Duke Energy Corp. aims to decide whether to repair or retire its weakened Crystal River nuclear plant in Florida by early February, CEO Jim Rogers said this week.

Duke inherited the 35-year-old plant in a 2012 merger with Progress Energy Inc. It has been shut down since 2009 due to a botched repair job that resulted in separating layers of concrete in its thick-walled reactor containment structure.

Repairs are estimated to cost $1.5 billion, according to an analysis by Charlotte, N.C., engineering firm Zapata Inc. that Duke released in October 2012. But if unexpected problems arise, the analysis said, repair costs could reach $3.4 billion and take eight years.

Duke has said it will repair the plant only if it is confident the repairs can be completed on time and under budget (Bruce Henderson, Charlotte Observer, Jan. 18). -- KJ