ML25233A017
| ML25233A017 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hope Creek  |
| Issue date: | 08/21/2025 |
| From: | Blake Welling Division of Operating Reactors |
| To: | Mcfeaters C Public Service Enterprise Group |
| References | |
| EAF-RI-2025-0143 OI-RI-2025-0024 | |
| Download: ML25233A017 (1) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION I 475 ALLENDALE RD, SUITE 102 KING OF PRUSSIA, PA 19406-1415 August 21, 2025 EAF-RI-2025-0143 Charles McFeaters President and Chief Officer PSEG Nuclear, LLC - N09 P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038
SUBJECT:
HOPE CREEK GENERATING STATION - NRC INVESTIGATION REPORT NO. OI-RI-2025-0024 AND NOTICE OF VIOLATION
Dear Charles McFeaters:
This letter refers to an investigation conducted by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Investigations (OI) at PSEG Nuclear, LLC (PSEG) Hope Creek Generating Station (Hope Creek). The investigation, which was completed on June 16, 2025, was conducted to determine whether a licensed reactor operator (RO) deliberately failed to follow a procedure while on duty as the plant operator (PO) in the main control room. Based on the evidence developed during the OI investigation, the NRC concluded that a RO engaged in deliberate misconduct that caused PSEG to be in violation of Technical Specification 6.8.1 (the applicable requirement at the time of the incident). The violation is cited in the enclosed Notice of Violation (Notice) and the circumstances surrounding the violation are described in this letter and in the enclosed Notice.
On February 4, 2025, the NRC Senior Resident Inspector at Hope Creek entered the main control room (MCR) and observed a RO browsing an online shopping website on their cell phone while on duty as the PO, contrary to PSEG procedure OP-AA-103-102, Watchstanding Practices, Revision 15, step 4.2.2, which requires that personnel are to conduct only necessary control room/plant-related technical/administrative business in the MCR. The ROs actions caused PSEG to be in violation of Technical Specification 6.8.1 (the applicable requirement at the time of the incident). In response to the violation, PSEG issued Temporary Standing Order (TSO)25-002 restricting cell phones and smart watches in the MCR at the controls area for the control room supervisor, RO, and PO; it also required devices to be stored in the adjacent break room.
Because the violation involved deliberate misconduct by a licensee employee, its significance was characterized using the NRC Traditional Enforcement Process. The NRC Reactor Oversight Process Significance Determination Process (SDP) does not specifically consider willfulness in its assessment of licensee performance. However, in evaluating the significance of this violation, the NRC considered the examples in both the NRC Enforcement Policy and the SDP. The NRC staff compared this issue to the examples in Inspection Manual Chapter 0612, Appendix E, Examples of Minor Issues, and determined this violation is similar to a minor
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example where a licensee procedural requirement was not met. In that example, the issue is minor because it represents a failure to implement a procedural requirement that had no safety impact under the given situation. The NRC staff considered that the RO was observed browsing on their phone for only a short period of time (less than 3 minutes from the time observed to putting the phone away) and likely would have been able to respond to a plant event.
Additionally, there was no actual impact on plant operations.
However, willful violations are of particular concern to the NRC because the NRC relies on licensees and their employees to act with integrity and these types of violations cannot be tolerated. A violation involving willfulness is considered more significant than the underlying technical issue. Therefore, the NRC staff determined that a Severity Level IV (SL IV) violation of NRC requirements occurred.
You are not required to respond to this letter. However, if you contest the violation or its significance, you should provide a response within 30 days of the date of this letter, with the basis for your denial, to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ATTN: Document Control Desk, Washington DC 20555-0001, with copies to: (1) the Regional Administrator, Region 1, 475 Allendale Road, Suite 102, King of Prussia, PA 19406; and (2) the Director, Office of Enforcement, United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 2.390 of the NRCs Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room and from the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), accessible from the NRC Website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To the extent possible, your response, if you choose to provide one, should not include any personal privacy, proprietary, or safeguards information so that it can be made available to the public without redaction.
Please note that final NRC investigation documents, such as the OI report described above, may be made available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), subject to redaction of information appropriate under the FOIA. Requests under the FOIA should be made in accordance with 10 CFR 9.23, Requests for Records. Additional information is available on the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/foia/foia-privacy.html.
