Florida Power & Light is seeking approval to extend the operating license of its Turkey Point nuclear plant for another 20 years.

If the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission grants the renewal for Turkey Point’s two existing reactors, FPL could be among the first power companies to operate a reactor for 80 years.

NRC spokesman Roger Hannah said Friday that FPL filed the renewal extension application, but NRC staff has not completed its acceptance review. When that occurs, the application will be available for public viewing.

FPL began operating nuclear units 3 and 4 in 1972 and 1973. The reactors’ initial 40-year licenses were extended for another 20 years in 2002.

The approval process is expected to take two years. If granted, the renewal would allow the units to operate through 2052 and 2053. FPL has already invested more than $1 billion to modernize the nuclear units and says that renewing the licenses would “save FPL customers billions of dollars by avoiding the need for other more expensive power generation.”