US utilities must share plans on fund shortfalls-report

NEW YORK, June 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission told six utility companies that they must explain by the end of the year how they will fix shortfalls in nuclear decommissioning funds, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Reduced returns on investment helped cause the under-funding, said the newspaper.

License holders who received notices include Exelon Corp (EXC.N), Entergy Corp (ETR.N), Constellation Energy Group Inc (CEG.N), FPL Group (FPL.N), First Energy and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVC.N), the Journal said in its report.

The report said NRC did not divulge the shortfall. Amounts ranged from $12 million to $204 million for each of 26 reactors at 18 sites on its list, the Journal said.

A spokesman for FPL told the newspaper that FPL is "fully committed to meeting our obligations." An Exelon spokesman said to the Journal that Exelon solved shortfalls at three reactors, but still must satisfy the NRC on two plants.

Comments by representatives for the other utility companies were not included in the story. (Reporting by Chelsea Emery; Editing by Gary Hill)