[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 14 (Thursday, January 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2803-2804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01143]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2026-0265]


SMR, LLC; Pioneer Units 1 and 2; Phased Construction Permit 
Application--Limited Work Authorization

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice; receipt.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received the 
first part of a phased construction permit application, including a 
limited work authorization (LWA) request, from SMR, LLC (SMR), a Holtec 
International Company, for a dual-unit SMR-300 plant located at the 
Palisades Energy Center (PEC) in Covert, Michigan. The units are 
individually named Pioneer Unit 1 and Pioneer Unit 2.

DATES: January 22, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2026-0265 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-2026-0265. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Bridget Curran; 
telephone: 301-415-1003; email: [email protected]. For technical 
questions, contact the individual(s) 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 Pioneer Units 1 and 2 LWA application is 
available in ADAMS under Package Accession No. ML25365A983.
     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: Victoria Huckabay, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-5183; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Discussion

    On December 31, 2025, SMR, on behalf of Palisades SMR, LLC, filed 
with the NRC, the first part (Part 1) of a phased construction permit 
application for a utilization facility pursuant to Section 103 of the 
Atomic Energy Act and part 50 of title 10 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (10 CFR), ``Domestic Licensing of Production and 
Utilization Facilities.'' Part 1 of the application includes a LWA 
request pursuant to 10 CFR 50.10(d), ``Request for limited work 
authorization;'' three exemption requests; and a comprehensive 
environmental report (ER). SMR's LWA application requests NRC approval 
to conduct certain early construction activities of a dual-unit SMR-300 
plant at the PEC in Covert, Michigan. The comprehensive ER addresses 
the environmental impacts associated with LWA activities (including the 
requested exemptions), the remainder of construction to complete the 
plant, and plant operations. The applicant submitted Part 1 of its 
application as part of a phased application approach for a

[[Page 2804]]

construction permit for a utilization facility, as described in 10 CFR 
2.101(a)(9) and 10 CFR 2.600(d). The units are individually named 
Pioneer Unit 1 and Pioneer Unit 2. SMR plans to submit part two of the 
phased construction permit application no later than 18 months after 
this Part 1 submittal.

II. Further Information

    If the NRC staff finds Part 1 of the phased construction permit 
application acceptable for docketing, the staff will begin a detailed 
technical review of this portion of the application. Subsequent Federal 
Register notices will address the acceptability of the tendered 
application for docketing and opportunities for participation of the 
public during the course of the staff's review.
    A copy of the application is available for public inspection at 
https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/advanced/who-were-working-with/pre-application-activities/holtec/smr300.

    Dated: January 16, 2026.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michelle Hayes,
Chief, Licensing and Regulatory Infrastructure Branch, Division of New 
and Renewed Licenses, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2026-01143 Filed 1-21-26; 8:45 am]
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