[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 64 (Friday, April 3, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16989-16990]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06498]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-331 and 72-32; NRC-2026-0298]
In the Matter of NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC; Central Iowa
Power Cooperative; Corn Belt Power Cooperative; Duane Arnold Energy
Center; 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 partial ownership of Renewed
Facility License (RFL) No. DPR-49 for the Duane Arnold Energy Center
(DAEC) and of the associated general license for the DAEC Independent
Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) from two of the current owners,
Central Iowa Power Cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative, to the
third current owner, NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC (NEDA). Following
the transfer, NEDA will be the 100-percent owner of RFL No. DPR-49 and
the associated general license for the DAEC ISFSI. The NRC is also
approving a conforming amendment to RFL No. DPR-49 for administrative
purposes to reflect the license transfer.
DATES: The order was issued on March 30, 2026, and is effective for one
year.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2026-0298 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-2026-0298. 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 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 ADAMS accession number for each document
referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time
that it is mentioned in this document.
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: Brent Ballard, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-0680; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of the order is attached.
Dated: April 1, 2026.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Ilka Berrios,
Chief, Plant Licensing Branch III, Division of Operating Reactor
Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
Attachment--Order Approving Direct Transfer of Licenses and Conforming
Amendment
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
In the Matter of: NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC, Central Iowa
Power Cooperative, Corn Belt Power Cooperative. (Duane Arnold Energy
Center and the Associated Independent Spent Fuel Storage
Installation). Docket Nos. 50-331 and 72-32, Renewed License No.
DPR-49.
Order Approving Direct Transfer of Licenses and Conforming Amendment
I.
NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC (NEDA), Central Iowa Power
Cooperative (CIPCO), and Corn Belt Power Cooperative (Corn Belt) are
the owners of the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC). With respect to
their ownerships, they are co-holders of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC, the Commission) Renewed Facility License No. DPR-49
for the DAEC and of the associated general license for the DAEC
independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI). NEDA, the
current operator licensee, holds 70 percent ownership of the DAEC,
CIPCO holds 20 percent ownership of the DAEC, and Corn Belt holds 10
percent ownership of the DAEC. The DAEC is located in Linn County,
Iowa.
II.
By application dated November 25, 2025 (Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25330A015), as
supplemented by letter dated February 23, 2026 (ML26055A092), NEDA,
CIPCO, and Corn Belt requested, pursuant to Section 184,
``Inalienability of Licenses,'' of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended (AEA), and title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR) Section 50.80, ``Transfer of licenses,'' that the NRC consent
to the direct transfer of CIPCO's 20-percent ownership interest and
Corn Belt's 10-percent ownership interest of Renewed Facility
License No. DPR-49 for the DAEC and of the associated general
license for the DAEC ISFSI to NEDA. NEDA also requested, pursuant to
10 CFR 50.90, ``Application for amendment of license, construction
permit, or early site permit,'' that the NRC approve an
administrative amendment to Renewed Facility License No. DPR-49 to
reflect the transfer, to be issued and made effective at the time
the transfer occurs.
[[Page 16990]]
On January 29, 2026, the NRC published a notice of consideration
of approval of the license transfer application in the Federal
Register (91 FR 3930). This notice provided an opportunity to
comment, request a hearing, and petition for leave to intervene on
the license transfer application. The NRC did not receive any
hearing requests in response to the notice. The NRC did receive
comments in response to the notice, which the NRC staff considered
and addressed in the safety evaluation supporting this transfer
order.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.80, no license for a 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 NRC gives its consent in
writing. Upon review of the information in the license transfer
application and other information before the Commission, and relying
upon the representations contained in the application, the NRC staff
has determined that NEDA is qualified to be the holder of the
licenses to the extent proposed and that the transfer of the
licenses, as described in the application, is otherwise consistent
with applicable provisions of law, regulations, and orders issued by
the Commission pursuant thereto.
Upon review of the request in the license transfer application
for approval of a conforming administrative amendment to reflect the
transfer, the NRC staff has determined that the application for
amendment complies with the standards and requirements of the AEA
and the Commission's rules and regulations set forth in 10 CFR
Chapter I; the facility will operate in conformity with the
application, the provisions of the AEA, and the rules and
regulations of the Commission; there is reasonable assurance that
the activities authorized by the 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; the issuance of the amendment will not be inimical to
the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the
public; and the issuance of the amendment is in accordance with 10
CFR part 51, ``Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic
Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,'' of the Commission's
regulations and all applicable requirements have been satisfied.
The findings set forth above are supported by an NRC staff
safety evaluation dated the same date as this order, which is
available at ADAMS Accession No. ML26068A226.
III.
Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 161b, 161i, and 184 of the
AEA, Title 42 of the United States Code Sections 2201(b), 2201(i),
and 2234, and 10 CFR 50.80 and 10 CFR 50.90, it is hereby ordered
that the license transfer application, as described herein, is
approved.
It is further ordered that, consistent with 10 CFR 2.1315(b),
the license amendment that makes changes, 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 transfer action is
completed.
It is further ordered that after receipt of all required
regulatory approvals of the proposed direct transfer action, NEDA
shall inform the Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation in writing of such receipt no later than 2 business days
prior to the date of the closing of the direct transfer. Should the
proposed direct transfer not be completed within 1 year of the date
of this order, 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 license
transfer application dated November 25, 2025, as supplemented by
letter dated February 23, 2026, and the associated NRC staff safety
evaluation dated the same date as this order. Publicly available
documents created or received at the NRC are accessible
electronically through ADAMS in the NRC Public Documents collection
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 Public Document
Room reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-
4737, or by email to [email protected].
Dated: March 30, 2026.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jamie Pelton,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2026-06498 Filed 4-2-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P