energy
NRC renews Hatch plant licenses for two Georgia reactors
The June 11 notice lets Southern Nuclear keep operating Units 1 and 2 at the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley. The agency said its environmental review found no significant impact.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given Southern Nuclear another operating term for the Hatch plant. The renewed licenses cover both reactors at the Georgia site and keep them in service under federal approval.
- NRC renewed both Hatch reactor licenses on June 11.
- The notice covers Units 1 and 2 near Baxley, Georgia.
- Southern Nuclear keeps federal authorization to operate the plant.
- Southern Nuclear's Edwin I
- Hatch Nuclear Plant has another federal green light to keep running
Southern Nuclear's Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant has another federal green light to keep running. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or NRC, issued Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-57 and NPF-5 on June 11, 2026, covering Units 1 and 2 near Baxley, Georgia.
A subsequent renewal is a later-stage extension of an existing operating license. For Hatch, it means both reactors remain authorized under a newer federal approval instead of moving toward the end of their current license period.
More runway for the plant
That matters to the people who work at Hatch and to the communities around it. The renewal keeps the station operating as a live industrial site, with the practical effect of continued operation for a plant that supplies power and supports local employment.
The notice does not spell out a new operating term, so the key point is narrower: the NRC has again cleared both units to keep operating.
The licenses on paper
The licenses belong to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. and cover both reactor units at the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant. The NRC says it issued them June 11, 2026, and published the notice in the Federal Register on June 18, 2026.