NRC Issues Final Environmental Impact Statement for Robinson Plant Subsequent License Renewal

Content

ACTION:

Notice; issuance.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) has published a final environmental impact statement (EIS), which
is a supplement to NUREG-1437 and is issued as “Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants,
Supplement 13, Second Renewal, Regarding Subsequent License Renewal for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, Final
Report.” This final EIS evaluates the environmental impacts of the proposed subsequent license renewal of Renewed Facility
Operating License No. DRP-23 for an additional 20 years of operation for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2 (RNP).
RNP is located in Darlington County, South Carolina, approximately 5 miles west-northwest of Hartsville, South Carolina.

DATES:

“Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 13, Second Renewal, Regarding Subsequent
License Renewal for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, Final Report” is available as of March 12, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2025-0076 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-2025-0076. 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 individual listed in the
For Further Information Contact
section of this document.

• NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may access 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. “Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 13, Second Renewal, Regarding Subsequent
License Renewal for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, Final Report” is available in ADAMS under Accession No.
ML26062A118.

• 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, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

• Public Library: A copy of “Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 13, Second Renewal, Regarding
Subsequent License Renewal for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, Final Report” will be available for public
review at the Hartsville Memorial Library, 147 West College Ave., Hartsville, South Carolina 29550.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Karen Loomis, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001;
telephone: 301-415-5142; email: Karen.Loomis@nrc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

In accordance with section 51.118 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, “Final environmental impact statement—notice of availability,” the NRC is making available for public inspection “Generic
Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 13, Second Renewal, Regarding Subsequent
License Renewal for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit No. 2, Final Report” regarding the proposed subsequent license
renewal of Renewed Facility Operating License No. DRP-23 for an additional 20 years of operation for RNP. A notice of availability
of the draft EIS was published in the
Federal Register
(FR) on January 9, 2026 (91 FR 1007). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also issued its notice of availability of the
draft EIS on January 9, 2026 (91 FR 997). The public comment period on the draft EIS ended on February 23, 2026,

  and the comments received on the draft EIS are addressed in the final EIS.

II. Discussion

The draft EIS was issued for public comment on January 9, 2026. The final EIS addresses the comments received on the draft
EIS. As discussed in Chapter 4 of the final EIS, the NRC staff has determined that the adverse environmental impacts of subsequent
license renewal for RNP (i.e., the continued operation of RNP for a period of 20 years beyond the expiration date of the renewed license) are not so great
that preserving the option of subsequent license renewal for energy-planning decision-makers would be unreasonable. This recommendation
is based on: (1) the analysis and findings in NUREG-1437, Revision 2, “Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License
Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Final Report,” dated August 2024; (2) information provided in the environmental report, and other
documents submitted by Duke Energy Progress, LLC; (3) the NRC staff's consultation with Federal, State, and local governmental
agencies and Indian Tribes; (4) the NRC staff's independent environmental review; and (5) the NRC staff's consideration of
public comments received during the scoping process and on the draft EIS.

Dated: March 16, 2026. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Kimyata Savoy, Acting Deputy Director, Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety, and
Safeguards. [FR Doc. 2026-05489 Filed 3-19-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

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