ML23005A061

News Release-22-054: NRC Makes Available Supplemental Environmental Report for Oconee Subsequent License Renewal

ML23005A061
Person / Time
Site:	Oconee
Issue date:	12/19/2022
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
News Release-22-054
Download: ML23005A061 (1)

Text

No: 22-054 December 19, 2022 CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200 NRC Makes Available Supplemental Environmental Report for Oconee Subsequent License Renewal The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received a supplemental environmental report from Duke Energy Carolinas regarding an application for a second renewal of operating licenses for the Oconee Nuclear Station reactors in South Carolina. The environmental report, submitted Nov. 7, is now available for public inspection on the NRC website.

Duke Energy submitted the report in response to several related Commission orders, one of which concluded that the Generic Environmental Impact Statement on license renewal did not analyze the environmental impacts of a subsequent license renewal term. A separate Commission decision gave an option for license holders that relied on the GEIS for their analysis of impacts over the subsequent license renewal term to provide additional environmental information on a site-specific basis rather than wait for the NRC staff to revise the GEIS and complete a related rulemaking. The licenses for the three Oconee reactors, located 30 miles west of Greenville, South Carolina, currently allow Unit 1 to operate through Feb. 6, 2033; Unit 2 through Oct. 6, 2033; and Unit 3 through July 19, 2034.

The NRC staff has added the report to the Oconee reviews existing Docket ID NRC-2021-0146 and intends to examine environmental issues previously considered generic for license renewal, as well as new information for Oconee site-specific issues. The staff is interested in public comments on the scope of the environmental review; those comments are due Jan. 18, 2023. Based on the Commissions decisions, the NRC will issue an opportunity to request a hearing on the environmental review once the staff has produced a draft Environmental Impact Statement.

The public can submit comments via email at OconeeEnvironmental@nrc.gov, or via regulations.gov using the Docket ID above. Comments may also be submitted via U.S. Mail at Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.

A copy of Dukes subsequent license renewal report supplement will be available at the Seneca Branch of the Oconee County Public Library, 300 E. South 2nd Street in Seneca.

Information about the Oconee subsequent license renewal review is available on the NRC website.