[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 103 (Friday, May 30, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23071-23074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-09756]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-255; NRC-2024-0076]
Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC and Holtec Palisades,
LLC; Palisades Nuclear Plant; Environmental Assessment and Finding of
No Significant Impact
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), as the lead
agency, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Loan Programs Office
(LPO), as a cooperating agency, are issuing an environmental assessment
(EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) evaluating the
environmental impacts from proposed Federal actions related to
reauthorizing power operations at the Palisades Nuclear Plant
(Palisades). Specifically, the NRC is considering an exemption request,
a license transfer request, and license amendment requests (LARs) that,
if approved, would collectively support reauthorizing power operations,
and refueling of the reactor under the existing Palisades Renewed
Facility Operating License (RFOL) No. DPR-20. DOE LPO's proposed action
is to provide Federal financial support (a loan guarantee) to support
refueling and resumption of power generation activities at Palisades.
DATES: The EA and FONSI referenced in this document are available on
May 30, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0076 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://regulations.gov
and search for Docket ID NRC-2024-0076. Address questions about Docket
IDs in Regulations.gov to Bridget Curran; telephone: 301-415-1003;
email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact the
individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, under the heading ``ADAMS Public
Search, select ``Begin ADAMS Public 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
[[Page 23072]]
to [email protected]. For the 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.
NRC Public Project Website: The EA and FONSI along with
information regarding Palisades, including licensing, operation,
decommissioning, and potential restart is available at https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactors/pali.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Richmond, telephone: 301-415-
7218; email: [email protected] and Laura Willingham, telephone:
301-415-0857; email: [email protected]. Both are staff of the
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
Palisades consists of a single pressurized-water reactor designed
by Combustion Engineering (with a turbine-generator designed by
Westinghouse) and is located in Covert Township, Michigan, along the
shoreline of Lake Michigan. Originally licensed for operation on March
24, 1971, the NRC issued RFOL No. DPR-20, for Palisades on January 17,
2007, with the renewed operating license term expiring on March 24,
2031.
After more than 40 years of commercial operation, Palisades
permanently ceased operations on May 20, 2022. On June 13, 2022,
Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., the licensee who operated the
facility prior to transfer of the Palisades license to Holtec
Decommissioning International, LLC (HDI) and Holtec Palisades, LLC,
submitted the certifications for permanent cessation of operations and
permanent removal of fuel from the reactor vessel in accordance with
paragraph 50.82(a)(1) of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR). When the NRC docketed the certifications, Palisades' RFOL No.
DPR-20 no longer authorized operation of the reactor, or emplacement or
retention of fuel into the reactor vessel, as provided by 10 CFR
50.82(a)(2).
To return Palisades to power operations, HDI submitted (1) a
request for an exemption from the requirement in 10 CFR 50.82(a)(2)
that prohibits operation of the Palisades reactor, or emplacement or
retention of fuel into the reactor vessel; (2) a request for a license
transfer from HDI (currently responsible for decommissioning activities
at Palisades) to Palisades Energy, LLC (which would be authorized to
operate the reactor); and (3) the LARs. These requests, along with the
NRC determinations, that these requests were acceptable for review, are
listed in Section II of this notice. If all the requests are granted,
Palisades Energy, LLC, would be allowed to place fuel into the reactor
vessel and resume power operations through March 24, 2031, which is the
end of the renewed facility operating license term under Palisades RFOL
No. DPR-20.
The NRC staff prepared a draft EA and draft FONSI in accordance
with 10 CFR 51.30, ``Environmental assessment'' documenting its
environmental review of the potential licensing and regulatory
approvals. The NRC issued the draft EA and draft FONSI in the Federal
Register and offered a 30-day public comment period (90 FR 8721) in
accordance with 10 CFR 51.33, ``Draft finding of no significant impact;
distribution.'' The draft FONSI stated that the NRC staff has
preliminarily determined that the proposed Federal actions would not
significantly affect the quality of the human environment.
The environmental review included fulfillment of the NRC
obligations related to Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966 (54 U.S.C. 300101, et seq.) (NHPA). The
regulations in 36 CFR 800.8, ``Coordination With the National
Environmental Policy Act'' allow agencies to use their National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.) process to
fulfill the requirements of Section 106 of the NHPA. Therefore,
pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC used its process for the
preparation of the EA on the proposed actions to comply with Section
106 of the NHPA in lieu of the procedures set forth at 36 CFR 800.3
through 800.6.
