ML22031A288

Request to Initiate Section 106 Consultation and Scoping Process for Kairos Power Hermes Non-Power Test Reactor Construction Permit Review

ML22031A288
Person / Time
Site:	Hermes
Issue date:	03/10/2022
From:	Kenneth Erwin NRC/NMSS/DREFS/ENRB
To:	Mcintyre E State of TN, State Historic Preservation Office
Doub J,NMSS/REFS/ERNB
Shared Package
ML22027A589	List: ML22031A286 ML22031A287 ML22031A288 ML22031A289 ML22033A241 ML22033A246
References
Download: ML22031A288 (7)

Text

March 4, 2022 E. Patrick McIntyre, Jr.

Executive Director and State Historic Preservation Officer State Historic Preservation Office 2941 Lebanon Pike Nashville, TN 37214

SUBJECT:

REQUEST TO INITIATE SECTION 106 CONSULTATION AND SCOPING PROCESS FOR KAIROS POWER HERMES NON-POWER TEST REACTOR CONSTRUCTION PERMIT REVIEW IN ROANE COUNTY, TENNESSEE (DOCKET NUMBER: 50-7513)

Dear E. Patrick McIntyre,

Jr.:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is conducting an environmental review for a construction permit application submitted by Kairos Power, LLC (Kairos) for the proposed Hermes non-power demonstration reactor. The application was submitted by Kairos in a letter dated September 29, 2021, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities.

Additionally, by letter dated October 31, 2021, Kairos submitted an environmental report in support of its Hermes construction permit application. The facility, if licensed, would be constructed on a site within the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge, Roane County, Tennessee (See Enclosure 1).

The application is available through the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible at http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html. The environmental report portion of the application is listed under ADAMS Accession No. ML21306A131. The environmental report is also available on the Internet at https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2130/ML21306A131.html.

As part of the review, the NRC staff is preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) as required by 10 CFR Part 51, Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions, the NRCs regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended. In accordance with 36 CFR 800 Protection of Historic Properties Section 800.8(c), the NRC is using the NEPA process to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (NHPA), in lieu of the procedures set forth in 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6. The EIS will include identification of historic and cultural resources and historic properties, an analysis of potential effects of the proposed action, including potential effects on historic and cultural resources and historic properties as well as the NRC staffs preliminary determination. The purpose of this letter is to initiate NHPA Section 106 consultation with your office and to invite you to participate in the environmental scoping process pursuant to 10 CFR 51.28(a).

E.P. McIntyre, Jr. 2 The proposed Kairos Hermes site is located within the ETTP in the northwest quadrant of the Oak Ridge Reservation, is adjacent to the Clinch River arm of Watts Bar Reservoir in Roane County and is approximately 13 miles west of downtown Oak Ridge Tennessee (see Enclosure 2). The site comprises approximately 185 acres and is located on a parcel that previously housed buildings K-31 and K-33, which were part of the K-25 complex and operated as the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Uranium enrichment operations at the K-25 site ceased in 1986, and restoration, decontamination, and decommissioning activities began soon thereafter. Reindustrialization of the ETTP began in 1996 by U.S.

Department of Energy in cooperation with the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee in preparation for conversion of the site to a private sector industrial park, to be called the Heritage Center. The ETTP has been transformed into a multi-use industrial park and conservation area. The proposed Hermes site is located across Poplar Creek and west of the Manhattan Project National Historic Park (see Enclosure 3). The NRC has defined the direct and indirect area of potential effects for this construction permit review as the area at the Hermes reactor site and its immediate environs, which may be directly or indirectly impacted by land-disturbing and building activities associated with the construction and operation of the proposed facility.

The NRC invites you to submit any comments on the scope of the environmental review by April 19, 2022. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:

Email comments to: KairosHermes-CPEIS@nrc.gov; or Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff; or Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2021-0193.

The NRC expects to publish the draft EIS in November 2022. A copy of the draft EIS will be made available for your review and comment. After consideration of public comments, the NRC will prepare a final EIS, which is scheduled to be published in September 2023.

The NRC staff also plans to conduct a public outreach and environmental scoping meeting.

The meeting is currently expected to be held on March 23, 2022. Meeting details will be available by March 11, 2022 at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/non-power/kairos-hermes.html or at the NRCs Public Meeting Schedule website at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg.

E.P. McIntyre, Jr. 3 If you have any questions concerning the NRCs Section 106 consultation and associated historic and cultural resources review, please contact Ms. Jennifer Davis, staff archaeologist at 301-415-3835 or by e-mail at Jennifer.Davis@nrc.gov; or Mr. Peyton Doub, Ecologist at 301-415-6703 or by e-mail at Peyton.Doub@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, Folk, Kevin signing on behalf of Erwin, Kenneth on 03/04/22 Kenneth Erwin, Chief, Environmental Review New Reactor Branch Division of Rulemaking, Environment, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 50-7513

Enclosures:

1. Figure 1.1-1: Site Location

2. Figure 2.2-1: Hermes Reactor Site

3. Figure 3.6-1: Manhattan Project National Historical Park cc w/encls:

Ms. Kelley Reid Section 106 Review State Historic Preservation Office 2941 Lebanon Pike Nashville, TN 37214 Jennifer Barnett, Federal Programs Archaeologist Tennessee Division of Archaeology 1216 Foster Ave Cole Building 3 Nashville, TN 37243

ML22031A288 *via email OFFICE NMSS/REFS NMSS/REFS NMSS/REFS NMSS/REFS OGC NAME JDavis AWalker-Smith PDoub KErwin RHarper DATE 02/07/2022 02/08/2022 02/09/2022 02/09/2022 02/23/2022 OFFICE NMSS/REFS NMSS/REFS NAME JDavis KErwin (KFolk for)

DATE 03/04/2022 03/04/2022 Figure 1.1-1: Site Location ENCLOSURE 1

Figure 2.2-1: Hermes Reactor Site ENCLOSURE 2

Figure 3.6-1: Manhattan Project National Historical Park ENCLOSURE 3