SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Discussion

Notice is hereby given that the NRC has issued Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and DPR-55 to Duke Energy for Oconee Station. Duke Energy is the operator of the facility. Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and DPR-55 authorize Duke Energy to operate Oconee Station at reactor core power levels not in excess of 2,610 megawatts thermal, in accordance with the provisions of the Oconee Station subsequent renewed operating licenses and technical specifications. Notice is also given that the ROD that supports the NRC's decision to issue Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and DPR-55 is available in the “Availability of Documents” section of this document.

As discussed in the ROD and the final site-specific environmental impact statement (EIS), published as NUREG-1437, Supplement 2, Second Renewal, “Site-Specific Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants Regarding Subsequent License Renewal for Oconee Nuclear Station Units 1,2 and 3, Final Report,” dated January 31, 2025, the final EIS documents the NRC staff's environmental review, including the determination that the adverse environmental impacts of subsequent license renewal for Oconee Station are not so great that preserving the option of subsequent license renewal for energy planning decisionmakers would be unreasonable. The final EIS conclusion is based on (1) information provided in the environmental report submitted by Duke Energy, as supplemented, (2) the NRC staff's consultations with Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies, (3) the NRC staff's independent environmental review, and (4) the NRC staff's consideration of public comments received during the scoping process and on the 2024 draft site-specific EIS, as well as the consideration of mitigation measures.

Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 are pressurized light water reactors located on a site situated on the shore of Lake Keowee in Oconee County, approximately eight miles northeast of Seneca, South Carolina. Duke Energy submitted its application for the subsequent renewed licenses, “Oconee Nuclear Station Units 1, 2, and 3 Subsequent License Renewal Application,” dated June 7, 2021, as supplemented (see “Availability of Documents” section, of this document). The NRC staff has determined that Duke Energy's application complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and NRC's regulations. As required by the Act and NRC regulations in chapter I of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC has made appropriate findings, which are set forth in the subsequent renewed licenses.

A public notice of the NRC's acceptance for docketing of the subsequent renewed license application and an opportunity for a hearing was published in the Federal Register on July 28, 2021 (86 FR 40662). Further, a notice of intent to prepare a site-specific EIS and conduct environmental scoping was published on August 10, 2021 (86 FR 43684). On December 19, 2022, the NRC staff issued its Safety Evaluation Report concerning the Oconee Station subsequent license renewal application. In February 2024, the staff issued a draft site-specific EIS for public comment, providing the preliminary results of the staff's environmental evaluation of the Oconee Station SLR application. A notice of availability of the site-specific draft EIS was published in the Federal Register on February 13, 2024 (89 FR 10107). On January 31, 2025, the NRC staff issued a final site-specific EIS, providing its final evaluation of the environmental impacts of Oconee Station subsequent license renewal; a notice of issuance was published in the Federal Register on February 7, 2025 (90 FR 9171).

For further details with respect to this action, see: (1) Duke Energy's subsequent license renewal application for Oconee Station, dated June 7, 2021, as supplemented by letters dated through June 7, 2022; (2) the NRC's safety evaluation report, dated December 19, 2022; (3) the NRC's final EIS (NUREG-1437, Supplement 2, Second Renewal) for Oconee Station dated January 31, 2025; and (4) the NRC's ROD, issued on March 31, 2025.

II. Availability of Documents

The documents identified in the following table are available to interested persons through ADAMS, as indicated.

90 FR 14871