This enforcement action will be administratively tracked under NRC Inspection Report No. 05000354/2025013. Should you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact Nikki Warnek of the NRC staff at Nicole.Warnek@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Blake D. Welling, Director Division of Operating Reactor Safety Docket No. 50-354 License No. NPF-57
Enclosure:
Notice of Violation cc: Distribution via ListServ BLAKE WELLING Digitally signed by BLAKE WELLING Date: 2025.08.21 09:13:07 -04'00'
C. McFeaters 3
SUBJECT:
HOPE CREEK GENERATING STATION - NRC INVESTIGATION REPORT NO. OI-RI-2025-0024 DATED AUGUST 21, 2025 Distribution:
Public D. Collins, DRA B. Welling, DORS R. McKinley, DORS N. Warnek, DORS R. Clagg, DORS B. Kwiatkowski, DORS B. Ford, DORS P. Finney, DORS, SRI J. Bresson, DORS, RI R. Clagg, RI OEDO S. Elkhiamy, DORS S. Burnell, PAO M. Hoskins, OCA B. Klukan, ORA M. McLaughlin, ORA T. Hennessey, ORA L. Casey, ORA D. Tifft, RI Enforcement Coordinators RII, RIII, RIV (M Kowal; D Betancourt-Roldan; J Groom)
K. Pinetti, OGC B. Pham, OE J. Cai, OE J. Peralta, OE G. Gulla, OE E. Brothman, NRR F. Gore, OI R1ORAMail Resource R1DORSMailResource R1 OE Files (with concurrences)
RidsNrrPMHopeCreek Resource RidsNrrDorlLpl1 Resource RidsOEMailCenter Resource DOC NAME: https://usnrc.sharepoint.com/teams/Region-I-Enforcement-Files/Shared Documents/_Cases/Hope Creek RO fail to follow procedure/Hope Creek NOV IV EAF-RI-2025-0143.docx ADAMS Accession Number: ML25233A017 X
Non-Sensitive Sensitive X
Publicly Available Non-Publicly Available OFFICE RI/ORA RI/DORS RI/DORS RI/ORA RI/ORA OE/EB NAME L Casey/LC N Warnek/
NW S Elkhiamy/SE B Klukan/BK M McLaughlin/MM G Gulla/GG DATE 7/30/2025 7/31/2025 8/1/2025 8/4/2025 8/4/2025 8/8/2025 OFFICE OGC RI/DORS NAME K Pinetti/KP B Welling/BW DATE 8/18/2025 8/19/2025 OFFICIAL RECORD
Enclosure NOTICE OF VIOLATION PSEG Nuclear, LLC Docket No. 50-354 Hope Creek Generating Station License No.NPF-57 EAF-RI-2025-0143 During an NRC investigation conducted between February 27, 2025, and June 16, 2025, a violation of NRC requirements was identified. In accordance with the NRC Enforcement Policy, the violation is listed below.
Technical Specification 6.8.1 (eff. Feb 2025) stated that written procedures shall be established, implemented, and maintained for activities listed in Regulatory Guide 1.33, Revision 2, Appendix A, Typical Procedures for Pressurized Water Reactors and Boiling Water Reactors, Section 1.b, includes administrative procedures for safety-related activities in relation to Authorities and Responsibilities for Safe Operation and Shutdown.
PSEG procedure OP-AA-103-102, Watchstanding Practices, Revision 15, step 4.2.2, states that personnel are to CONDUCT only necessary control room/plant-related technical/administrative business in the MCR.
Contrary to the above, on February 4, 2025, a reactor operator did not conduct only necessary control room/plant-related technical/administrative business in the main control room while on duty as the plant operator. Specifically, a reactor operator, while on duty as the plant operator, was observed by an NRC inspector to be shopping on a personal smart device in the main control room.
This is a Severity Level IV violation (Enforcement Policy Section 2.2.4).
The NRC has concluded that information regarding the reason for the violation, the corrective actions taken and planned to correct the violation and prevent recurrence, and the date when full compliance was achieved is already adequately addressed on the docket in this letter.
However, you are required to submit a written statement or explanation, pursuant to 10 CFR 2.201, if the description herein does not accurately reflect your corrective actions or your position. In that case, or if you choose to respond, clearly mark your response as a Reply to a Notice of Violation; EAF-RI-2025-0143 and send it to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ATTN: Document Control Desk, Washington, DC 20555-0001 with a copy to the Regional Administrator, Region I, and a copy to the NRC Resident Inspector at the facility that is the subject of this Notice, within 30 days of the date of the letter transmitting this Notice of Violation (Notice).
If you choose to respond, your response will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the NRCs document system (ADAMS),
accessible from the NRC Website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Therefore, to the extent possible, the response should not include any personal privacy, proprietary, or safeguards information so that it can be made available to the public without redaction.
In accordance with 10 CFR 19.11, you may be required to post this Notice within two working days of receipt.
Dated this 21st day of August 2025