[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 80 (Monday, April 27, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22549-22551]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-08155]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 52-055, NRC-2025-2161]
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC; Belews Creek, North Carolina Site,
Early Site Permit, Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping Process and
Prepare Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announces its intent
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to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the
potential environmental impacts associated with Duke Energy Carolinas,
LLC (DEC) application for an Early Site Permit (ESP) for the Belews
Creek, NC, site in Sauratown Township, Stokes County, North Carolina,
and Belews Creek Township, Forsyth County, North Carolina. The NRC is
initiating a 30-day public scoping period to gather input on the scope
of the EIS. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a cooperating agency,
while the NRC will be the lead Federal agency.
DATES: The public may submit comments on the scope of the EIS by June
8, 2026. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is
practical to do so, but the NRC is able to ensure consideration only
for comments received on or before this date. Further information
regarding the proposed applications can be found in Section V of this
notice, ``Virtual Project Information and Engagement.''
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods;
however, the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the
Federal rulemaking website:
Federal rulemaking website: Go to https://regulations.gov
and search for Docket ID NRC-2025-2161. 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.
Email: Comments may be submitted to the NRC electronically
using the email address [email protected].
Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop:
TWFN-5-A85, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Burris, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-1621; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2025-2161 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://regulations.gov
and search for Docket ID NRC-2025-2161.
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 in this document (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided
the first time that it is referenced.
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.
NRC Public Project Website: Information regarding the
project and engagement opportunities, is available at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/advanced/who-were-working-with/applicant-projects/dukeenergy.
The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through
the Federal rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please
include Docket ID NRC-2025-2161 in the subject line of your comment
submission in order to ensure that the NRC is able to make your comment
submission available to the public in this docket.
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at
https://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions
into ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to
remove identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to
remove such information before making the comment submissions available
to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.
II. Discussion
By letter dated December 30, 2025, (ADAMS Package Accession No.
ML25364A004), DEC submitted to the NRC in accordance with part 52 of
title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Subpart A,
``Early Site Permits (ESP),'' an application for an ESP to approve the
Belews Creek, NC, site for future construction of multiple nuclear
reactors. DEC has not selected a reactor technology to be built at the
project site and used a plant parameter envelope approach. This
submission initiated the NRC's proposed action of determining whether
to grant the ESP.
In accordance with 10 CFR 51.50(a), DEC submitted an environmental
report (ER) as part of the ESP application. The ER was prepared
pursuant to 10 CFR part 51 and is publicly available in ADAMS under
Accession No. ML25364A006. The ER will also be available for viewing at
https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/advanced/who-were-working-with/applicant-projects/dukeenergy.
The ER includes a discussion of the purpose of the project and
alternatives.
The NRC staff determined that DEC submitted an application in
accordance with 10 CFR part 52, and that the application is acceptable
for docketing under Docket No. 52-055. The NRC sent a letter of
acceptance and docketing to DEC on February 8, 2026, (ADAMS Accession
No. ML26016A624). A notice of acceptance for docketing of the
application and notice of hearing were published in the Federal
Register on February 9, 2025, (91 FR 5787). These notices are available
on the Federal rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov) by
searching for Docket ID NRC-2025-2161.
The NRC is the lead Federal agency for the NEPA process for the
proposed action. The NRC may invite any Federal, State, Tribal, or
local agency that has jurisdiction by law or special expertise with
respect to any environmental impact involved in a proposal to become
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS for the proposed
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action. As such, the U.S Corps of Engineers is a cooperating agency.
The Council for Environmental Quality Identification for this EIS
is EISX-429-00-000-1773367293.
III. Request for Comment
This notice informs the public of the NRC's intent to conduct
environmental scoping and prepare an EIS for the NRC's review of the
ESP application for Belews Creek, NC, site and to provide the public an
opportunity to participate in the environmental scoping process, in
accordance with 10 CFR 51.29, ``Scoping-environmental impact statement
and supplement to environmental impact statement,'' and 10 CFR 51.116,
``Notice of intent.''
The regulations in 36 CFR 800.8, ``Coordination with the National
Environmental Policy Act,'' allow agencies to use their NEPA process to
fulfill the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966 (54 U.S.C. 300101, et seq.) (NHPA). Therefore,
pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC intends to use its process and
documentation required for the preparation of the EIS on the proposed
action to comply with Section 106 of the NHPA, in lieu of the
procedures set forth at 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6.
The NRC intends to gather the information necessary to prepare an
EIS related to the ESP application for the Belews Creek, NC, site. The
NRC is required by 10 CFR 51.20(b) to prepare an EIS in connection with
the issuance of an ESP for a power reactor. This notice is being
published in accordance with NEPA and the NRC's regulations at 10 CFR
part 51.
The NRC will evaluate the environmental impacts of construction,
operation and decommissioning of a nuclear power facility at the Belews
Creek, NC, site, and alternatives thereto.
As part of its environmental review, the NRC will first conduct a
scoping process and, as soon as practicable thereafter, will prepare a
draft EIS for public comment. Participation in this scoping process by
members of the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal government
agencies is encouraged. The scoping process for the draft EIS will be
used to accomplish the following:
a. Define the proposed action that is to be the subject of the EIS;
b. Determine the scope of the EIS and identify the significant
issues to be analyzed in depth;
c. Identify and eliminate from detailed study those issues that are
peripheral or are not significant or that have been covered by prior
environmental review;
d. Identify any environmental assessments and other ElSs that are
being or will be prepared that are related to, but are not part of, the
scope of the EIS under consideration;
e. Identify other environmental review and consultation
requirements related to the proposed action;
f. Indicate the relationship between the timing of the preparation
of the environmental analyses and the NRC's tentative planning and
decision-making schedule;
g. Identify any cooperating agencies and, as appropriate, allocate
assignments for preparation and schedules for completing the EIS to the
NRC and any cooperating agencies; and
h. Describe how the EIS will be prepared, including any contractor
assistance to be used.
The NRC invites the following entities to participate in scoping:
a. The applicant, Duke Energy Carolina, LLC;
b. Any Federal agency that has jurisdiction by law or special
expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved or that is
authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards;
c. Affected State and local government agencies, including those
authorized to develop and enforce relevant environmental standards;
d. Any affected Indian Tribe;
e. Any person who requests or has requested an opportunity to
participate in the scoping process; and
f. Any person who has petitioned or intends to petition for leave
to intervene under 10 CFR 2.309.
IV. Virtual Project Information and Engagement
The NRC is announcing that it will maintain project information and
engagement opportunities for the DEC Belews Creek ESP application
located at the NRC project website at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors/advanced/who-were-working-with/applicant-projects/dukeenergy.
Project information and stakeholder engagement will include: (1) an
overview by the NRC of the environmental review process, the proposed
scope of the DEC Belews Creek project, and the proposed environmental
review schedule; and (2) information regarding the opportunity for
interested government agencies, organizations, and individuals to
submit comments or suggestions on environmental issues or the proposed
scope of the EIS.
Participation in the scoping process for the Belews Creek ESP EIS
does not entitle participants to become parties to the proceeding to
which the EIS relates. Matters related to participation in any hearing
are outside the scope of matters to be discussed as part of the EIS
process.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.
Dated: April 23, 2026.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Daniel Barnhurst,
Chief, Environmental Project Management Branch, Division of Rulemaking,
Environmental, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2026-08155 Filed 4-24-26; 8:45 am]
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