ML25267A158
| ML25267A158 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Watts Bar  |
| Issue date: | 09/24/2025 |
| From: | Kimberly Green Plant Licensing Branch II |
| To: | Aboulfaida A Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Green K | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-LLA-0138 | |
| Download: ML25267A158 (1) | |
Text
From:
Kimberly Green To:
Aboulfaida, Amber Vendel Cc:
Hughes, Shawna; Wells, Russell Douglas; David Wrona
Subject:
Acceptance Review Results for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 - LAR to Rebaseline TS Sections 3.4 and 3.9 (EPID L-2025-LLA-0138)
Date:
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 10:21:00 AM
Dear Ms. Aboulfaida:
By letter dated August 25, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML25237A197), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) submitted a license amendment request for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 (WBN). The proposed amendments would re-baseline WBN, Units 1 and 2 Technical Specifications (TS) Sections 3.4 and 3.9 by adopting 20 Technical Specifications Task Force (TSTF) Travelers.
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 and determined that the previous review required 431 hours0.00499 days <br />0.12 hours <br />7.126323e-4 weeks <br />1.639955e-4 months <br /> and 11 months to complete; however, the previous WBN re-baseline LAR adopted 13 TSTF Travelers, whereas the current LAR proposes to adopt 20 TSTFs. Using the precedence as appropriately adjusted for the scope of the request, the NRC staff estimates that it will take 497 hours0.00575 days <br />0.138 hours <br />8.217593e-4 weeks <br />1.891085e-4 months <br /> and 12.7 months to complete.
However, to support a more efficient process, the NRC is setting a goal of achieving at least a 15% improvement. Based on that, our estimate for this review is 360 hours0.00417 days <br />0.1 hours <br />5.952381e-4 weeks <br />1.3698e-4 months <br /> and 9.2 months to complete it.
These estimates are based on the staffs initial review of the request and could change, due to several factors including requests for additional information and unanticipated addition of
scope to the review. If there are emergent complexities or challenges in our review that would cause changes to the initial forecasted completion date or significant changes in the forecasted hours, the reasons for the changes, along with the new estimates will be communicated, during our routine interactions.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
Kimberly Green Senior Project Manager Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 301-415-1627