[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 20, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40661-40663]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-15921]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-255 and 72-007; NRC-2024-0128]
In the Matter of Palisades Energy, LLC; Palisades Nuclear Plant;
Direct Transfer of Licenses
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Order; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an
order approving the direct transfer of operating authority for Renewed
Facility Operating License No. DPR-20 for the Palisades Nuclear Plant
(PNP) and the general license for the Palisades Independent Spent Fuel
Storage Installation (ISFSI) from the current holder, Holtec
Decommissioning
[[Page 40662]]
International, LLC (HDI), to Palisades Energy, LLC (OPCO). Holtec
Palisades, LLC, will remain the licensed owner of PNP and the PNP
ISFSI. The NRC is also issuing a conforming amendment to the facility
operating license for administrative purposes to reflect the license
transfer from HDI to OPCO. This license transfer is part of the
regulatory approvals necessary to reauthorize power operations at PNP.
DATES: The order was issued on July 24, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2024-0128 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-2024-0128. 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, 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
to [email protected]. The exemption request to remove the
prohibition against operations and emplacement of fuel in the reactor
vessel is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML23271A140.
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: Justin C. Poole, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-2048; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of the order is attached.
Dated: August 18, 2025.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Ilka Berrios,
Acting Chief, Plant Licensing Branch III, Division of Operating Reactor
Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
Attachment--Order Approving the Transfer of License and Conforming
Amendment
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
In the Matter of Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC, Holtec
Palisades, LLC, and Palisades Energy, LLC; Palisades Nuclear Plant and
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, Docket Nos. 50-255 and 72-
007; License No. DPR-20.
Order Approving Direct Transfer of Licenses and Conforming Amendment
I.
Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC (HDI) and Holtec
Palisades, LLC, are the holders of Renewed Facility Operating License
No. DPR-20 and the general license for the Independent Spent Fuel
Storage Installation (ISFSI). Palisades Nuclear Plant is located in
Covert, Michigan, in Van Buren County, on the eastern shore of Lake
Michigan.
II.
By application dated December 6, 2023 (Agencywide Documents Access
and Management System Accession No. ML23340A161), as supplemented by
letters dated May 23, November 19 (two supplements), December 13,
December 19, 2024, and July 16, 2025 (ML24144A106, ML24324A207,
ML24324A200, ML24348A160, ML24354A183, and ML25197A526), HDI, on behalf
of itself, Holtec Palisades, LLC (Holtec Palisades), and Palisades
Energy, LLC (OPCO) (collectively, the Applicants), requested that the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) consent to the
direct transfer of operating authority under Renewed Facility Operating
License (RFOL) No. DPR-20 for the Palisades Nuclear Plant (Palisades,
PNP) and the general license for the Palisades ISFSI, from HDI to OPCO.
The Applicants also requested that the NRC approve a conforming
administrative amendment to the facility license to reflect the
proposed direct transfer of the license from HDI to OPCO. The
Applicants submitted these requests to the NRC for approval under
Section 184, ``Inalienability of Licenses,'' of the Atomic Energy Act
of 1954, as amended (AEA); 10 CFR 50.80, ``Transfer of licenses''; 10
CFR 72.50, ``Transfer of license''; and 10 CFR 50.90, ``Application for
Amendment of license, construction permit, or early site permit.''
Upon NRC approval of the license transfer application and the
consummation of the proposed transfer transaction, OPCO would become
the licensed operator of Palisades under RFOL No. DPR-20 and the
general license for the Palisades ISFSI. Holtec Palisades would remain
the licensed owner, the holder of the PNP decommissioning trust fund
(DTF) established under 10 CFR 50.75, ``Reporting and recordkeeping for
decommissioning planning,'' and the party to the Standard Contract for
Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel with the U.S. Department of Energy.
This license transfer is part of the regulatory approvals necessary
to reauthorize power operations at PNP. The NRC's approval of this
license transfer is not sufficient to authorize operation of the
reactor, or emplacement or retention of fuel into the reactor vessel.
Concurrently with the approval of this license transfer application,
the NRC staff is issuing its approval of an exemption request and four
license amendment requests to reauthorize power operations at
Palisades. OPCO would not be authorized to operate Palisades until the
effective dates of those actions.
On August 7, 2024, the NRC published in the Federal Register (89 FR
64493) a notice of consideration of approval of the license transfer
application and conforming amendment to the license to reflect the
proposed transfer. This notice provided an opportunity to comment,
request a hearing, and petition for leave to intervene on the
application. In response, on August 27, 2024 (ML24240A210), a hearing
request was filed by Beyond Nuclear, Michigan Safe Energy Future, and
Don't Waste Michigan. On April 29, 2025 (ML25119A109), the Commission
issued an order (CLI-25-3) denying the hearing request.
In accordance with 10 CFR 50.80, no license for a production or
utilization facility, or any right thereunder, shall be transferred,
either voluntarily or involuntarily, directly or indirectly, through
transfer of control of the license to any person, unless the Commission
gives its consent in writing. Upon review of the information in the
license transfer application, as supplemented, and other information
before the Commission, the NRC staff has determined that Holtec
Palisades and OPCO are qualified to hold the licenses to the extent
proposed in the
[[Page 40663]]
application, as supplemented, and that the transfers of the licenses
are otherwise consistent with the applicable provisions of law,
regulations, and orders issued by the NRC, pursuant thereto.
Upon review of the application, as supplemented, for a conforming
administrative amendment to the license to reflect the direct transfer,
the NRC staff determined the following:
(1) The application for the proposed license amendment complies
with the standards and requirements of the AEA and the Commission's
rules and regulations set forth in 10 CFR Chapter I;
(2) The facilities will operate in conformity with the application,
the provisions of the AEA and the rules and regulations of the
Commission;
(3) There is reasonable assurance that the activities authorized by
the proposed license amendment can be conducted without endangering the
health and safety of the public and that such activities will be
conducted in compliance with the Commission's regulations;
(4) The issuance of the proposed license amendment will not be
inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety
of the public; and
(5) The issuance of the proposed amendment will be in accordance
with 10 CFR part 51 of the Commission's regulations and all applicable
requirements have been satisfied.
The findings set forth above are supported by an NRC safety
evaluation dated July 24, 2025, which is available at ADAMS Accession
No. ML25167A268.
III.
(1) Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 161b, 161i, 161o, and 184 of
the AEA, 42 U.S.C. 2201(b), 2201(i), 2201(o), and 2234; and 10 CFR
50.80, 10 CFR 72.50, and 10 CFR 50.90, It Is Hereby Ordered that the
application regarding the proposed direct license transfer is approved.
It Is Further Ordered that consistent with 10 CFR 2.1315(b), the
license amendment that makes a change, as indicated in Enclosure 2 to
the cover letter forwarding this Order, to reflect the subject direct
transfer, is approved. The amendment shall be issued and made effective
immediately.
This Order is effective upon issuance.
For further details with respect to this Order, see the initial
application dated December 6, 2023, as supplemented by letters dated
May 23, November 19 (two supplements), December 13, and December 19,
2024; and July 16, 2025, and the associated NRC staff safety evaluation
dated July 24, 2025, which are available for public inspection
electronically through ADAMS in the NRC Library at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who
encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should
contact the NRC PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or
301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected].
Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 24th day of July 2025.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
/RA/
Gregory Bowman, Acting Director,
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2025-15921 Filed 8-19-25; 8:45 am]
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