ML25181A248
| ML25181A248 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Catawba  (NPF-035, NPF-052) |
| Issue date: | 06/30/2025 |
| From: | Bryant J Plant Licensing Branch II |
| To: | Treadway R Duke Energy, Duke Energy Carolinas |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-LLR-0057 | |
| Download: ML25181A248 (1) | |
Text
From:
Jack Minzer Bryant To:
Treadway, Ryan I Cc:
Vaughan, Jordan L; Edwards, Nicole D
Subject:
Catawba, Units 1 and 2 - Acceptance of Requested Licensing Action RE: Proposed Alternative for Continued Service of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Material in Class 3 Buried Piping Date:
Monday, June 30, 2025 1:17:16 PM
- Ryan,
By letter dated May 29, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML ML25150A316), Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, (the licensee, Duke Energy) submitted a request for relief for Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2 (Catawba).
Specifically, Duke Energy is proposing an In-service Inspection (ISI) alternative for the continued use of HDPE material in lieu of steel material in Nuclear Service Water System piping associated with the emergency diesel generator jacket water coolers.
The purpose of this e-mail is to provide the results of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staffs acceptance review of this relief request. The acceptance review was performed to determine whether the application contains sufficient technical information to allow the NRC staff to complete a detailed technical review. The acceptance review is also intended to identify any readily apparent deficiencies related to the characterization of the regulatory requirements or plant licensing basis.
Pursuant to Sections 50.55a(z)(1) and 50.55a(z)(2) of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10CFR), the applicant shall demonstrate that the proposed alternatives would provide an acceptable level of quality and safety, or that compliance with the specified requirements of Section 50.55a would result in hardship or unusual difficulty without a compensating increase in the level of quality or safety.
The NRC staff has reviewed your application and concluded that it includes 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 relief in terms of regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment. Given the more limited scope and depth of the acceptance review compared to the detailed technical review, issues that affect the NRC staffs ability to complete the technical review may still be identified despite the acceptance review being deemed adequate. If additional information is needed, you will be notified by separate correspondence.
The NRC staff has evaluated precedence related to this request and determined that, on average, the reviews have required 121 hours0.0014 days <br />0.0336 hours <br />2.000661e-4 weeks <br />4.60405e-5 months <br /> and 7.3 months. To support a more efficient process, the NRC is setting a goal of achieving a 15% improvement. Based on that, our estimate for this review is 103 hours0.00119 days <br />0.0286 hours <br />1.703042e-4 weeks <br />3.91915e-5 months <br /> and 6.2 months. The NRC staff expects to complete the review by January 5, 2026.
If emergent complexities or challenges arise during the NRC staffs review that affect the initial forecasted completion date or result in significant changes to the estimated review hours, the reasons for those changesalong with updated estimateswill be communicated during routine interactions with the assigned project manager. These estimates are based on the NRC staffs initial review of the application and may change due to several factors, including requests for additional information, unanticipated expansion of the review scope, hearing-related activities, or if the submittal is provided to the NRC in advance of or concurrently with industry program initiatives or pilot applications.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
Jack Minzer Bryant, Project Manager Nuclear Regulatory Commission Division of Operating Reactor Licensing NRR/DORL/LPL2-1 (301) 415-0610
Docket Nos.
50-413, 50-414
cc: Listserv