Nuclear regulator opens comment on Fermi Matador four-reactor campus review

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has opened public comment on a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the combined license (COL) that would allow Fermi America LLC to build and operate four AP1000 reactors in Carson County, Texas. The notice was published in the Federal Register of Friday, October 9, 2026, under Docket Nos. 05200051, 05200052, 05200053 and 05200054 and Docket ID NRC–2026–0100. Comments on the draft EIS are due by November 23, 2026.

The draft EIS responds to the COL application filed by Fermi America for the proposed construction and operation of four AP1000 advanced passive pressurized-water reactors, designated Project Matador Nuclear Units 1–4 (PMN Units 1–4). The units would sit at the Project Matador Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus, adjacent to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pantex Plant. The document weighs the environmental impacts of issuing the COL against the no-action alternative of denying the application.

A four-reactor application and its paper trail

The NRC’s review follows a two-part application and a pilot for applicant-prepared environmental review:

• June 17, 2025: Fermi America submitted the initial portion of its COL application, covering general, financial and environmental information (ADAMS Package Accession No. ML25169A395).
• July 7, 2025: the NRC acknowledged receipt of that initial submittal (ADAMS Accession No. ML25182A087).
• August 20, 2025: a second submittal added the non-site-specific technical chapters of the Final Safety Analysis Report (ADAMS Accession No. ML25232A199).
• September 5, 2025: an acceptance letter recorded Fermi America’s commitment to the pilot program for environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), which involves an applicant-prepared draft EIS under NRC supervision (ADAMS Accession No. ML25240A918).
• March 20, 2026: a notice of intent to prepare an EIS and conduct scoping was published (91 FR 13641).

The draft EIS is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System under Accession No. ML26261A417.

Preliminary recommendation and review basis

After weighing environmental, economic, technical and other benefits against environmental and other costs, and considering reasonable alternatives, the NRC staff’s preliminary recommendation is that the agency issue the requested COL to Fermi America, contingent upon successful completion of the safety review and unless safety issues mandate otherwise. The staff based that recommendation on its independent environmental review, its assessment of the applicant-prepared EIS, consultations with Federal, State and local agencies and Indian Tribes, and public comments received during scoping.

The notice is issued under NEPA and the NRC’s implementing regulations at part 51 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), “Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions.” Pursuant to 36 CFR 800.8(c), the NRC is also using the draft EIS process to comply with section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Authority for the action is 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.

How to submit comments

The NRC encourages electronic filing and lists several channels:

• Federal rulemaking website: https://www.regulations.gov, searching for Docket ID NRC–2026–0100.
• Email: FermiAmericaEnvironmental@nrc.gov.
• Mail: Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Mail Stop TWFN–5–A85, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001, ATTN: Guidance and Publication Branch.

Questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov go to Bridget Curran (301–415–1003); technical questions go to Lance Rakovan, Office of Advanced Reactors (301–415–2589). The notice is signed by Michelle Hayes, Chief, Advanced Reactor Licensing Branch 2, Division of Advanced Reactor Licensing, Office of Advanced Reactors, and dated October 5, 2026.

The decision matters beyond Texas: a combined license for four AP1000 units would be one of the largest new nuclear commitments reviewed in years, and the November 23 deadline is the public’s main formal opportunity to shape the environmental record before the NRC finalizes the EIS and rules on the application.

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 195, October 9, 2026, Notices, p. 64702 (official reference: 2026–20742; Docket ID NRC–2026–0100).