[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 161 (Friday, August 21, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54410-54413]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-17147]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-325, 50-324, 50-400, 50-261, and 72-3; NRC-2026-3928]
Duke Energy Progress, LLC; Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, Units
1 and 2, Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1, H.B. Robinson
Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2, H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit
2 Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Consideration of
Approval of Transfer of Licenses and Conforming Amendments
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Application for direct transfer of licenses; opportunity to
comment, request a hearing, and petition for leave to intervene.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission)
received and is considering approval of an application filed by Duke
Energy Progress, LLC (DEP) and Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (DEC) on
March 20, 2026. The application seeks NRC approval of the direct
transfer of Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-71 and DPR-62
for Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, Units 1 and 2, respectively;
Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-63 for Shearon Harris
Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1; Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating
License No. DPR-23 for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2; and
Renewed Materials License No. SNM-2502 for the H.B. Robinson Steam
Electric Plant, Unit 2 Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation,
currently held by DEP, to DEC and issuance of conforming license
amendments.
DATES: Submit comments by September 21, 2026. A request for a hearing
must be filed by September 10, 2026.
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://www.regulations.gov and search
[[Page 54411]]
for Docket ID NRC-2026-3928. 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.
Email comments to: [email protected]. If you do not
receive an automatic email reply confirming receipt, then contact the
Office of the Secretary at 301-415-1677.
Fax comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission at 301-415-1101.
Mail comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and
Adjudications Staff.
Hand deliver comments to: 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland 20852, between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)
Federal workdays; telephone: 301-415-1677.
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: Robert Fisher, Office of Nuclear
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6328; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2026-3928 when contacting the NRC
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain
publicly available information related to this action by any of the
following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2026-3928.
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 application is available
in ADAMS under Accession No. ML26079A150.
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. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
B. Submitting Comments
The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the
Federal rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please
include Docket ID NRC-2026-3928 in your comment submission.
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. Introduction
The NRC is considering the issuance of an order under sections
50.80 and 72.50 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), approving the direct transfer of control of Renewed Facility
Operating License Nos. DPR-71 and DPR-62 for Brunswick Steam Electric
Plant, Units 1 and 2, respectively; Renewed Facility Operating License
No. NPF-63 for Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1; Subsequent
Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-23 for H.B. Robinson Steam
Electric Plant, Unit 2; and Renewed Materials License No. SNM-2502 for
the H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2 Independent Spent Fuel
Storage Installation, currently held by DEP. The transfer would be to
DEC. The NRC is also considering issuing conforming amendments to
reflect the proposed transfer.
No physical changes to the facilities or operational changes are
being proposed in the license transfer application.
The NRC's regulations at 10 CFR 50.80 and 10 CFR 72.50 state that
no license, or any right thereunder, shall be transferred, directly or
indirectly, through transfer of control of the license, unless the
Commission gives its consent in writing. The Commission will approve an
application for the direct transfer of a license if the Commission
determines that the proposed transferee is qualified to hold the
license, and that the transfer is otherwise consistent with applicable
provisions of law, regulations, and orders issued by the Commission.
Before issuance of the proposed conforming license amendments, the
Commission will have made findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of
1954, as amended, and the Commission's regulations.
As provided in 10 CFR 2.1315, unless otherwise determined by the
Commission with regard to a specific application, the Commission has
determined that any amendment to the license of a utilization facility
or the license of an independent spent fuel storage installation that
does no more than conform the license to reflect the transfer action
involves, respectively, no significant hazards consideration, or no
genuine issue as to whether the health and safety of the public will be
significantly affected. No contrary determination has been made with
respect to this specific application. In light of the generic
determination reflected in 10 CFR 2.1315, no public comments with
respect to significant hazards considerations are being solicited,
notwithstanding the general comment procedures contained in 10 CFR
50.91
III. Opportunity To Comment
Within 30 days from the date of publication of this notice, persons
may submit written comments regarding the license transfer application,
as provided for in 10 CFR 2.1305. The Commission will consider and, if
appropriate, respond to these comments, but such comments will not
otherwise constitute part of the decisional record. Comments should be
submitted as described in the ADDRESSES section of this document.
IV. Opportunity To Request a Hearing and Petition for Leave To
Intervene
Within 20 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
[[Page 54412]]
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 Commission or a 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 20 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 20 days from the date of publication of this notice.
Alternatively, a State, local governmental body, Federally recognized
Indian Tribe, or designated 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/main.jsp?AccessionNumber=ML20340A053) and the NRC's public website
(https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/adjudicatory/hearing.html#participate).
V. 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 is created, the participant must submit
adjudicatory documents in the 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 in order 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 on the
NRC's public website (https://ehd.nrc.gov), unless otherwise 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.
The Commission will issue a notice or order granting or denying a
hearing request or intervention petition, designating the issues for
any hearing that will be held and designating the Presiding Officer. A
notice granting a hearing will be published in the Federal Register and
served on the parties to the hearing.
For further details with respect to this application, see the
application dated March 20, 2026 (ADAMS Accession No. ML26079A150).
(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.)
Dated: August 19, 2026.
[[Page 54413]]
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert Fisher,
Project Manager, Operating Licensing Projects Branch II, Division of
Licensing Project 1, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2026-17147 Filed 8-20-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P