ML25076A177

Acceptance of Requested Licensing Action Re Amendment Request to Support Repairing Steam Generator Tubes by Sleeving

ML25076A177
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	03/20/2025
From:	Justin Poole Plant Licensing Branch III
To:	Fleming J Holtec Palisades
Wall S
References
EPID L-2025-LLA-0036
Download: ML25076A177 (3)

Text

March 20, 2025 Jean A. Fleming Vice President, Licensing, Regulatory Affairs, and PSA Holtec International, LLC Krishna P. Singh Technology Campus 1 Holtec Boulevard Camden, NJ 08104

SUBJECT:

PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT - ACCEPTANCE OF REQUESTED LICENSING ACTION RE: AMENDMENT REQUEST TO SUPPORT REPAIRING STEAM GENERATOR TUBES BY SLEEVING (EPID L-2025-LLA-0036)

Dear Jean Fleming:

By letter dated February11, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25042A692), Holtec Palisades, LLC submitted a license amendment request for Palisades Nuclear Plant. The proposed amendment request would revise the technical specifications to allow for the use of Framatome Alloy 690 sleeves to repair the defective steam generator tubes as an alternative to removing the tubes from service by plugging. The purpose of this letter is to provide the results of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staffs acceptance review of this amendment request. The acceptance review was performed to determine if there is sufficient technical information in scope and depth to allow the NRC staff to complete its detailed technical review. The acceptance review is also intended to identify whether the application has any readily apparent information insufficiencies in its characterization of the regulatory requirements or the licensing basis of the plant.

Consistent with Section 50.90 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), an application for an amendment to a license (including the technical specifications) must fully describe the changes requested, and following as far as applicable, the form prescribed for original applications. Section 50.34 of 10 CFR addresses the content of technical information required. This section stipulates that the submittal address the design and operating characteristics, unusual or novel design features, and principal safety considerations.

The NRC staff has reviewed your application and concluded that it does provide technical information in sufficient detail to enable the NRC staff to complete its detailed technical review and make an independent assessment regarding the acceptability of the proposed amendment in terms of regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment. Given the lesser scope and depth of the acceptance review as compared to the detailed technical review, there may be instances in which issues that impact the NRC staffs ability to complete the detailed technical review are identified despite completion of an adequate acceptance review. You will be advised of any further information needed to support the NRC staffs detailed technical review by separate correspondence.

Based on the information provided in your submittal, and the pre-submittal meeting held on January 14, 2025, the NRC staff has estimated that this licensing request will take approximately 940 hours0.0109 days <br />0.261 hours <br />0.00155 weeks <br />3.5767e-4 months <br /> to complete. The NRC staff expects to complete this review by September 30, 2025. Due to the eddy current qualification data not being provided by the licensee, the review date is beyond their originally requested date of August 15, 2025. The application states that the vendors report is scheduled to be completed by the end of May 2025.

The staff agrees with the licensee that this amendment is linked to the NRCs staff ongoing review of the December 14, 2023, amendment request to support reauthorization of power operations, such that this application could not be approved unless the license amendment request submitted on December 14, 2023, has also been approved. If there are emergent complexities or challenges in our review that would cause changes to the initial forecasted completion date or significant changes in the forecasted hours, the reasons for the changes, along with the new estimates, will be communicated during the routine interactions with the assigned project manager.

These estimates are based on the NRC staffs initial review of the application, and they could change, due to several factors including requests for additional information, unanticipated addition of scope to the review, and review by NRC advisory committees or hearing-related activities. Additional delay may occur if the submittal is provided to the NRC in advance or in parallel with industry program initiatives or pilot applications.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-2048 or via email at Justin.Poole@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Justin C. Poole, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch III Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-255 cc: Listserv

ML25076A177 NRR-004 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL3/PM NRR/DORL/LPL3/LA NRR/DORL/LPL3/BC NRR/DORL/LPL3/PM NAME JPoole SRohrer RKuntz for IBerrios JPoole DATE 03/17/2025 03/18/2025 03/18/2025 03/20/2025