[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 111 (Wednesday, June 10, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35275-35277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-11641]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-298; NRC-2026-2344]
Nebraska Public Power District; Cooper Nuclear Station;
Subsequent License Renewal Application
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
[[Page 35276]]
ACTION: Acceptance for docketing; opportunity to request a hearing and
petition for leave to intervene.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission)
is considering an application for the subsequent renewal of Renewed
Facility Operating License No. DPR-46, which authorizes Nebraska Public
Power District (NPPD) to operate Cooper Nuclear Station (Cooper). The
subsequent renewed license would authorize NPPD to operate Cooper for
an additional 20 years beyond the period specified in the current
renewed license. The current renewed license for Cooper expires January
18, 2034.
DATES: Requests for a hearing or petitions for leave to intervene must
be filed by August 10, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2026-2344 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information for this action. You may
obtain publicly available information related to this action using any
of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2026-2344. 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 subsequent license renewal application is
available in ADAMS under Package Accession No. ML26127A279.
Public Library: A copy of the subsequent license renewal
application can be accessed at the following public libraries: Auburn
Memorial Library, 1810 Courthouse Avenue, Auburn, NE 68305, and
Atchison County Library, 200 South Main Street, Rock Port, MO 64482.
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: Mark Yoo, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone: 301-415-8583; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
The NRC received a subsequent license renewal application (SLRA)
from NPPD dated May 7, 2026, requesting subsequent renewal of Renewed
Facility Operating License No. DPR-46, which authorizes NPPD to operate
Cooper up to 2,419 megawatts thermal. Cooper is located in Brownville,
Nebraska. NPPD submitted the SLRA pursuant to part 54 of title 10 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Requirements for Renewal of
Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants.'' A notice of receipt of
the SLRA was published in the Federal Register on May 21, 2026 (91 FR
29989).
The NRC staff has determined that NPPD has submitted sufficient
information in accordance with 10 CFR 54.19, 54.21, 54.22, 54.23,
51.45, and 51.53(c) to enable the staff to undertake a review of the
SLRA and that, therefore, the SLRA is acceptable for docketing. The
current docket number, 50-298, for Renewed Facility Operating License
No. DPR-46 will be retained. The determination to accept the SLRA for
docketing does not constitute a determination that a subsequent renewed
license should be issued and does not preclude the NRC staff from
requesting additional information as the review proceeds.
Before issuance of the requested subsequent renewed license, the
NRC will have made the findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of
1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations.
In accordance with 10 CFR 54.29, the NRC may issue a subsequent renewed
license on the basis of its review if it finds that actions have been
identified and have been or will be taken with respect to: (1) managing
the effects of aging during the period of extended operation on the
functionality of structures and components that have been identified as
requiring aging management review; and (2) time-limited aging analyses
that have been identified as requiring review, such that there is
reasonable assurance that the activities authorized by the subsequent
renewed license will continue to be conducted in accordance with the
current licensing basis and that any changes made to the plant's
current licensing basis will comply with the Act and the Commission's
regulations.
Additionally, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.95(c), the NRC will
prepare an environmental impact statement as a supplement to the
Commission's NUREG-1437, Revision 2, ``Generic Environmental Impact
Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants,'' dated August
2024 (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML24087A133). In considering the
SLRA, 10 CFR 54.29 requires that the Commission must find that the
applicable requirements of subpart A of 10 CFR part 51 have been
satisfied, and that any matters raised under 10 CFR 2.335,
``Consideration of Commission rules and regulations in adjudicatory
proceedings,'' have been addressed.
II. Opportunity To Request a Hearing and Petition for Leave To
Intervene
Within 60 days after the date of publication of this notice, any
person (petitioner) whose interest may be affected by this action may
file a request for a hearing and petition for leave to intervene
(petition) with respect to the action. Petitions shall be filed in
accordance with the Commission's ``Agency Rules of Practice and
Procedure'' in 10 CFR part 2. Interested persons should consult 10 CFR
2.309. If a petition is filed, the presiding officer will rule on the
petition and, if appropriate, a notice of a hearing will be issued.
Petitions must be filed no later than 60 days from the date of
publication of this notice in accordance with the filing instructions
in the ``Electronic Submissions (E-Filing)'' section of this document.
Petitions and motions for leave to file new or amended contentions that
are filed after the deadline will not be entertained absent a
determination by the presiding officer that the filing demonstrates
good cause by satisfying the three factors in 10 CFR 2.309(c)(1)(i)
through (iii).
A State, local governmental body, Federally recognized Indian
Tribe, or designated agency thereof, may submit a petition to the
Commission to participate as a party under 10 CFR 2.309(h) no later
than 60 days from the date of publication of this notice.