After consideration of the public comments, the NRC staff finalized
the EA, which is summarized in Section II of this document. Based on
this final EA and in accordance with 10 CFR 51.31(a), ``Determinations
based on environmental assessment'' the NRC has determined that the
preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not necessary
and has prepared a FONSI in accordance with 10 CFR 51.32, ``Finding of
no significant impact.'' The FONSI is detailed in Section III of this
document.
II. Summary of Environmental Assessment
Description of the Proposed Action and Need
The NRC's proposed actions are decisions on whether to grant or
deny Holtec's interdependent, connected licensing and regulatory
requests that, if approved, would collectively support the preparations
for and the resumption of power operations, including the refueling of
the reactor under the existing Palisades' RFOL No. DPR-20.
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Document description ADAMS accession No.
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Request for Exemption from Certain Termination of ML23271A140; ML23291A440.
License Requirements of 10 CFR 50.82, dated September
28, 2023; Acceptance Review dated November 3, 2023.
Application for Order Consenting to Transfer of Control ML23340A161; ML24012A242.
of License and Conforming License Amendments, dated
December 6, 2023; Acceptance Review dated January 16,
2024.
Request to Revise Operating License and Technical ML23348A148; ML24022A117.
Specifications to Support Resumption of Power
Operations, dated December 14, 2023; Acceptance Review
dated January 23, 2024.
Request to Revise the Administrative Technical ML24040A089; ML24060A221.
Specifications to Support Resumption of Power
Operations, dated February 9, 2024; Acceptance Review
dated March 18, 2024.
Request to Revise the Palisades Emergency Plan to ML24122C666; ML24141A119.
Support Resumption of Power Operations, dated May 1,
2024; Acceptance Review dated May 23, 2024..
Request to Approve the Main Steam Line Break Analysis ML24145A145; ML24169A434.
Methodology, dated May 24, 2024; Acceptance Review
dated June 18, 2024.
Request to Include Leak Before Break Methodology for ML25035A216; ML25069A544.
Primary Coolant System Hot and Cold Leg Piping in
Palisades Licensing Basis, dated February 5, 2025;
Acceptance Review dated March 14, 2025.
[[Page 23073]]
Request to Revise Steam Generator Repair by Sleeving ML25043A348; ML25076A177.
for Palisades Nuclear Plant, dated February 11, 2025;
Acceptance Review dated March 20, 2025.
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The NRC's environmental review also encompasses any revisions or
supplements to these requests or other regulatory or licensing requests
submitted to the NRC that are necessary to reauthorize power operations
of Palisades.
The DOE LPO's Federal action is a decision on providing Federal
financial assistance for refueling and resumption of power generation
activities at Palisades, pursuant to Holtec's loan guarantee agreement
with DOE LPO that was issued pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The need for the potential approval of the proposed NRC Federal
actions, collectively supporting the reauthorization of power
operations, is to provide an option that allows for baseload clean
energy power generation capability within the term of the Palisades'
RFOL No. DPR-20 to meet current system generating needs. Regarding the
need for clean energy, Holtec cites the State of Michigan's Public Acts
of 2023, Act No. 235 (enrolled Senate Bill 271), which establishes a
clean energy standard for electric providers to provide at least 80
percent clean energy by 2035 and 100 percent by 2040. Michigan's Act
No. 235 defines clean energy as including a system that ``Generates
electricity or steam without emitting greenhouse gas, including nuclear
generation.''
The need for DOE's proposed action (Federal financial assistance in
the form of a loan guarantee) is to implement DOE's authority under
Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which was reauthorized,
amended, and revised by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 to create
the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment Program (Section 1706). The
purpose of the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment Program is to finance
projects and facilities in the United States that retool, repower,
repurpose, or replace energy infrastructure that has ceased operations
or to enable operating energy infrastructure to avoid, reduce, utilize,
or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse
gases (42 U.S.C. 16517(a)(2)).
Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action
In the final EA, the NRC staff assessed the potential direct and
indirect environmental impacts from the proposed actions associated
with the following relevant resource areas: land use and visual
resources; meteorology and air quality; surface water resources;
groundwater resources and the geologic environment; ecological
resources (terrestrial and aquatic); historic and cultural resources;
socioeconomics; radiological and nonradiological human health; waste
management; uranium fuel cycle and transportation; and postulated
accidents. The NRC staff also considered decommissioning impacts, the
potential effects of climate change on its evaluation of the
environmental impacts of the proposed continued operation of Palisades,
and the cumulative effects from past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable future actions when combined with the proposed Federal
actions.
In the final EA, the NRC staff determined that the environmental
impacts of the proposed action would be NOT SIGNIFICANT for each
potentially affected environmental resource. In addition, the NRC staff
determined that the projected effects of climate change would not alter
any of the impact determinations described in the EA. Furthermore, the
NRC staff found that there would be no significant cumulative impact to
any resource area from the proposed action when added to other past,
present, and reasonably foreseeable actions.
Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives to the Proposed Action
In the final EA, the NRC staff considered a range of alternatives
to the proposed action and the environmental impacts of the
alternatives as appropriate. The NRC staff determined that there are no
alternatives that meet the need for the proposed action that would be
environmentally preferrable to the proposed action.
III. Finding of No Significant Impact
The proposed Federal actions before the NRC are whether to grant
requests for an exemption, a license transfer, and license amendments
to reauthorize Palisades for power operations through the remainder of
its licensing term (to March 24, 2031). The NRC staff has conducted an
environmental review of these actions and prepared an EA. This FONSI
incorporates by reference the EA summarized in Section II of this
notice and referenced in Section IV of this notice. Based on the NRC
staff's determinations in the EA that the environmental impacts of the
proposed actions would be NOT SIGNIFICANT for each potentially affected
resource area, the NRC staff has determined, after consideration of
public comments, that the proposed Federal actions would not
significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Accordingly,
the NRC staff has made a determination that preparation of an EIS is
not required for the proposed Federal actions and that a FONSI is
warranted.
This finding and the related environmental documents referenced
throughout the EA are available for public inspection as discussed in
the EA and Sections I and IV of this notice. At the conclusion of the
NRC environmental review, DOE LPO would publish a separate Record of
Decision or FONSI, as appropriate.
IV. Availability of Documents
In addition to the documents listed in Section II related to the
NRC's proposed actions, the documents listed in the following table are
available to interested persons through one or more of the following
methods, as indicated.
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Document description ADAMS accession No./ Federal Register notice
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Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant ML25111A031.
Impact for the Palisades Nuclear Plant Reauthorization of
Power Operations Project, dated May 30, 2025.
Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No ML24353A157/90 FR 8721.
Significant Impact for the Palisades Nuclear Plant
Reauthorization of Power Operations Project, published
January 31, 2025.
Correspondence to NRC from Holtec, Response to Requests for ML24278A027.
Additional Information Regarding the Proposed
Reauthorization of Power Operations under Renewed Facility
Operating License Number DPR-20, dated October 4, 2024.
[[Page 23074]]
Correspondence to NRC from Holtec, Responses to Requests ML24260A354.
for Confirmatory Information, dated September 12, 2024.
Correspondence to NRC from Holtec, Responses to Requests ML24319A053.
for Confirmatory Information, dated November 14, 2024.
Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC, and Holtec 89 FR 64486.
Palisades, LLC; Palisades Nuclear Plant; Applications for
Amendments to Renewed Facility Operating License Involving
Proposed No Significant Hazards Considerations and Order
Imposing Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified
Non-Safeguards Information and Safeguards Information--
License amendment requests; opportunity to comment,
request a hearing, and petition for leave to intervene;
order, published August 7, 2024.
Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC, Holtec 89 FR 64493.
Palisades, LLC, and Palisades Energy, LLC; Palisades
Nuclear Plant and the Palisades Independent Spent Fuel
Storage Installation; Consideration of Approval of
Transfer of Licenses and Conforming Amendment--Application
for direct transfer of license; opportunity to comment,
request a hearing, and petition for leave to intervene,
published August 7, 2024.
Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC, and Holtec 89 FR 53659.
Palisades, LLC; Palisades Nuclear Plant; Notice of Intent
To Conduct Scoping Process and Prepare an Environmental
Assessment, published June 27, 2024.
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Dated: May 23, 2025.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John Moses,
Deputy Director, Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial
Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety, and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2025-09756 Filed 5-29-25; 8:45 am]
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