The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved Irving-based Vistra Energy’s request to extend the operation of Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant through 2053, an additional 20 years beyond its original licenses, the company said.
Comanche Peak is 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth in Glen Rose. Vistra submitted its application for license renewal with the NRC in October 2022.
“With demand for electricity growing at a rapid pace, reliable sources of power, like Comanche Peak, are going to be absolutely essential to meeting that need,” Jim Burke, president and CEO of Vistra, said in a statement. “Importantly, this demand growth is happening at the same time as the country is transitioning to cleaner energy sources and many fossil plants are retiring. Electricity is one of the most basic building blocks of the economy, and extending the operation of our nuclear fleet provides decades of support for both existing and growing sectors.”
According to Vistra, the NRC staff noted in an April report to NRC commissioners that Vistra’s “proactive and voluntary efforts” helped improve the timeliness and efficiency of the license renewal process. Vistra voluntarily submitted three supplements to the applications, which the staff said contributed to a 70% reduction in its requests for information compared to previous license renewals.
“We take pride in the part we play every day in powering the grid with carbon-free energy. Our dedicated Comanche Peak team operates the plant safely and at a high level of performance, and I’m proud that this record of excellence has paved the way to securing another 20 years of operation,” Ken Peters, chief nuclear officer of Vistra, said in a statement. “I want to acknowledge the tremendous work by the team who facilitated one of the most efficient license renewal efforts with the NRC.”
License extensions and carbon-free power
A two-unit facility, Comanche Peak is the third of Vistra’s four nuclear plants to receive its license extension from the NRC. Comanche Peak units 1 and 2 now can operate through 2050 and 2053, respectively. The company’s Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant units 1 and 2 in Pennsylvania are licensed through 2036 and 2047, and Davis-Besse in Ohio is licensed through 2037, the company said.
Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio filed its application for renewal in 2023 and is currently in the NRC review process.
Vistra said that nuclear plants are uniquely positioned to provide both carbon-free power and always-on baseload generation. The company said it has established a leading role in the responsible energy transition and expansion, with the nation’s second-largest competitive fleet of nuclear power plants at the center of its zero-carbon generation portfolio.
Together, those four nuclear plants have the capacity to generate more than 6,500 MW of emission-free energy, enough to power about 3.25 million homes, Vistra said.
Benefitting the local economy
The company said that the extension of Comanche Peak’s operation also ensures continued economic benefits to the local area.
Comanche Peak is operated by more than 600 employees and more than 200 permanent contractors. Refueling outages for the two reactors require supplemental workers and bring in anywhere from 800-1,200 skilled technicians from across the country.
These contractors are a source of substantial additional economic activity for hotels, restaurants, and related businesses in the area, the company said.
Comanche Peak is the largest taxpayer in Somervell County, paying more than $30 million a year in state and local taxes.
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R E A D N E X T
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In a $3 billion merger announced in March, Vistra—which owns the Comanche Peak nuclear plant in Glen Rose—acquired three nuclear power plants and retail businesses from Ohio-based Energy Harbor. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval puts Vistra one step closer to creating a clean-energy powerhouse.
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