ML25322A175
| ML25322A175 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Waterford  |
| Issue date: | 09/30/2025 |
| From: | James Drake Division of Operating Reactor Licensing |
| To: | Couture P Entergy Operations |
| Drake, Jason | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-LLA-0146 | |
| Download: ML25322A175 (1) | |
Text
From:
Jason Drake To:
Couture III, Philip Cc:
Tony Nakanishi; Shivani Mehta; Twarog, John R; Mahan, Cecil
Subject:
Acceptance Review of License Amendment Request to Revise Waterford, Unit 3, Technical Specification Section 5.0, "Design Features" (EPID: L-2025-LLA-0146)
Date:
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 3:53:00 PM
Dear Mr. Couture:
By letter dated August 26, 2025, (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25238A051), Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy) submitted a license amendment request (LAR) for Waterford Steam Electric Station, Unit 3 (WF3). 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) 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. Historically these reviews have required a median average of 90 hours0.00104 days <br />0.025 hours <br />1.488095e-4 weeks <br />3.4245e-5 months <br /> and 6-9 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 70 hours8.101852e-4 days <br />0.0194 hours <br />1.157407e-4 weeks <br />2.6635e-5 months <br /> and 4 months. The NRC staff expects to complete the review by January 2026.
The above estimate assumes, per the verbal agreement given during the Entergy monthly call on September 10, 2025, that the editorial errors identified by the NRC staff within the amendment request will be voluntarily supplemented by the licensee. Detailed actions
associated with the supplement request will be handled via separate correspondence.
Please contact me directly if you have any questions regarding this review.
Sincerely,
Jason Drake Project Manager Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Phone: (301) 415-8378
Docket No.: 50-382 License No.: NPF-38