ML25339A032
| ML25339A032 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Mcguire, Catawba, Brunswick, Robinson, McGuire  |
| Issue date: | 12/05/2025 |
| From: | Shawn Williams NRC/NRR/DORL/LPL2-1 |
| To: | Treadway R Duke Energy, Duke Energy Carolinas |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-LLA-0165 | |
| Download: ML25339A032 (0) | |
Text
From:
Shawn Williams To:
Treadway, Ryan I Cc:
Vaughan, Jordan L; Michael Markley
Subject:
Duke Fleet - Acceptance of Requested Licensing Action Re: Amendment to Use Online Monitoring Methodology (EPID L-2025-LLA-0165)
Date:
Friday, December 5, 2025 8:15:23 AM
Dear Mr. Treadway,
By letter dated October 9, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25282A076), Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, (the licensee, Duke Energy) submitted a license amendment request for Brunswick Steam Electric Plant, Units 1 and 2, Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, and H.
B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2. Duke Energy proposes to use online monitoring (OLM) methodology as the technical basis to transition from time-based surveillance frequency for calibrations to a condition-based calibration frequency based on OLM results.
The purpose of this e-mail is to provide the results of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staffs acceptance review of your amendment request. The acceptance review was performed to determine whether the application contains sufficient technical information for the NRC staff to complete a detailed technical review and to identify any readily apparent deficiencies related to regulatory requirements or the plant licensing basis.
Consistent with Section 50.90 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), an application for an amendment to a license (including the technical specifications) must fully describe the changes requested and, as applicable, follow the form prescribed for original applications. Section 50.34 of 10 CFR addresses content of the technical information required. This section stipulates that the submittal address the design and operating characteristics, unusual or novel design features, and principal safety considerations.
Based on our review, the NRC staff has concluded that your application includes sufficient technical information to support a detailed technical review and independent assessment of the proposed amendments with respect to applicable regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment. Please note that the acceptance review is more limited in scope and depth than the detailed technical review, and additional issues that could affect the staffs ability to complete the review may still be identified. If additional information is needed, you will be notified by separate correspondence.
For this request, the staff used the Graded Estimate Method (GEM) for licensing actions, as discussed with industry during a public workshop on August 5, 2025 (ML25217A212).
Consistent with GEM guidance, when an application relies on approved precedents or NRC-approved methodologies without deviation, the technical review focuses primarily on site-specific considerations. In such cases, confirmatory analyses may be limited to spot checks, and certain areas may receive a less detailed review than in the past, with emphasis placed on evaluating new or different information that has not been previously addressed.
In accordance with GEM guidance, the staff has classified this review as a 'Typical Review,'
which targets a minimum 45% reduction from the median historical review hours for comparable projects. The staff analyzed precedents for comparable requests to identify the
median historical review hours. Using the GEM expectation of a 45% reduction from that median, the staff estimates approximately 213 hours0.00247 days <br />0.0592 hours <br />3.521825e-4 weeks <br />8.10465e-5 months <br /> and will aim to complete the review within that range, recognizing that actual hours may vary. According to the GEM Process, for Typical Reviews, the NRC aims to complete the application review within six months after acceptance of the application. Due to the government shutdown from October 1 to November 12, 2025, the acceptance review began on November 13, 2025. The acceptance review has now been completed as of the date of this e-mail, December 5, 2025. Based on this acceptance date, the staff will aim to complete the request by June 5, 2026.
If emergent complexities or challenges arise during the NRC staffs review that affect the initial forecasted completion date or result in significant changes to the estimated review hours, the reasons for those changesalong with updated estimateswill be communicated during routine interactions with the assigned project manager. These estimates are based on the NRC staffs initial review of the application and may change due to several factors, including requests for additional information, unanticipated expansion of the review scope, hearing-related activities, or if the submittal is provided to the NRC in advance of or concurrently with industry program initiatives or pilot applications.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
Shawn Williams, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 2-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Docket Nos.
50-325, 50-324 50-413, 50-414 50-369, 50-370 50-261
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