[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 64 (Friday, April 4, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14871-14873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-05792]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-269, 50-270, 50-287; NRC-2021-0146]


Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC; Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, 
and 3; Subsequent License Renewal and Record of Decision

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice; issuance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued 
Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and 
DPR-55 to Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke Energy or the licensee), for 
Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (Oconee Station). In 
addition, the NRC has prepared a record of decision (ROD) that supports 
the NRC's decision to issue Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating 
License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and DPR-55.

DATES: The Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating License DPR-38, DPR-
47, and DPR-55 were issued on March 31, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0146 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0146. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Bridget Curran; 
telephone: 301-415-1003; email: [email protected]. For technical 
questions, contact the individual listed in the For Further Information 
Contact section of this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may access publicly available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS 
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public 
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at 301-415-4737, 
or by email to [email protected]. For the

[[Page 14872]]

convenience of the reader, instructions about obtaining materials 
referenced in this document are provided in the ``Availability of 
Documents'' section.
     NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an 
appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to 
[email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8 
a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vaughn Thomas, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-5897; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Discussion

    Notice is hereby given that the NRC has issued Subsequent Renewed 
Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and DPR-55 to Duke 
Energy for Oconee Station. Duke Energy is the operator of the facility. 
Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and DPR-55 
authorize Duke Energy to operate Oconee Station at reactor core power 
levels not in excess of 2,610 megawatts thermal, in accordance with the 
provisions of the Oconee Station subsequent renewed operating licenses 
and technical specifications. Notice is also given that the ROD that 
supports the NRC's decision to issue Subsequent Renewed Facility 
Operating License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and DPR-55 is available in the 
``Availability of Documents'' section of this document.
    As discussed in the ROD and the final site-specific environmental 
impact statement (EIS), published as NUREG-1437, Supplement 2, Second 
Renewal, ``Site-Specific Environmental Impact Statement for License 
Renewal of Nuclear Plants Regarding Subsequent License Renewal for 
Oconee Nuclear Station Units 1,2 and 3, Final Report,'' dated January 
31, 2025, the final EIS documents the NRC staff's environmental review, 
including the determination that the adverse environmental impacts of 
subsequent license renewal for Oconee Station are not so great that 
preserving the option of subsequent license renewal for energy planning 
decisionmakers would be unreasonable. The final EIS conclusion is based 
on (1) information provided in the environmental report submitted by 
Duke Energy, as supplemented, (2) the NRC staff's consultations with 
Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies, (3) the NRC staff's 
independent environmental review, and (4) the NRC staff's consideration 
of public comments received during the scoping process and on the 2024 
draft site-specific EIS, as well as the consideration of mitigation 
measures.
    Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 are pressurized light 
water reactors located on a site situated on the shore of Lake Keowee 
in Oconee County, approximately eight miles northeast of Seneca, South 
Carolina. Duke Energy submitted its application for the subsequent 
renewed licenses, ``Oconee Nuclear Station Units 1, 2, and 3 Subsequent 
License Renewal Application,'' dated June 7, 2021, as supplemented (see 
``Availability of Documents'' section, of this document). The NRC staff 
has determined that Duke Energy's application complies with the 
standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended 
(the Act), and NRC's regulations. As required by the Act and NRC 
regulations in chapter I of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(10 CFR), the NRC has made appropriate findings, which are set forth in 
the subsequent renewed licenses.
    A public notice of the NRC's acceptance for docketing of the 
subsequent renewed license application and an opportunity for a hearing 
was published in the Federal Register on July 28, 2021 (86 FR 40662). 
Further, a notice of intent to prepare a site-specific EIS and conduct 
environmental scoping was published on August 10, 2021 (86 FR 43684). 
On December 19, 2022, the NRC staff issued its Safety Evaluation Report 
concerning the Oconee Station subsequent license renewal application. 
In February 2024, the staff issued a draft site-specific EIS for public 
comment, providing the preliminary results of the staff's environmental 
evaluation of the Oconee Station SLR application. A notice of 
availability of the site-specific draft EIS was published in the 
Federal Register on February 13, 2024 (89 FR 10107). On January 31, 
2025, the NRC staff issued a final site-specific EIS, providing its 
final evaluation of the environmental impacts of Oconee Station 
subsequent license renewal; a notice of issuance was published in the 
Federal Register on February 7, 2025 (90 FR 9171).
    For further details with respect to this action, see: (1) Duke 
Energy's subsequent license renewal application for Oconee Station, 
dated June 7, 2021, as supplemented by letters dated through June 7, 
2022; (2) the NRC's safety evaluation report, dated December 19, 2022; 
(3) the NRC's final EIS (NUREG-1437, Supplement 2, Second Renewal) for 
Oconee Station dated January 31, 2025; and (4) the NRC's ROD, issued on 
March 31, 2025.

II. Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through ADAMS, as indicated.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Document description                  ADAMS accession No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Record of Decision--Subsequent    ML25055A147.
 License Renewal Application
 Review--Oconee Nuclear Station,
 Units 1, 2 and 3, dated March
 31, 2025.
Safety Evaluation Report--        ML22349A117 (Package).
 Subsequent License Renewal
 Application Review--Oconee
 Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2,
 and 3, dated December 19, 2022.
(Redacted) NUREG-1437 DFC,        ML24033A298.
 ``Site-Specific Environmental
 Impact Statement for License
 Renewal of Nuclear Plants,
 Supplement 2, Second Renewal,
 Regarding Subsequent License
 Renewal for Oconee Nuclear
 Station Units 1, 2, and 3,''
 dated February 2024.
Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1,  ML21158A193 (Package).
 2, and 3, Application for
 Subsequent Renewed Operating
 Licenses, dated June 7, 2021.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML21295A035.
 Units 1, 2, and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application,
 Response to NRC Request for
 Additional Information B2.1.27-
 1, dated October 22, 2021.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML21315A012.
 Units 1, 2 and 3--License
 Renewal Application Supplement
 2, dated November 11, 2021.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML21336A001.
 Units 1, 2 and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 Responses to Request for
 Confirmation of Information--
 Set #1, dated December 2, 2021.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML21349A005.
 Units 1, 2 and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 Supplement 3, dated December
 15, 2021.

[[Page 14873]]

 
Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1,  ML21351A000.
 2 and 3--Subsequent License
 Renewal Application Responses
 to Request for Confirmation of
 Information--Set #2, dated
 December 17, 2021.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML22021A000.
 Units 1, 2 and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 Responses to Request for
 Confirmation of Information--
 Set #3, dated January 21, 2022.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML22081A027.
 Units 1, 2 and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 Responses to Request for
 Confirmation of Information--
 Set #4, dated March 22, 2022.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML22158A028.
 Units 1, 2, and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 First Annual Amendment To The
 License Renewal Application And
 Subsequent License Renewal
 Application Supplement 4, dated
 June 7, 2022.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML22010A129.
 Units 1, 2, and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 Responses to NRC Request for
 Additional Information Set 1
 and Second Round Request for
 Additional Information B2.1.27-
 1a, dated January 7, 2022.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML22045A021.
 Units 1, 2, and 3--Responses to
 NRC Request for Additional
 Information Set 2, dated
 February 14, 2022.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML22052A002.
 Units 1, 2, and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application:
 Responses to NRC Request for
 Additional Information Set 3,
 dated February 21, 2022.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML22112A016.
 Units 1, 2, and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 Responses to NRC Request for
 Additional Information Set 4,
 dated April 22, 2022.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML23115A050.
 Units 1, 2, and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 Second Annual Amendment to the
 License Renewal Application,
 dated April 25, 2023.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML24145A069.
 Units 1, 2, and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 Third Annual Update to the
 License Renewal Application and
 Subsequent License Renewal
 Application Supplement 5, dated
 May 24, 2024.
Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS),     ML24213A095.
 Units 1, 2, and 3--Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 Response to Request for
 Additional Information 2024
 Annual update and Subsequent
 License Renewal Application
 Supplement 5 addition, dated
 July 31, 2024.
NUREG-1437, Volume 1, Revision    ML24086A526.
 2, ``Generic Environmental
 Impact Statement for License
 Renewal of Nuclear Plants,''
 Final Report, dated August 31,
 2024.
NUREG-1437, Supplement 2, Second  ML25031A307.
 Renewal, ``Site-Specific
 Environmental Impact Statement
 for License Renewal of Nuclear
 Plants Supplement 2, Second
 Renewal Regarding Subsequent
 License Renewal for Oconee
 Nuclear Station Units 1, 2, and
 3,'' Final Report, dated
 January 31, 2025.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: March 31, 2025.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michele Sampson,
Director, Division of New and Renewed Licenses, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2025-05792 Filed 4-3-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P