ML24193A025
| ML24193A025 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palisades  |
| Issue date: | 07/11/2024 |
| From: | Entergy Nuclear Operations |
| To: | Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards |
| References | |
| Download: ML24193A025 (15) | |
Text
Potential Reauthorization of Power Operations Palisades Nuclear Plant Environmental Scoping Meeting Laura Willingham, Environmental Project Manager, NRC Mary Richmond, Environmental Project Manager, NRC Alicia Williamson, Environmental Protection Specialist, DOE July 11, 2024
Purpose of Todays Meeting
- Overview of NRC and DOE and their Missions
- Overview of the Palisades Potential Reauthorization Project
- Overview of the National Environmental Policy Act and Both Agencies Responsibilities under NEPA
- Describe the Environmental Review Process for the Palisades Potential Restart Project
- Describe How to Provide Scoping Comments 2
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
The NRC is an independent federal agency with nearly 50 years of experience regulating the civilian use of nuclear materials, including power and non-power reactors. Our Commission (of up to five members) leads more than 2,500 professional staff.
OUR MISSION IS TO:
- Protect public health and safety
- Promote common defense and security
- Protect the environment 3
Potential Reauthorization of Power Operations at the Palisades Nuclear Plant - Background
- The Palisades Nuclear Plant is a single unit pressurized-water reactor on Lake Michigans eastern shore, in Covert Township.
- Palisades shut down on May 20, 2022, after more than 40 years of commercial operation and on June 13, 2022, Palisades certified the permanent end of power operations and removal of fuel from the reactor vessel.
- The current license holder, Holtec Decommissioning International (HDI), decided in 2023 to pursue returning Palisades to full power operations.
- Holtec has filed several regulatory requests that, if approved, would authorize operating Palisades through March 24, 2031 - the end of the reactors renewed operating license term.
An exemption from the rule that prohibits reactor power operations and fuel loading after filing a certification about permanently shutting down and defueling a reactor.
A transfer of the Palisades renewed operating license from HDI to Palisades Energy, LLC.
Several license amendment requests that would restore technical specifications and other requirements for normal operation.
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What is the National Environmental Policy Act?
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- Since 1970, NEPA requires federal agencies to assess environmental effects of proposed actions prior to a final decision.
NRC Proposed Action is the decision on the exemption request, license transfer request, and license amendment requests
- Agencies follow NEPA in evaluating the environmental and related social and economic effects of proposed actions.
- Federal agencies must produce detailed assessments for environmental impacts of, and alternatives to, major federal actions that could significantly affect the environment.
NRCs Environmental Review Process 6
- The NEPA analysis is based on the significance of environmental effects from the proposed action.
- NEPA encourages incorporation of material, such as planning studies, analyses, or other relevant information.
- NEPA encourages public participation.
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NEPA - Lead and Cooperating Agencies The NRC leads the NEPA analysis for the proposed Palisades restart. If other Federal agencies are involved in the same or connected action, they will be cooperating agencies to increase the NEPA reviews efficiency.
In addition to the NRCs review of the proposed restart, Holtec applied for a DOE loan guarantee for the costs of restoring Palisades and resuming operations. Because the issuance of a federal loan is considered a Federal action, DOE also has NEPA responsibilities and is a cooperating agency for the Palisades environmental review.
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The mission of the Department of Energy Loan Programs Office (LPO) is to catalyze energy infrastructure investments to achieve America's energy objectives and advanced economic growth.
LPO finances large-scale, all-of-the-above energy infrastructure projects in the United States.
The LPO team administers four different financing programs:
Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVM)
Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program (TELGP)
Carbon Dioxide Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (CIFIA)
Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program (Title 17) 9 Loan Programs Office (LPO) Mission
10 Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program (Title 17)
Under the Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, LPO can finance projects in the United States that support clean energy deployment and energy infrastructure reinvestment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Title 17 was created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and has since been amended, most recently by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. The legislation expanded the scope of Title 17 to include certain state-supported projects and projects that reinvest in legacy energy infrastructure, and it leverages additional loan authority and funding available for projects involving innovative energy technologies.
