[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 51 (Tuesday, March 17, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12829-12831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05153]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-155 and 72-043; NRC-2026-0496]
In the Matter of Holtec Big Rock Point, LLC; Big Rock Point
Plant; Direct Transfer of License
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 control for Facility Operating
License No. DPR-6 for the Big Rock Point Plant (BRP) and the general
license for the BRP Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI)
from the current holder, Holtec Palisades, LLC (Holtec Palisades), to
Holtec Big Rock Point, LLC, (Holtec Big Rock). Holtec Decommissioning
International, LLC, will remain the licensed operator of BRP and the
BRP ISFSI. The NRC is also amending the facility operating license for
administrative purposes to reflect the license transfer from Holtec
Palisades to Holtec Big Rock. The NRC determined that Holtec Big Rock
is qualified to be the holder of the license and that the transfer of
the license is otherwise consistent with applicable provisions of law,
regulations, and orders issued by the Commission.
DATES: The Order was issued on March 11, 2026, and is effective for one
year.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2026-0496 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-2026-0496. 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
[[Page 12830]]
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 license transfer request is available in
ADAMS under Accession No. ML25248A301.
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: Marlayna V. Doell, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-3178; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of the order is attached.
Dated: March 12, 2026.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Michelle Sutherland,
Acting Chief, Reactor Decommissioning Branch, Division of
Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and Waste Programs, Office of
Nuclear material Safety and Safeguards.
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 Holtec Big Rock Point, LLC; Big Rock Point Plant
and Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation Docket Nos. 50-155
and 72-043; License No. DPR-6
Order Approving Direct Transfer of License and Conforming Amendment
I.
Holtec Palisades, LLC, is the holder of Facility Operating
License No. DPR-6 and the general license for the Independent Spent
Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) for the Big Rock Point Plant
(BRP). Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC (HDI) is the
licensed operator of BRP and has authorization to conduct licensed
activities under the defueled facility licensing basis. BRP is
located in Charlevoix County, Michigan, approximately 11 miles west
of Petoskey, on the northern shore of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
II.
By application dated September 5, 2025 (Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25248A301), as
supplemented by letter dated January 30, 2026 (ML26030A036), HDI, on
behalf of itself, Holtec Palisades, LLC (Holtec Palisades), and
Holtec Big Rock Point, LLC (Holtec Big Rock) (collectively, the
Applicants), requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC, the Commission) consent to the direct transfer of control of
Facility Operating License (FOL) No. DPR-6 for BRP and the general
license for the BRP ISFSI, from Holtec Palisades to Holtec Big Rock.
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 Holtec Palisades to
Holtec Big Rock. 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); Title 10 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 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, Holtec Big Rock
would become the licensed owner of BRP under FOL No. DPR-6 and the
general license for the BRP ISFSI, as well as the holder of the BRP
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. HDI is, and would remain,
the licensed operator of BRP post-transfer.
On February 3, 2026, the NRC published in the Federal Register
(91 FR 4970) 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. No requests for hearing or comments related to
the substance of the license transfer application were received.
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, and other
information before the Commission, the NRC staff has determined that
Holtec Big Rock and HDI are qualified to hold the licenses to the
extent proposed in the application, and that the transfer of the
licenses is otherwise consistent with the applicable provisions of
law, regulations, and orders issued by the NRC, pursuant thereto.
Upon review of the application 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 March 11,
2026, which is available at ADAMS Accession No. ML26057A192.
III.
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 subject to the following condition:
Prior to the closing of the license transfer from Holtec
Palisades to Holtec Big Rock, Holtec Big Rock shall provide
satisfactory documentary evidence to the Director of the Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) at the NRC that it has
obtained or continues to possess the appropriate amount of insurance
required of a licensee under 10 CFR 140.12 and 10 CFR 50.54(w) of
the Commission's regulations, consistent with the exemptions
previously issued to BRP, and that coverage will be in place on the
effective date of the transfer.
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 at the time the proposed direct license transfer is
completed.
It is further ordered that HDI shall inform the Director of NMSS
in writing of the date of closing of the transfer of the Holtec
Palisades interests in BRP to Holtec Big Rock, at least 2 business
days prior to closing. Should the transfer of the license not be
completed within 1 year of this Order's date of issuance, this Order
shall become null and void; provided, however, that upon written
application and for good cause shown, such date may be extended by
order.
This Order is effective upon issuance.
For further details with respect to this Order, see the initial
application dated
[[Page 12831]]
September 5, 2025, and the associated NRC staff safety evaluation
dated March 11, 2026, 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 11th day of March 2026.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION.
/RA/
Theodore B. Smith,
Acting Deputy Director, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium
Recovery and Waste Programs, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and
Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2026-05153 Filed 3-16-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P