NRC Finds No Significant Environmental Impacts for Hermes 2 Test Reactor Facility Construction Permit Application
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 24-068 September 3, 2024
CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200
NRC Finds No Significant Environmental Impacts for Hermes 2 Test Reactor Facility Construction Permit Application
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published its final environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for Kairos Power’s application for construction permits to build the dual unit Hermes 2 test reactor project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Concurrently, the agency issued exemptions for Hermes 2 from NRC regulations that require an environmental impact statement to support construction permits for test facilities. The site was previously evaluated with an environmental impact statement for the Hermes 1 test reactor, which the staff believed was sufficient to support the exemption. The environmental assessment considered potential impacts of aspects unique to the Hermes 2 project.
The staff will provide the Hermes 2 environmental assessment and its safety evaluation of the project to the Commission for the final phase of the licensing process. The Commission will determine if the staff’s review supports the findings necessary to issue the permits and vote on whether to authorize their issuance.
The proposed Hermes 2 project would be two fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactors. Kairos Power submitted its application for construction permits in July 2023. The company will need to submit a separate application for Hermes 2 operating licenses in the future.
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