Alternatively, a State, local governmental body, Federally recognized
Indian Tribe, or agency thereof may participate as a non-party under 10
CFR 2.315(c).
For information about filing a petition and about participation by
a person not a party under 10 CFR 2.315, see ADAMS Accession No.
ML20340A053 (https://adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov/webSearch2/
[[Page 35277]]
main.jsp?AccessionNumber=ML20340A 053), and on the NRC's public website
(https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/adjudicatory/hearing.html#participate).
III. Electronic Submissions (E-Filing)
All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings, including
documents filed by an interested State, local governmental body,
Federally recognized Indian Tribe, or designated agency thereof that
requests to participate under 10 CFR 2.315(c), must be filed in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302. The E-Filing process requires
participants to submit and serve all adjudicatory documents over the
internet, or in some cases, to mail copies on electronic storage media,
unless an exemption permitting an alternative filing method, as further
discussed, is granted. Detailed guidance on electronic submissions is
located in the ``Guidance for Electronic Submissions to the NRC''
(ADAMS Accession No. ML13031A056), and on the NRC's public website
(https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html).
To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least 10
days prior to the filing deadline, the participant should contact the
Office of the Secretary by email at [email protected], or by
telephone at 301-415-1677, to (1) request a digital identification (ID)
certificate, which allows the participant (or its counsel or
representative) to digitally sign submissions and access the E-Filing
system for any proceeding in which it is participating; and (2) advise
the Secretary that the participant will be submitting a petition or
other adjudicatory document (even in instances in which the
participant, or its counsel or representative, already holds an NRC-
issued digital ID certificate). Based upon this information, the
Secretary will establish an electronic docket for the proceeding if the
Secretary has not already established an electronic docket.
Information about applying for a digital ID certificate is
available on the NRC's public website (https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/getting-started.html). After a digital ID certificate is
obtained and a docket created, the participant must submit adjudicatory
documents in Portable Document Format. Guidance on submissions is
available on the NRC's public website (https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/electronic-sub-ref-mat.html). A filing is considered complete at the
time the document is submitted through the NRC's E-Filing system. To be
timely, an electronic filing must be submitted to the E-Filing system
no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the due date. Upon receipt of a
transmission, the E-Filing system time-stamps the document and sends
the submitter an email confirming receipt of the document. The E-Filing
system also distributes an email that provides access to the document
to the NRC's Office of the General Counsel and any others who have
advised the Office of the Secretary that they wish to participate in
the proceeding, so that the filer need not serve the document on those
participants separately. Therefore, applicants and other participants
(or their counsel or representative) must apply for and receive a
digital ID certificate before adjudicatory documents are filed to
obtain access to the documents via the E-Filing system.
A person filing electronically using the NRC's adjudicatory E-
Filing system may seek assistance by contacting the NRC's Electronic
Filing Help Desk through the ``Contact Us'' link located on the NRC's
public website (https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html), by
email to [email protected], or by a toll-free call at 1-866-672-
7640. The NRC Electronic Filing Help Desk is available between 9 a.m.
and 6 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Participants who believe that they have good cause for not
submitting documents electronically must file an exemption request, in
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g), with their initial paper filing
stating why there is good cause for not filing electronically and
requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in paper
format. Such filings must be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR
2.302(b)-(d). Participants filing adjudicatory documents in this manner
are responsible for serving their documents on all other participants.
Participants granted an exemption under 10 CFR 2.302(g)(2) must still
meet the electronic formatting requirement in 10 CFR 2.302(g)(1),
unless the participant also seeks and is granted an exemption from 10
CFR 2.302(g)(1).
Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in the
NRC's electronic hearing docket, which is publicly available at https://adams.nrc.gov/ehd, unless excluded pursuant to an order of the
presiding officer. If you do not have an NRC issued digital ID
certificate as previously described, click ``cancel'' when the link
requests certificates and you will be automatically directed to the
NRC's electronic hearing docket where you will be able to access any
publicly available documents in a particular hearing docket.
Participants are requested not to include personal privacy information
such as social security numbers, home addresses, or personal phone
numbers in their filings unless an NRC regulation or other law requires
submission of such information. With respect to copyrighted works,
except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of the adjudicatory
filings and would constitute a Fair Use application, participants
should not include copyrighted materials in their submission.
Detailed information about the license renewal process can be found
under the Reactor License Renewal section icon at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html on the NRC's public website.
The SLRA for Cooper is also available on the NRC's public website at
https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/subsequent-license-renewal.html, while the SLRA is under review.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.
Dated: June 8, 2026.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Clinton Hobbs,
Acting Chief, License Renewal Project Branch, Division of New and
Renewed Licenses, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2026-11641 Filed 6-9-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P