ML23298A154
| ML23298A154 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vallecitos Nuclear Center |
| Issue date: | 10/25/2023 |
| From: | Geoffrey Wertz NRC/NRR/DANU |
| To: | Martinez C GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas |
| References | |
| Download: ML23298A154 (6) | |
Text
From:
Geoffrey Wertz Sent:
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 2:32 PM To:
CARLOS1.MARTINEZ@GE.com Cc:
Smyly, Jeffrey (GE Power Portfolio); David Heckman; Andrew Miller; Linh Tran; Michael Balazik; Jeremy Smith; Jack Parrott
Subject:
GE-HITACHI NUCLEAR ENERGY AMERICAS, LLC - REGULATORY AUDIT RE:
REQUEST FOR POSSESSION-ONLY LICENSE AMENDMENT TO RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. R-33 Mr. Carlos Martinez, Site Manager GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Vallecitos Nuclear Center 6705 Vallecitos Road Sunol, CA 94586
SUBJECT:
GE-HITACHI NUCLEAR ENERGY AMERICAS, LLC - REGULATORY AUDIT RE:
REQUEST FOR POSSESSION-ONLY LICENSE AMENDMENT TO RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. R-33 (EPID L-2023-LLA-0139)
Dear Mr. Martinez:
By letter dated October 6, 2023 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML23279A110), GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC (GEH) submitted a request for an amendment to Facility Operating License No. R-33 for the Nuclear Test Reactor (NTR). The license amendment request (LAR) proposes a possession-only license (POL) for the NTR, and states that GEH commits to permanently cease operations on or before December 31, 2023.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff will conduct a regulatory audit beginning October 19, 2023, and continuing as necessary. The audit will be conducted virtually to gain a better understanding of the GEH POL amendment request. During the audit, NRC staff will have read-only access to the information provided via an online portal established and maintained by GEH staff. The regulatory audit will identify information that will support the basis of the licensing decision and will allow the NRC staff to more efficiently gain insights necessary to complete its review of the GEH POL amendment request. The NRC staffs audit plan is provided as an enclosure to this letter.
At the completion of the regulatory audit, a regulatory audit summary will be prepared and provided to you. NRC staff may request that information needed to complete its review of the GEH POL amendment request be provided by supplements. If so, the NRC staff will provide a list of the necessary documents, and you will have the opportunity to supplement the application to provide additional information.
If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-0893 or by electronic mail at geoffrey.wertz@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Geoffrey Wertz, Project Manager Non-Power Production and Utilization Facility Licensing Branch Division of Advanced Reactors and Non-Power Production and Utilization Facilities Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No.50-073 License No. R-33
Enclosure:
As stated Cc: GovDelivery Subscribers
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION REGULATORY AUDIT PLAN REGARDING REQUEST FOR POSSESSION-ONLY LICENSE AMENDMENT TO RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. R-33 GE-HITACHI NUCLEAR ENERGY AMERICAS LLC NUCLEAR TEST REACTOR DOCKET NO.50-073
Background
By letter dated October 6, 2023 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML23279A110), GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas. LLC (GEH) submitted a request for an amendment to Facility Operating License No. R-33 for the Nuclear Test Reactor (NTR). The licensee proposes a possession-only license (POL) for the NTR and states that GEH commits to permanently cease operations on or before December 31, 2023.
The regulatory audit will identify information that will support the basis of the licensing decision and will allow the NRC staff to more efficiently gain insights necessary to complete its review of the GEH POL amendment request.
Regulatory Bases for the Audit The proposed GEH NTR POL License and Technical Specifications (TSs) are being reviewed in accordance with the applicable regulatory requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, and applicable guidance provided in NUREG-1537, Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors, Part 1, Format and Content, and Part 2, Standard Review Plan and Acceptance Criteria (ML042430055 and ML042430048, respectively).
Regulatory Scope for the Audit The NRC staff will conduct this audit via teleconference and/or video conference with GEH staff.
