Cities: FPL can’t afford to build 2 new reactors

Florida Power & Light Co. doesn’t have the financial ability to complete the proposed Turkey Point 6 and 7 nuclear reactors, three Miami-Dade County cities assert in a filing with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

They contend that because of reactor company Westinghouse’s bankruptcy, the project is no longer feasible, and that it isn’t reasonable or prudent for FPL to charge customers for the reactors.

The NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board is scheduled to hear oral arguments Tuesday on a hearing request by Miami, Pinecrest and South Miami.

Juno Beach-based FPL already operates two reactors at the site 25 miles south of Miami. The NRC has not yet approved FPL’s 2009 application to add two more reactors that could cost up to $20 billion.

FPL customers have paid more than $282 million in pre-licensing costs for the reactors that might never be built. FPL has placed the cost of the reactors at $12 billion to $18 billion, but others have estimated the cost could exceed $20 billion.

FPL spokesman Peter Robbins said the cities’ concerns will be addressed at Tuesday’s hearing.

“Our focus right now is solely on getting the approvals. We think there is value for our customers in completing that process and getting those approvals and having the license,” Robbins said.

The cities say they have the right to file a new contention and intervene in the reactor licensing proceedings even though the deadline was Dec. 9, 2016, because of recent developments.

On March 29, Westinghouse Electric Co., its parent company and subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Westinghouse designs and builds the AP1000 nuclear reactors that are included in FPL’s license application.

FPL executed a reservation agreement with Westinghouse, and that agreement automatically terminated when Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy, the cities’ petition states.

Westinghouse and its parent company, Toshiba, have publicly stated they are moving away from the business of constructing nuclear reactors.

Without an agreement for the construction of the two reactors, the project is no longer feasible, and further expenditures would not be reasonable or prudent, the petition states.

In May, FPL spokesman Peter Robbins said the company would not be making a decision on whether to move forward with construction of the two reactors for at least four years.

The company has not sought any more money from customers in 2016 or this year.

AP1000 nuclear reactor projects under construction in Georgia and South Carolina have been problem-plagued and over budget.

Since it takes about a decade to build a reactor, even if FPL were to make a decision to move forward in 2021, the project would not be completed until 2031.