC has licensed some reactors in the U.S. to operate for up to 80 years. The most recent example of this comes from Dominion Energy Incorporated's (Richmond, Virginia) single-reactor V.C. Summer nuclear plant in South Carolina, which is now licensed to operate to 2062. The initial renewal process for the reactor started early, in 2004 gaining approval to operate for an additional 20 years beyond its initially licensed date of 2022. The latest extension allows the plant to operate until 2062. For more information, subscribers can click here to view the plant profile and see July 7, 2025, article - Dominion Receives Approval to Operate V.C. Summer Nuclear Plant Through 2062.
The NRC lists six facilities and 12 reactors for which it is currently reviewing applications for the subsequent license renewals (SLRs) that extend a plant's life from 60 to 80 years.
In 2022, the NRC issued three orders impacting existing and future SLRs. The orders contained new environmental guidelines for the SLR process and affected the renewal applications of 13 reactors at six plants. The NRC's website notes that two affected reactors that had to revisit their existing SLR applications because of the new orders are now under review. The owner of Point Beach units 1 and 2 in Wisconsin, NextEra Energy Incorporated (Juno Beach, Florida), initially applied for SLRs for both units in 2020. A decision now is expected by the end of the year. Subscribers can click here for the plant profile.
The SLR process remains a viable option for all six of Vistra's reactors, including the Perry plant. Should the company choose this path, Vistra most likely will submit SLR applications for Pennsylvania's Unit 1 of the Beaver Valley plant and the single reactor of the Davis-Besse plant in Ohio, both of which expire in the 2030s. With the granting of Perry's license renewal, Vistra's other four reactors can operate well into the 2040s and beyond.
In May, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders regarding the nuclear industry, one of which ordered the license renewal process to be completed within 12 months of the application's submission.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
