ML25237A290
| ML25237A290 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hope Creek  |
| Issue date: | 09/04/2025 |
| From: | Dan Collins Region 1 Administrator |
| To: | Mcfeaters C Public Service Enterprise Group |
| References | |
| EAF-RI-2025-0142 IR 2025091 | |
| Download: ML25237A290 (1) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULA TORY COMMISSION REGION I 475 ALLENDALE RD, STE 102 KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA 19406-1415 EAF-Rl-2025-0142 Charles McFeaters President and Chief Nuclear Officer PSEG Nuclear, LLC - N09 P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 September 4, 2025
SUBJECT:
HOPE CREEK GENERATING STATION-FINAL SIGNIFICANCE DETERMINATION OF A WHITE FINDING WITH ASSESSMENT FOLLOW-UP AND NOTICE OF VIOLATION; INSPECTION REPORT 05000354/2025091
Dear Charles McFeaters:
This letter provides you the final significance determination of the preliminary White finding and associated apparent violation discussed in U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
Inspection Report 05000354/2025090 issued on August 7, 2025 (ML25219A003)1. The finding involved PSEG's failure to promptly identify and correct a condition adverse to quality for the 'D' emergency diesel generator.
In a \
letter dated August 14, 2025 (ML25226A073), you did not contest the characterization of the risk significance of this finding, and you declined your opportunity to discuss this issue at a regulatory conference or to provide a written response. Therefore, after considering the information developed during the inspection, the NRC has concluded that the finding is appropriately characterized as White, a finding of low to moderate safety significance. According to NRC Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 0609, Attachment 2, appeal rights only apply to those licensees that have either attended a regulatory conference or submitted a written response to the preliminary determination letter. Therefore, this final significance determination cannot be appealed.
The NRC has also determined that PSEG's failure to promptly identify and correct a condition adverse to quality for the 'D' emergency diesel generator is a violation of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion XVI, "Corrective Action," as cited in the attached Notice of Violation (Notice). The circumstances surrounding the violation were described in detail in the subject inspection report. In accordance with the NRC Enforcement Policy, the Notice is considered an escalated enforcement action because it is associated with a White finding. The NRC has concluded that information-regarding the reason for the violation, the corrective actions taken and planned to correct the violation and to prevent recurrence, and the date when full compliance will be achieved-is already adequately addressed on the docket 1 Designation in parentheses refers to an Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) accession number. Documents referenced in this letter are publicly available using the accession number in ADAMS.
C. McFeaters 2
in NRC Inspection Report 05000354/2025090. Therefore, you are not required to respond to this letter unless the description therein does not accurately reflect your corrective actions or your position.
As a result of this White finding in the Mitigating Systems cornerstone, the NRC has assessed that the Hope Creek Generating Station will transition to the Regulatory Response column of the NRC's Reactor Oversight Process Action Matrix, described in Inspection Manual Chapter 0305, "Operating Reactor Assessment Program," in the third calendar quarter of 2025. The NRC plans to conduct a supplemental inspection for this finding in accordance with Inspection Procedure 95001, "Supplemental Inspection Response to Action Matrix Column 2 (Regulatory Response)
Inputs," following PSEG's notification of the readiness for this inspection. This inspection is conducted to provide assurance that the root causes and contributing causes of any performance issues are understood, the extent of condition is identified, and the corrective actions are sufficient to prevent recurrence.
In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 2.390 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter, its enclosure, and your response, if you choose to provide one, will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the NRC's document system (ADAMS), accessible from the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/readinq-rm/adams.html. To the extent possible, your response should not include any personal privacy, proprietary, or safeguards information so that it can be made available to the Public without redaction.
DocketNo.05000354 License No. NPF-57
Enclosure:
Notice of Violation cc w/ encl: Distribution via LISTSERV Sincerely,
~'v( ~ C,,,z,l.----
Daniel S. Collins Acting Regional Administrator
PSEG Nuclear, LLC Hope Creek Generating Station ENCLOSURE NOTICE OF VIOLATION Docket No. 05000354 License No. NPF-57 EAF-Rl-2025-0142 During an NRC inspection conducted from April 1, 2025, to July 16, 2025, a violation of NRC requirements was identified. In accordance with the NRC Enforcement Policy, the violation is listed below:
Title 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion XVI, "Corrective Action," requires, in part, that "[m]easures shall be established to assure that conditions adverse to quality, such as failures, malfunctions, deficiencies, and defective material and equipment, and non-conformances are promptly identified and corrected."
Contrary to the above, between January 23 and March 4, 2025, PSEG did not promptly identify and correct a condition adverse to quality associated with water intrusion into the
'D' emergency diesel generator (EOG) lube oil (LO) system. Specifically, despite multiple indications of a degraded condition on the 'D' EOG, PSEG did not write a notification (NOTF) in accordance with PSEG procedure HC.OP-ST.KJ-0004 on January 23, 2025, for elevated LO differential pressure; properly assess the implications of the EOG condition and its operability in a NOTF generated on January 26, 2025; sample the crankcase following the additional water discovered and documented in an updated NOTF on January 27, 2025; or identify with high confidence that the degradation cause was determined before returning the EOG to service on February 9, 2025.
Consequently, the 'D' EOG experienced several periods of inoperability and unavailability between January 23 and March 4, 2025, including a period coincident with the 'A' EOG being inoperable and unavailable from January 27 through 31, 2025.
This violation is associated with a White Significance Determination Process (SOP) finding.
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 Inspection Report 05000354/2025090. However, you are required to submit a written statement or explanation pursuant 1 O CFR 2.201 if the description on the docket does not accurately reflect your corrective actions or your position. In that case, or if you choose to respond, please clearly mark your response as "Reply to a Notice of Violation; EAF-Rl-2025-0142" 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 Hope Creek Generating Station within 30 days of the date of the issuance of 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 NRC's document system (ADAMS),
accessible from the NRC Web site 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.
Dated this 4th day of September, 2025
Non-Sensitive X
Publicly Available X
SUNSI Review Sensitive Non-Publicly Available OFFICE EAGL/ORA RI/DORS ORA OE/EB NRR/DRO/IRAB NAME LCasey NWarnek BKlukan DBradley E Brothman DATE 8/25/2025 8/26/2025 8/26/2025 8/27/2025 9/2/2025 OFFICE RI/DORS RA/ORA NAME BWelling DCollins,J){!l-DATE 9/02/2025 9/04/2025