ML23195A076

Issuance of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Construction Permit for the Kairos Hermes Test Reactor

ML23195A076
Person / Time
Site:	Hermes
Issue date:	08/17/2023
From:	Christopher Regan NRC/NMSS/DREFS
To:	Hastings P Kairos Power
References
Download: ML23195A076 (3)

Text

August 17, 2023 Peter Hastings, Vice President Regulatory Affairs and Quality Kairos Power, LLC 707 W Tower Ave Alameda, CA 94501

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 Peter Hastings:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 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. Your 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, Environmental Impact Statement for a Construction Permit for the Kairos Hermes Test Reactor, Final Report, (NUREG -2263) 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 you choose to proceed with the proposed project, you 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 to conduct an environmental review of 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 you, 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,

P. Hastings 2 Enclosed is a copy of the notice of availability of the FEIS being sent to the Office of the Federal Register. A separate notice regarding the FEIS will be placed in the Federal Register through 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 your CP 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, Environmental, and Financial Support Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 50-7513

Enclosures:

As stated cc w/o encls: See next page

P. Hastings 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 RidsOpaMail ADAMS Accession No: ML23195A076 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