ML25220A004
| ML25220A004 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Prairie Island  (DPR-042, DPR-060) |
| Issue date: | 08/07/2025 |
| From: | Wetzel B Plant Licensing Branch III |
| To: | Mark Miller Northern States Power Co |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-LLA-0106 | |
| Download: ML25220A004 (1) | |
Text
From:
Beth Wetzel To:
Miller, Michael A Cc:
Ilka Berrios; Kivi, Jeffrey L
Subject:
Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2 - Acceptance of License Amendment Request to Revise TS 3.8.1, AC Sources and Remove Expired Amendments (EPID L-2025-LLA-0106)
Date:
Thursday, August 7, 2025 2:38:00 PM
Dear Michael Miller,
By letter dated July 14, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25195A249), Northern States Power Company (NSPM, the licensee), a Minnesota corporation, doing business as Xcel Energy requested an amendment to the Technical Specifications (TS) for the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant (PINGP),
Units 1 and 2. The proposed change to the TS relocates details from Note 1 of SR 3.8.1.3 to the Bases, removes an expired one-time Completion Time from TS 3.8.1 Condition E, removes the expired guidance of TS SR 3.8.1.10, Note 3, and the associated footnotes from TS, and makes editorial corrections.
The purpose of this e-mail 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 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.
Consistent with Section 50.90 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10CFR), an application for an amendment to a license (including the technical specifications) [or construction permit] must fully describe the changes requested, and following as far as applicable, the form prescribed for original applications. Section 50.34 of 10CFR 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 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 amendment 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. Due to the limited amount of precedent, to support a schedule or hour estimate the NRC staff based its estimate on the information provided in your submittal, during the pre-licensing meeting on May 29, 2025, and information from the NRC staffs review of a previous similar amendment for PINGP which was issued on September 27, 2024 (ML24221A362). The previous amendment was reviewed in 204.5 hours5.787037e-5 days <br />0.00139 hours <br />8.267196e-6 weeks <br />1.9025e-6 months <br /> and issued in approximately 11 months. To support a more efficient process, the NRC is setting a goal of achieving at least 15%
improvement (e.g., reduction). Based on that, our estimate for this review is 164 hours0.0019 days <br />0.0456 hours <br />2.71164e-4 weeks <br />6.2402e-5 months <br /> and the staff expects to complete the review in approximately 5 1/2 months. Accordingly, the NRC staff expects to complete the review by February 17, 2026. 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, and unanticipated addition of scope to the review. 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) 415-5223 or e-mail at Beth.Wetzel@nrc.gov.
Beth Wetzel Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch III Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission O-8H10 301-415-5223 Docket Nos.
50-282, 50-306 cc: Listserv