ML25346A011
| ML25346A011 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Browns Ferry  |
| Issue date: | 12/11/2025 |
| From: | Kimberly Green Plant Licensing Branch II |
| To: | Aboulfaida A Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Green K | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-LLE-0026 | |
| Download: ML25346A011 (0) | |
Text
From:
Kimberly Green To:
Aboulfaida, Amber Vendel Cc:
Eckermann, J Beau; David Wrona
Subject:
Acceptance Results for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3, Exemption Request re ASME Code Case OMN-31 (EPID L-2025-LLE-0026)
Date:
Thursday, December 11, 2025 1:41:00 PM
Dear Ms. Aboulfaida:
By letter dated October 16, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML25289A358), the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) submitted an exemption request for the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3.The request seeks an exemption from the requirement in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.55a(a)(3)(iii) in order to apply American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code for Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants Code Case OMN-31, Alternative to Allow Extension of ISTA-3120 Inservice Examination and Test Intervals from 10 Years to 12 Years.
The purpose of this email is to provide the results of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission or NRC) staffs acceptance review of the exemption request. The acceptance review was performed to determine whether the scope and depth of the technical information was sufficient to allow the NRC staff to complete its detailed technical review. The acceptance review is also intended to identify whether the application has any readily apparent information insufficiencies in its characterization of the regulatory requirements or the licensing basis of the plant.
Consistent with 10 CFR 50.12, the Commission may, upon application of any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from the requirements of the regulations in Part 50 which are authorized by law, will not present undue risk to the public health and safety, and are consistent the common defense and security, and unless special circumstances are present.
The NRC staff has reviewed TVAs request and concluded that it does provide technical information in sufficient detail to enable the NRC staff to complete its detailed technical review and make an independent assessment regarding the exemption request.Given the lesser scope and depth of the acceptance review as compared to the detailed technical review, there may be instances in which issues that impact the NRC staffs ability to complete the detailed technical review are identified despite completion of an adequate acceptance review. If additional information is needed, you will be advised by separate correspondence.
Consistent with NRC guidance, when an application relies on approved precedents, the technical review should focus 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. The emphasis is placed on evaluating new or different information that has not been previously addressed.
For this request, the staff used the Graded Estimate Method (GEM) for licensing actions, which was discussed with industry during a public workshop on August 5,
2025 (ML25217A212). Based on this approach, the staff estimates that this review will require 52 hours6.018519e-4 days <br />0.0144 hours <br />8.597884e-5 weeks <br />1.9786e-5 months <br /> and expects to complete its review by July 31, 2026. If achieved, this represents approximately a 35% reduction in resources.
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 at (301) 415-1627.
Sincerely, Kimberly Green Senior Project Manager Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 301-415-1627