The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on Fermi America’s draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for Units 1 – 4 of its Project Matador based in Carson County, Texas.
Comments for the draft EIS for the Texas project are due by Nov. 23. According to NRC’s Oct. 9 Federal Register notice, the agency staff said its preliminary recommendation would be to issue the combined license to Fermi America.
“In the draft EIS, after weighing the environmental, economic, technical, and other benefits against environmental and other costs, and considering reasonable alternatives, the preliminary recommendation is that the NRC issue the requested COL [combined license] to Fermi America contingent upon successful completion of the safety review and unless safety issues mandate otherwise,” NRC staff said in the notice.
NRC said the recommendation was based on the staff’s independent review, assessment of Fermi America’s prepared EIS and consulting with federal, state and local and Indian tribes for this review.
Fermi America, co-founded by former energy secretary and Texas governor Rick Perry (R), submitted the first part of its combined license application last June and the second in August, seeking approval for the construction and operation of four Westinghouse AP1000 reactors.
Fermi America’s draft EIS was the first completed under NRC’s new pilot program to accelerate its environmental reviews. The company agreed to participate in the new program as a part of the acceptance of its project being for review by the NRC in September 2025.
Project Matador, which will be located adjacent to the Department of Energy’s Pantex Plant, is a plan to construct a data center campus that will be powered by 11,000 megawatts generated by a mix of natural gas, nuclear, solar and wind power.
While Fermi America has struggled with internal conflict, highlighted by the removal of its CEO Toby Neugebauer, the company is continuing to move forward with plans to sign energy partnerships for Project Matador. In August, the company announced a partnership with Hillcore Energy Capital to produce 2,600 megawatts of natural gas at the Texas site.
