ML25176A035
| ML25176A035 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 99902121 |
| Issue date: | 06/25/2025 |
| From: | Bill Gleaves, Jardaneh M NRC/NRR/DNRL/NLIB |
| To: | Grzeck L Duke Energy Carolinas |
| References | |
| Download: ML25176A035 (1) | |
Text
Mr. Lee Grzeck, Licensing Manager New Nuclear Generation Strategy and Regulatory Engagement Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC 525 S. Tryon St Charlotte, NC 28202
SUBJECT:
PREAPPLICATION READINESS ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR THE DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC, DRAFT EARLY SITE PERMIT APPLICATION, BELEWS CREEK, NC SITE
Dear Mr. Grzeck:
Duke Energy Business Services, LLC (Duke Energy) initiated the new nuclear reactor project to be located at the Belews Creek NC (BCNC) site with a letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) dated August 16, 2023, Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML23228A149. As part of preapplication activities related to the BCNC site, Duke Energy plans to make its draft early site permit application (ESPA) available to NRC staff for a preapplication readiness assessment (hereafter readiness assessment). Duke Energy requested that NRC staff conduct a readiness assessment of the draft ESPA for the BCNC site prior to its submittal in the fourth quarter of 2025. As this is a draft ESPA undergoing a readiness assessment, the staff understands that it may be submitted in phases and the totality of the draft ESPA may not be intended to meet the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 52.17, Content of Applications.
The readiness assessment is not part of the NRCs official acceptance review process. The readiness assessment of the BCNC site draft ESPA will allow the NRC staff to review preliminary information, such as the draft site safety analysis report, the draft site environmental report, and draft emergency plans, to understand the level of detail in the draft application and identify any major issues or information gaps between the draft application and the technical content required to be included in the application. The observations from the readiness assessment will inform Duke Energy in finalizing the ESPA and preparing it for submittal to the NRC for review. It is important to note that the comments and observations from the readiness assessment do not predetermine whether the application will be accepted and docketed for detailed review.
The attached readiness assessment plan provides the details and logistics of the readiness assessment activities.
June 25, 2025
L. Grzeck If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Billy Gleaves, Senior Project Manager, at (301) 415-5848 or by email at bill.gleaves@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Mahmoud Jardaneh, Chief New Reactor Licensing Branch Division of New and Renewed Licenses Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No.: 99902121
Enclosure:
Readiness Assessment Plan cc w/encl.: GovDelivery.com Signed by Jardaneh, Mahmoud on 06/25/25
- via e-concurrence NRR-106 OFFICE DNRL/NLIB: PM DNRL/NLIB: LA DNRL/NLIB: A:BC NAME WGleaves SGreen MJardaneh*
DATE 06/24/25 06/24/2025
Enclosure PREAPPLICATION READINESS ASSESSMENT PLAN FOR THE DUKE ENERGY BELEWS CREEK, NC SITE DRAFT EARLY SITE PERMIT APPLICATION DOCKET NO. 99902121 JUNE 2025 LOCATION Belews Creek, NC site Near the Belews Creek Steam Station 3195 Pine Hall Rd.
Belews Creek, NC 27009 PURPOSE Duke Energy Business Services, LLC (Duke Energy) has voluntarily agreed to engage with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff in a preapplication readiness assessment (hereafter called readiness assessment or RA) of the early site permit application (ESPA) before the application is submitted for a formal NRC review.
The readiness assessment will allow the NRC staff to:
Become familiar with the application, particularly in areas where Duke Energy is proposing new concepts or novel regulatory approaches Identify information gaps between the draft application and the technical content required in the application submitted to the NRC Identify major technical or policy issues that may adversely impact the docketing or technical review of the application The observations from the RA will inform Duke Energy in finalizing the ESPA and and preparing it for submittal to the NRC for review..
BACKGROUND Duke Energy initiated the new nuclear reactor project to be located at the Belews Creek NC (BCNC) site with a letter to the NRC dated August 16, 2023 (ADAMS Accession No. ML23228A149).
GUIDANCE This assessment will be conducted in accordance with NRR Office Instruction LIC-116, Preapplication Readiness Assessment (ML20104B698).
The content of an ESPA will be informed by Regulatory Guide 1.70, Standard Format and Content of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants, Revision 3 (ML011340122) and NUREG-0800, Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition.
2 LOCATION OF READINESS ASSESSMENT The RA will be conducted by NRC staff located primarily at the NRC Headquarters office and remotely through the Duke Energy electronic reading room (eRR).
READINESS ASSESSMENT SCOPE AND SCHEDULE The NRC plans to conduct the RA from July 2025 through September 2025.
The RA will cover the draft ESPA site safety analysis report (SSAR) Chapters 1, 2, 3, 11, 13, 15, and 17. The RA will also cover the environmental report (ER), Chapters 1 through 10.
The tables below break down the planned RA chapters and schedule1 showing the associated technical and environmental review areas.