Title 17 is comprised of 4 project categories:
Innovative Energy (Section 1703)
Innovative Supply Chain (Section 1703)
State Energy Financing Institution (SEFI)-Supported (SEFI, Section 1703)
Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) (EIR, Section 1706): projects that retool, repower, repurpose, or replace Energy Infrastructure that has ceased operations; or enable operating Energy Infrastructure to avoid, reduce, utilize, or sequester air pollutants or emissions of greenhouse gases.
LPO governing documents:
https://www.energy.gov/lpo/articles/program-guidance-title-17-clean-energy-program
https://www.energy.gov/lpo/title-17-clean-energy-financing LPO Loan Guarantee Program
The DOE LPO is a Cooperating Agency in the preparation of the EA.
The DOE Proposed Action is to provide federal financial support (a loan guarantee) to support repowering operations at the Palisades Nuclear Plant.
The purpose and need for DOEs proposed action is to implement DOEs authority under Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act, specifically the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment Program (section 1706).
LPO will use the information and analyses in the EA to inform its decision whether to provide Federal financial support for additional activities needed to repower the facility, specifically related to fuel transfer, fuel loading and leading to full power operations.
Public comments received during this scoping process for the EA will be considered as part of the LPO decision making process.
11 Palisades Potential Reauthorization of Power Operations
What is Scoping?
- Scoping identifies and de"nes the range of actions, alternatives, and environmental issues to be considered in the environmental document.
- The scoping process starts with the Federal Register, where the NRC published the Notice of Intent.
- Public participation is key to scoping, so the NRC gathers comments from individuals, organizations, and other governmental agencies to help de"ne the environmental analysis.
- Scoping helps the NRC identify signi"cant issues to be analyzed, as well as issues already addressed in prior reviews or otherwise not needing significant analysis.
- The NRC considers all comments and input when preparing a summary report that outlines the reviews scope and any major issues identi"ed.
12 Notice of Intent June 27, 2024 Published NRC's Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental assessment (EA).
Public Scoping Period June 27, 2024 -
July 29, 2024 Public process to review and comment on the scope and issues to be considered for analysis in the EA.
Draft Environmental Assessment and FONSI The NRC will consider all relevant comments received during the scoping period and will issue a draft EA and (if justified)
Public Comment on Draft Environmental Assessment and FONSI The NRC will provide the opportunity for public comment on the draft EA.
Final Environmental Assessment and FONSI We are here Approximately 12 months to Publication of Final EA The NRC considers all relevant comments received in the development of the final EA and (if justified) FONSI
How to Comment Ways to Submit Scoping Comments After Tonight 1.
Email comments to: PalisadesRestartEnvironmental@nrc.gov 2.
Comment at Regulations.gov: Search for Docket ID NRC-2024-0076 3.
Mail Comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001 Note about personally identifiable information: The NRC cautions you to avoid providing identifying or contact information that you want to keep private.
Making Your Comments Count 1.
Comment Deadline: July 29, 2024. The NRC will consider comments after this date if it is practical to do so, but meeting the deadline ensures comment consideration.
2.
Informative and Relevant: Comments that are speci"c, informative, and relevant to the scope of the environmental analysis are most helpful.
3.
Stay Informed: Keep track of the reviews process (including future participation opportunities) through the NRCs website or mailing lists via GovDelivery. Palisades-related information, including about licensing, previous operation, decommissioning, and the potential reauthorization of operation is available at https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactors/pali.html.
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- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Laura Willingham, Environmental Project Manager Laura.Willingham@nrc.gov or 301-415-0857 Mary Richmond, Environmental Project Manager Mary.Richmond@nrc.gov or 301-415-7218
- U.S. Department of Energy, Loan Programs Office Alicia Williamson, Environmental Protection Specialist Alicia.Williamson@hq.doe.gov or 202-586-7272 14 Environmental Review Points of Contact
15 Making Comments via Teams Connection
- Raise your hand to speak
- If you have joined via your computer, please raise your hand to speak by selecting the raise hand icon
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- Please introduce yourself and clearly state your name for the transcript
- After you are done with the allotted time for comments your microphone will be disabled CALL IN LINE: 301-576-2978 Phone Conference ID: 482 766 168#
Please consider calling in via audio only if you are having trouble making comments via the MS Teams connection