No: 16-040 July 7, 2016

Contact: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200

NRC to Hold Mandatory Hearing on Levy County

New Reactor Application July 28 in Rockville, Md.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a mandatory hearing Thursday, July 28, on 

an application for Combined Licenses (COL) to build and operate two new reactors at the Levy County

site in Florida. This hearing marks the final step in the agency’s Part 52 reactor licensing process.

“My fellow Commissioners and I will use this hearing to independently and carefully evaluate 

whether the available safety and environmental review evidence supports 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 Duke Energy 

Florida (DEF), as well as NRC staff, on the question of whether the staff’s review adequately supports 

the findings necessary to issue the licenses. 

The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on July 28 in the Commission Hearing Room at NRC 

Headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. 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. 

DEF is applying for permission to build and operate two AP1000 reactors at the site, 

approximately 30 miles west of Ocala, Fla. DEF (formerly Progress Energy Florida) submitted the 

COL application on July 28, 2008. The NRC certified the 1,100-megawatt AP1000 design in 2011; 

more information on the certification process is available on the NRC website.

The NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards 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 Dec. 7, 2011, and provided the 

results of its review of several exemption requests on April 18, 2016. The NRC completed its 

environmental review and issued the final environmental impact statement for the proposed reactors in 

April 2012. The NRC completed and issued the FSER on June 6, 2016. 

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 

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. 
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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.