The NRC staff will use an online reference document portal provided by GEH staff. Access to the online portal will be limited to specific NRC staff via BOX and the documents in the online portal are read-only (i.e., NRC staff will be prevented from saving, copying, downloading, or printing any documents). The conditions associated with the online reference document portal must be maintained throughout the review. The NRC staff who should be granted access to the portal are those listed in the Audit Team section below.
The NRC staff will review basis documents to determine whether the information included in the documents supports the GEH POL amendment request and/or is necessary to conduct NRC staff review of the proposed amendment. This audit will provide information necessary to complete the NRC staffs evaluation of the GEH POL amendment request. In addition, the regulatory audit may identify additional information that will be required to be docketed to support the basis of the licensing decision and will allow NRC staff to efficiently gain insights on the proposed amendment.
Information Needed for the Audit GEH staff should be prepared to provide the NRC staff with the information referenced in the GEH POL amendment request.
In addition, the following information needs have been identified below:
- 1. an annotated (i.e., markup) copy of the proposed changes to the POL license and TSs.
- 2. a basis and/or justification for each of the proposed changes to the license and TSs.
- 3. a redacted (public) version of Enclosure 3.
- 4. a copy of the training and requalification program requirements for fuel handlers.
- 5. a list of the decommissioning-type activities planned during the POL license and a justification for the need to perform these activities.
Additional information needs may arise during the NRC staffs audit.
Audit Team
The NRC staff performing this audit will include, but may not be limited to, the following staff:
Audit Team Members Geoffrey Wertz (Audit Leader and Technical Reviewer)
Michael Balazik (Technical Reviewer)
Andrew Miller (Technical Reviewer)
Linh Tran (Technical Reviewer)
Jeremy Smith (Technical Reviewer)
Jack Parrott (Technical Reviewer)
Audit Logistics The virtual audit will begin on October 19, 2023, and continue as necessary. An entrance meeting will commence on October 19, 2023. Additional audit activities, such as a daily status debriefs, will also be planned, as necessary, to support the understanding of information necessary to complete the review of the GEH POL amendment request. It is expected that additional interaction may be needed to identify information requests to support the review activities.
The audit period may be reduced or extended, dependent on the NRC staff and GEH staff progress in addressing audit questions. If new technical items are identified, additional audit sessions may be needed to support the understanding of information necessary to facilitate the continued review of the requested amendment.
Deliverables At the completion of the regulatory audit, the NRC staff will conduct an exit briefing and provide a summary of the audit results. The NRC staff plans to prepare a regulatory audit summary that will include the documents reviewed, the audit activities, and any requests for additional information that were discussed or that will be issued based on the audit, as applicable.
Hearing Identifier:
NRR_DRMA Email Number:
2288 Mail Envelope Properties (SA1PR09MB7725814A269C0D205593C0F596DEA)
Subject:
GE-HITACHI NUCLEAR ENERGY AMERICAS, LLC - REGULATORY AUDIT RE REQUEST FOR POSSESSION-ONLY LICENSE AMENDMENT TO RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. R-33 Sent Date:
10/25/2023 2:32:07 PM Received Date:
10/25/2023 2:32:00 PM From:
Geoffrey Wertz Created By:
Geoffrey.Wertz@nrc.gov Recipients:
"Smyly, Jeffrey (GE Power Portfolio)" <Jeffrey.Smyly@ge.com>
Tracking Status: None "David Heckman" <david.heckman@s2serm.com>
Tracking Status: None "Andrew Miller" <Andrew.Miller@nrc.gov>
Tracking Status: None "Linh Tran" <Linh.Tran@nrc.gov>
Tracking Status: None "Michael Balazik" <Michael.Balazik@nrc.gov>
Tracking Status: None "Jeremy Smith" <Jeremy.Smith@nrc.gov>
Tracking Status: None "Jack Parrott" <Jack.Parrott@nrc.gov>
Tracking Status: None "CARLOS1.MARTINEZ@GE.com" <CARLOS1.MARTINEZ@GE.com>
Tracking Status: None Post Office:
SA1PR09MB7725.namprd09.prod.outlook.com Files Size Date & Time MESSAGE 7540 10/25/2023 2:32:00 PM Options Priority:
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