BWR unit can now operate for 60 years until 2055 The 775-MW boiling water reactor unit can now operate until 10 April 2055. Unit 2 at Mexico's Laguna Verde nuclear power station has been granted an extension to its operating licence, taking the lifetime of the plant into the mid-2050s, state-owned operator the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) said.

The licence means the 775-MW boiling water reactor unit, which began commercial operation in April 1995, can now operate beyond its 11 April 2025 deadline to 10 April 2055, taking its lifetime from 30 to 60 years.

The extension was approved by Mexican nuclear safety authorities, CFE said.

The station, on the Gulf of Mexico east of Mexico City, consists of two General Electric BWR units. The 777-MW Laguna Verde-1 has already obtained a licence renewal to operate for 60 years.

Nuclear power from Laguna Verde provided 5.3% of Mexico's electricity in 2021, according to International Atomic energy Agency data. The country's largest energy source is gas, at 63%, with oil accounting for about 10%.