SSAR Readiness Assessment Matrix Chapter Office/Division/ Branch Approximate Start of Review Approximate Date of Feedback Chapter 1 - Introduction NRR/DNRL June 23, 2025 July 10, 2025 Chapter 3 - Design of Structures Systems and Components NRR/DEX/ESEB June 23, 2025 July 8, 2025 Chapter 13 - Emergency Plan & Physical Security NSIR/DPR/RLB &
NSIR/DPC/RPPB July 7, 2025 July 23, 2025 Chapter 17 - Quality Assurance NRR/DRO/IQVB July 7, 2025 July 23, 2025 Chapter 11 - Liquid/Gas Radwaste NRR/DRA/ARCB August 11, 2025 August 27, 2025 Chapter 15 - Accident Analysis NRR/DRA/ARCB August 11, 2025 August 27, 2025 Chapter 2 - Site Characteristics NRR/DEX/ESEB &
NRR/DEX/EXHB August 25, 2025 September 8, 2025 1 Planned schedules may vary based on NRC staff availability and other resource factors and may change.
3 ER Readiness Assessment Matrix Chapter Office/Division/Branch Approximate Start of Review Approximate Date of Feedback Chapter 1 - Introduction NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 June 23 July 9 Chapter 3 - Site Layout/Project Description NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 August 11 August 25 Chapter 8 - Need for Power NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 June 23 July 10 Chapter 9 - Alternatives NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 August 11 September 10 Chapter 2 - Environmental Description - Affected Environment NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 August 11 August 25 Chapter 4 - Environmental Impacts of Construction NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 August 11 August 26 Chapter 5 - Environmental Impacts of Operation NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 August 11 August 26 Chapter 6 - Fuel Cycle, Transportation, Decommissioning NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 August 11 August 28 Chapter 7 - Cumulative Impacts NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 August 11 August 28 Chapter 10 - Conclusions NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 August 25 September 9 LOGISTICS The applicable chapters and sections of Duke Energys draft ESPA SSAR will be located in Duke Energys eRR, which has read only access for selected NRC staff. Each RA meeting will begin with a virtual entrance/orientation meeting and there will be a virtual exit meeting to formally end the RA.
If the NRC staff requests to see other supporting materials related to the RA, the NRC staff will coordinate such needs with Duke Energy.
NRC Review Approach The NRC staff will focus on identifying and documenting technical and regulatory gaps in the draft ESPA SSAR and ER chapter/sections. These will be identified as observations relevant to the draft application and will be shared with Duke Energy at the end of each chapter audit meeting and will be compiled into a final public RA letter to Duke Energy after all the phases have been completed.
4 The NRC RA includes the following:
The assessment of each chapter is expected to be conducted in approximately two weeks.
For each chapter, the NRC will limit participation to targeted technical reviewers.
At the start of each chapter review, Duke Energy will provide a presentation to technical staff tailored to the specific chapter and section.
During each chapter review, if the NRC is seeking additional clarity on the SSAR or ER content or would like to see additional material or provide immediate feedback, additional RA meetings with Duke Energy may be requested.
At the end of each chapter review, the NRC will share RA observations with Duke Energy.
The NRC PM will provide regular status updates to NRC management and Duke Energy.
The NRC will target a summary letter of the RA meetings and observations by late September 2025.
SPECIAL REQUESTS As discussed in the Clinch River site ESP application lessons learned report, any comments requiring special attention, such as those regarding information that may inhibit the ESPA acceptance review or any issues resulting from new and novel approaches will be called out here.
The staff will observe appropriate handling and protection of proprietary or safeguards information, or both, throughout the RA. Any key readiness assessment observations will include expectations, process, and schedules for addressing key gaps in the application.
READINESS ASSESSMENT OBSERVATIONS The NRC will send the RA observations, including any identified technical concerns or major information gaps, to Duke Energy in a publicly available report that will also summarize the scope of the readiness assessment. The NRC Office Instruction LIC-116 delineates the timeline for the final report which is to be completed within 45 calendar days of completion of the readiness assessment. To protect the applicants proprietary information, if needed, the staff will issue a proprietary version of the RA report for Duke Energys review. The staffs expectation is that Duke Energy will consider the staff observations when preparing the ESPA for NRC review and provide feedback on improving the RA process.
The NRC estimates that this RA may require approximately 250 hours0.00289 days <br />0.0694 hours <br />4.133598e-4 weeks <br />9.5125e-5 months <br /> by the staff to complete.
5 REFERENCES
- 1. NRC, NUREG-0800, Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition
- 2. NRC, Regulatory Guide 1.206, Combined License Applications for Nuclear Power Plants (LWR Edition) 3.
Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 52, Licenses, certifications, and approvals for nuclear power plants
- 4. NRC Office Instruction, LIC-116, Preapplication Readiness Assessment, August 2020 (ML20104B698) 5.
NRC, Report, Best Practices and Lessons Learned from the Review of the Clinch River Nuclear Site Early Site Permit Application, April 2021 (ML19190A078)