No: 15-004 January 21, 2015

CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200

 

NRC to Hold Mandatory Hearing on

Fermi New Reactor Application Feb. 4 in Rockville, Md.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a mandatory hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 

on an application for a Combined License (COL) to build and operate a new reactor at the Fermi site 

near Newport, Mich. This hearing marks the third time a COL application has reached the final step in 

the agency’s Part 52 reactor licensing process.

“This hearing allows Commissioners to independently and carefully evaluate whether the NRC 

staff’s safety and environmental reviews are sufficient to support the necessary regulatory findings,” 

said NRC Chairman Stephen G. Burns. “The complex job of reviewing a reactor license application is a 

critical part of our regulatory and safety mission.” 

The Commission’s hearing will include testimony and exhibits from applicant DTE Electric 

Company, as well as NRC staff, on the question of whether the staff’s review adequately supports the 

findings necessary to issue a COL. 

The hearing will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 4 in the Commission Hearing Room at NRC 

Headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. The Commission will continue the hearing on 

additional days if necessary. The hearing will be open to public observation and will be webcast. A 

detailed agenda and presentation slides will be available in advance on the Commission’s meeting 

transcript page. 

DTE Electric Company is applying for permission to build and operate an Economic Simplified 

Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) at the Fermi site, adjacent to the company’s existing reactor. The 

company submitted its Fermi COL application on Sept. 18, 2008. The NRC certified the 1,600-

megawatt ESBWR design following a Commission vote in September 2014. More information on the 

ESBWR certification process is available on the NRC website.

The NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) independently reviewed 

aspects of the application that concern safety, as well as the staff’s final safety evaluation report

(FSER). The committee provided the results of its review to the Commission on Sept. 22, 2014. The 

NRC completed its environmental review and issued the final impact statement for the proposed Fermi 

reactor in January 2013. The NRC completed and issued the FSER on Nov. 19, 2014. 

Media Notes: At this time, this event will be open for television; the agency reserves the right to 

seek a mandatory pool if demand exceeds available space. Seats on one side of the commission hearing 
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room will be reserved for accredited members of the news media. Photographers will have limited 

space at the meeting in which to take photos. Movement must be kept to a minimum so as not to be 

distracting and entry into the inner well closest to the Commission briefing table is prohibited. 

Plan to arrive in advance of the meeting at the NRC’s One White Flint North entrance, at the 

corner of Rockville Pike and Marinelli Road, with proper media credentials. The NRC is located across 

the street from the White Flint Metro station. Parking is available at the White Flint metro parking 

garage on Marinelli Road. Members of the media are asked to call the NRC Office of Public Affairs 

(301-415-8200) in advance to provide the names of those attending the meeting to assure sufficient 

seating.