Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant

1.0 Site Identification

2.0 Site Status Summary

Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (CR-3) was a 2,609 Mwt, pressurized water reactor that was licensed to operate from December of 1976 to February 20, 2013. During a refueling outage that started on September 26, 2009, CR-3 replaced the steam generators (SG), requiring a large hole to be made in the containment structure. When attempting to restore the containment structure following the SG replacement, damage to the containment structure was observed. The licensee attempted to repair the damage, but later decided to decommission the reactor.

The licensee submitted a SAFSTOR post-shutdown decommissioning activities report (PSDAR), including the site-specific cost estimate, on December 2, 2013. The plant began construction of an ISFSI in 2016, and begin loading fuel in summer 2017. Fuel transfer to the ISFSI was completed in January 2018. On October 1, 2020, Duke Energy Florida transferred the license for Crystal River Unit 3, to Accelerated Decommissioning Partners (ADP).  ADP is a joint venture between NorthStar Group Services and Orano USA.  Per the agreement, Duke remains the NRC-licensed owner of the plant, property, and decommissioning trust fund but not the spent fuel.  ADP-CR3 became the NRC-licensed operator responsible for decommissioning and ADP-SF1 became the owner of the spent nuclear fuel.  A revised PSDAR reflecting the changes from SAFSTOR to DECON was submitted on June 26, 2019.

On December 12, 2022, ADP submitted a license amendment request (LAR) to add a license condition to include the requirements of a License Termination Plan (LTP) for CR-3. The NRC staff accepted the LAR on July 25, 2023. On August 12, 2024, ADP withdrew its request citing the need for additional detail. The NRC staff acknowledged the request by letter dated August 27, 2024.

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

By letter dated October 15, 2025, as supplemented December 11, 2025, and February 25, 2026, ADP submitted a license amendment for CR-3. The proposed amendment would approve the LTP and add a license condition that establishes the criteria for determining when changes to the LTP require prior NRC approval. The NRC accepted the application by letter dated February 26, 2026.

In preparation for license termination, ADP requested confirmatory surveys be performed of basement structures that will be left in place. The NRC contracted with Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) to perform two confirmatory surveys. ORISE performed the first confirmatory survey in January 2026. The second confirmatory survey is planned for May 2026. The necessity for future confirmatory surveys will be evaluated by the NRC.

4.0 Estimated Date for Closure

Calendar year 2037