ML23195A015

Letter to Environmental Protection Agency, Notification of the Issuance of the Final EIS for the Construction Permit for Kairos Hermes Test Reactor

ML23195A015
Person / Time
Site:	Hermes
Issue date:	08/17/2023
From:	Christopher Regan NRC/NMSS/DREFS
To:	Long L Environmental Protection Agency
References
Download: ML23195A015 (3)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 August 17, 2023 Larry Long NEPA Program Office U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 61 Forsyth Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30303

SUBJECT:

NOTIFICATION OF THE ISSUANCE OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION PERMIT FOR THE KAIROS HERMES TEST REACTOR IN OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE

Dear Larry Long:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has completed the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the Kairos Power LLC (Kairos) construction permit (CP) application for the Hermes non-power test reactor. Kaiross application was submitted in two parts by letters dated September 29, 2021 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) ML21272A375) and October 31, 2021 (ML21306A131). The FEIS, NUREG-2263 Environmental Impact Statement for a Construction Permit for the Kairos Hermes Test Reactor, Final Report, is publicly available at ML23214A269. ADAMS is accessible from the NRC website at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. In addition, the FEIS can be found on the NRC Kairos site website at: https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/non-power/new-facility-licensing/hermes-kairos.html.

The FEIS evaluates the impacts of building, operating, and decommissioning a non-power test reactor at a site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. A CP does not authorize operation of the reactor.

Should Kairos choose to proceed with its proposed project, they would need to apply for, and receive, a separate operating license from the NRC. This authorization would constitute a separate NRC undertaking and would require the NRC staff to conduct an environmental review for the operating license application.

As discussed in Section 5.4 of the FEIS, the NRC staffs recommendation is that the CP should be issued once the NHPA Section 106 process is complete. This recommendation is based on:

(1) the environmental report submitted by the applicant, as revised; (2) the consideration of public comments; (3) consultation with Federal, State, tribal, and local agencies; and (4) the NRC staffs independent environmental review and assessment summarized in the FEIS, A notice of availability of the FEIS is anticipated to be published by the NRC on or before August 22, 2023, in the Federal Register. A separate notice regarding the FEIS will be placed in the Federal Register through the filing process with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is anticipated to be published on August 25, 2023.

If you have any questions concerning the NRC staffs environmental review of this CP

L. Long 2 application, please contact Tamsen Dozier via phone at (301) 415-2272 or via email at Tamsen.Dozier@nrc.gov.or Peyton Doub via phone at (301) 415-6703 or via email at Peyton.Doub@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, Signed by Regan, Christopher on 08/17/23 Christopher M. Regan, Director Division of Rulemaking, Environment, and Financial Support Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No: 50-7513

Enclosures:

As stated cc w/o encls: See next page

L. Long 3

SUBJECT:

NOTIFICATION OF THE ISSUANCE OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION PERMIT APPLICATION FOR THE KAIROS HERMES TEST REACTOR IN OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE DATED: August 17, 2023 DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC NMSS_REFS_ENRB Distribution CRegan, NMSS/REFS JMoses, NMSS/REFS MHiser, NRR/DANU WJessup, NRR/DANU EHelvenston, NRR/DANU SCuadrado, NMSS/REFS MWright, OGC AGhosh, OGC SBurnell, OPA CWolf, OCA RidsOgcMailCenter RidsOpaMai ADAMS Accession No: ML23195A015 OFFICE PM:REFS LA:REFS BC:REFS NAME TDozier AWalker-Smith KErwin DATE 07/18/2023 07/18/2023 07/19/2023 OFFICE OCG:(NLO) DivDir:REFS NAME MWright CRegan DATE 07/27/2023 08/17/2023 OFFICIAL RECORDS COPY