[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 54 (Friday, March 20, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13644-13645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05489]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-261; SEIS-429-00-000-1764730803; NRC-2025-0076]
Duke Energy Progress, LLC; H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant,
Unit No. 2; Final Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice; issuance.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission)
has published a final environmental impact statement (EIS), which is a
supplement to NUREG-1437 and is issued as ``Generic Environmental
Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 13,
Second Renewal, Regarding Subsequent License Renewal for H.B. Robinson
Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, Final Report.'' This final EIS
evaluates the environmental impacts of the proposed subsequent license
renewal of Renewed Facility Operating License No. DRP-23 for an
additional 20 years of operation for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric
Plant, Unit No. 2 (RNP). RNP is located in Darlington County, South
Carolina, approximately 5 miles west-northwest of Hartsville, South
Carolina.
DATES: ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of
Nuclear Plants, Supplement 13, Second Renewal, Regarding Subsequent
License Renewal for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2,
Final Report'' is available as of March 12, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2025-0076 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://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2025-0076. 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 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]. ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for
License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 13, Second Renewal,
Regarding Subsequent License Renewal for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric
Plant, Unit No. 2, Final Report'' is available in ADAMS under Accession
No. ML26062A118.
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, Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
Public Library: A copy of ``Generic Environmental Impact
Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 13, Second
Renewal, Regarding Subsequent License Renewal for H.B. Robinson Steam
Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, Final Report'' will be available for public
review at the Hartsville Memorial Library, 147 West College Ave.,
Hartsville, South Carolina 29550.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Loomis, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-5142; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
In accordance with section 51.118 of title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations, ``Final environmental impact statement--notice of
availability,'' the NRC is making available for public inspection
``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear
Plants, Supplement 13, Second Renewal, Regarding Subsequent License
Renewal for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, Final
Report'' regarding the proposed subsequent license renewal of Renewed
Facility Operating License No. DRP-23 for an additional 20 years of
operation for RNP. A notice of availability of the draft EIS was
published in the Federal Register (FR) on January 9, 2026 (91 FR 1007).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also issued its notice of
availability of the draft EIS on January 9, 2026 (91 FR 997). The
public comment period on the draft EIS ended on February 23, 2026,
[[Page 13645]]
and the comments received on the draft EIS are addressed in the final
EIS.
II. Discussion
The draft EIS was issued for public comment on January 9, 2026. The
final EIS addresses the comments received on the draft EIS. As
discussed in Chapter 4 of the final EIS, the NRC staff has determined
that the adverse environmental impacts of subsequent license renewal
for RNP (i.e., the continued operation of RNP for a period of 20 years
beyond the expiration date of the renewed license) are not so great
that preserving the option of subsequent license renewal for energy-
planning decision-makers would be unreasonable. This recommendation is
based on: (1) the analysis and findings in NUREG-1437, Revision 2,
``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear
Plants, Final Report,'' dated August 2024; (2) information provided in
the environmental report, and other documents submitted by Duke Energy
Progress, LLC; (3) the NRC staff's consultation with Federal, State,
and local governmental agencies and Indian Tribes; (4) the NRC staff's
independent environmental review; and (5) the NRC staff's consideration
of public comments received during the scoping process and on the draft
EIS.
Dated: March 16, 2026.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Kimyata Savoy,
Acting Deputy Director, Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and
Financial Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety, and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2026-05489 Filed 3-19-26; 8:45 am]
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