NRC Approves Holtec Big Rock Point License Transfer

Content

ACTION:

Order; issuance.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an order approving the direct transfer of control for Facility Operating
License No. DPR-6 for the Big Rock Point Plant (BRP) and the general license for the BRP Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation
(ISFSI) from the current holder, Holtec Palisades, LLC (Holtec Palisades), to Holtec Big Rock Point, LLC, (Holtec Big Rock).
Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC, will remain the licensed operator of BRP and the BRP ISFSI. The NRC is also amending
the facility operating license for administrative purposes to reflect the license transfer from Holtec Palisades to Holtec
Big Rock. The NRC determined that Holtec Big Rock is qualified to be the holder of the license and that the transfer of the
license is otherwise consistent with applicable provisions of law, regulations, and orders issued by the Commission.

DATES:

The Order was issued on March 11, 2026, and is effective for one year.

ADDRESSES:

Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2026-0496 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information regarding this document.
You may obtain publicly available information related to this document using any of the following methods:

• Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2026-0496. Address questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Bridget Curran; telephone: 301-415-1003; email: Bridget.Curran@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the individuals listed

     in the 
     For Further Information Contact
     section of this document.

• NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select “Begin ADAMS Public Search.” For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public Document
Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at 301-415-4737, or by email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov. The license transfer request is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML25248A301.

• NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an appointment
to visit the PDR, please send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Marlayna V. Doell, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001;
telephone: 301-415-3178; email: Marlayna.Doell@nrc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The text of the order is attached.

Dated: March 12, 2026. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Michelle Sutherland, Acting Chief, Reactor Decommissioning Branch, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and Waste Programs, Office of
Nuclear material Safety and Safeguards.

Attachment Order—Approving the Transfer of License and Conforming Amendment

United States of America

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

In the Matter of Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC, Holtec Palisades, LLC, and Holtec Big Rock Point, LLC; Big Rock
Point Plant and Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation Docket Nos. 50-155 and 72-043; License No. DPR-6

Order Approving Direct Transfer of License and Conforming Amendment

I.

Holtec Palisades, LLC, is the holder of Facility Operating License No. DPR-6 and the general license for the Independent Spent
Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) for the Big Rock Point Plant (BRP). Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC (HDI) is the
licensed operator of BRP and has authorization to conduct licensed activities under the defueled facility licensing basis.
BRP is located in Charlevoix County, Michigan, approximately 11 miles west of Petoskey, on the northern shore of Michigan's
Lower Peninsula.

II.

By application dated September 5, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25248A301),
as supplemented by letter dated January 30, 2026 (ML26030A036), HDI, on behalf of itself, Holtec Palisades, LLC (Holtec Palisades),
and Holtec Big Rock Point, LLC (Holtec Big Rock) (collectively, the Applicants), requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC, the Commission) consent to the direct transfer of control of Facility Operating License (FOL) No. DPR-6 for
BRP and the general license for the BRP ISFSI, from Holtec Palisades to Holtec Big Rock. The Applicants also requested that
the NRC approve a conforming administrative amendment to the facility license to reflect the proposed direct transfer of the
license from Holtec Palisades to Holtec Big Rock. The Applicants submitted these requests to the NRC for approval under Section
184, “Inalienability of Licenses,” of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (AEA); Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 50.80, “Transfer of licenses,” 10 CFR 72.50, “Transfer of license,” and 10 CFR 50.90, “Application for amendment
of license, construction permit, or early site permit.”

Upon NRC approval of the license transfer application and the consummation of the proposed transfer transaction, Holtec Big
Rock would become the licensed owner of BRP under FOL No. DPR-6 and the general license for the BRP ISFSI, as well as the
holder of the BRP decommissioning trust fund (DTF) established under 10 CFR 50.75, “Reporting and recordkeeping for decommissioning
planning,” and the party to the Standard Contract for Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel with the U.S. Department of Energy. HDI
is, and would remain, the licensed operator of BRP post-transfer.

On February 3, 2026, the NRC published in the
Federal Register
(91 FR 4970) a notice of consideration of approval of the license transfer application and conforming amendment to the license
to reflect the proposed transfer. This notice provided an opportunity to comment, request a hearing, and petition for leave
to intervene on the application. No requests for hearing or comments related to the substance of the license transfer application
were received.

In accordance with 10 CFR 50.80, no license for a production or utilization facility, or any right thereunder, shall be transferred,
either voluntarily or involuntarily, directly or indirectly, through transfer of control of the license to any person, unless
the Commission gives its consent in writing. Upon review of the information in the license transfer application, and other
information before the Commission, the NRC staff has determined that Holtec Big Rock and HDI are qualified to hold the licenses
to the extent proposed in the application, and that the transfer of the licenses is otherwise consistent with the applicable
provisions of law, regulations, and orders issued by the NRC, pursuant thereto.

Upon review of the application for a conforming administrative amendment to the license to reflect the direct transfer, the
NRC staff determined the following:

(1) The application for the proposed license amendment complies with the standards and requirements of the AEA and the Commission's
rules and regulations set forth in 10 CFR Chapter I;

(2) The facilities will operate in conformity with the application, the provisions of the AEA and the rules and regulations
of the Commission;

(3) There is reasonable assurance that the activities authorized by the proposed license amendment can be conducted without
endangering the health and safety of the public and that such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commission's
regulations;

(4) The issuance of the proposed license amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health
and safety of the public; and

(5) The issuance of the proposed amendment will be in accordance with 10 CFR part 51 of the Commission's regulations and all
applicable requirements have been satisfied. The findings set forth above are supported by an NRC safety evaluation dated
March 11, 2026, which is available at ADAMS Accession No. ML26057A192.

III.

Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 161b, 161i, 161o, and 184 of the AEA, 42 U.S.C. 2201(b), 2201(i), 2201(o), and 2234; and
10 CFR 50.80, 10 CFR 72.50, and 10 CFR 50.90, it is hereby ordered that the application regarding the proposed direct license transfer is approved subject to the following condition:

Prior to the closing of the license transfer from Holtec Palisades to Holtec Big Rock, Holtec Big Rock shall provide satisfactory
documentary evidence to the Director of the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) at the NRC that it has
obtained or continues to possess the appropriate amount of insurance required of a licensee under 10 CFR 140.12 and 10 CFR
50.54(w) of the Commission's regulations, consistent with the exemptions previously issued to BRP, and that coverage will
be in place on the effective date of the transfer.

It is further ordered that consistent with 10 CFR 2.1315(b), the license amendment that makes a change, as indicated in Enclosure 2 to the cover
letter forwarding this Order, to reflect the subject direct transfer, is approved. The amendment shall be issued and made
effective at the time the proposed direct license transfer is completed.

It is further ordered that HDI shall inform the Director of NMSS in writing of the date of closing of the transfer of the Holtec Palisades interests
in BRP to Holtec Big Rock, at least 2 business days prior to closing. Should the transfer of the license not be completed
within 1 year of this Order's date of issuance, this Order shall become null and void; provided, however, that upon written
application and for good cause shown, such date may be extended by order.

This Order is effective upon issuance.

For further details with respect to this Order, see the initial application dated

  September 5, 2025, and the associated NRC staff safety evaluation dated March 11, 2026, which are available for public inspection
  electronically through ADAMS in the NRC Library at *https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.* Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact
  the NRC PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by email to *pdr.resource@nrc.gov.*

Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 11th day of March 2026.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION.

/RA/

Theodore B. Smith,

Acting Deputy Director, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Waste Programs, Office of Nuclear Material Safety
and Safeguards.

[FR Doc. 2026-05153 Filed 3-16-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

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