ML25364A093
| ML25364A093 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Farley  |
| Issue date: | 01/07/2026 |
| From: | Turner Z NRC/NRR/DORL/LPL2-1 |
| To: | Coleman J Southern Nuclear Operating Co |
| Turner, Zachary | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-LLR-0025 | |
| Download: ML25364A093 (0) | |
Text
January 7, 2026 Jamie M. Coleman Regulatory Affairs Director Southern Nuclear Operating Co., Inc.
3535 Colonnade Parkway Birmingham, AL 35243
SUBJECT:
JOSEPH M. FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 - REGULATORY AUDIT IN SUPPORT OF REVIEW OF ALTERNATIVE REQUEST FNP-ISI-ALT-2025-10 FOR CONTAINMENT UNBONDED POST-TENSIONING SYSTEM INSERVICE INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH 10 CFR 50.55(A)(Z)(1) (EPID L-2025-LLR-0025)
Dear Jamie Coleman:
By letter dated February 27, 2025, as supplemented by letter dated October 9, 2025, Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC, the licensee) submitted alternative request FNP-ISI-ALT-2025-10 for Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant (Farley), Units 1 and 2. SNC is proposing an alternative inservice inspection (ISI) that would extend the inspection exam frequency of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code),
Section XI, Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components, Subsection IWL-2500, Examination Requirements. Specifically, the alternative request would extend the inspection exam frequency of ASME Code Section XI Table IWL-2500-1 Examination Category L-B for item numbers L2.10, L2.20, L2.30, L2.40, and L2.50. A public meeting was held on December 16, 2025, in which the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and SNC discussed details related to the proposed alternative request.
The NRC staff has determined the need for a regulatory audit to be conducted in accordance with Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office Instruction LIC-111, Regulatory Audits for the NRC staff to examine the licensees non-docketed information with the intent to gain a better understanding of the proposed alternative request, to verify information, and to identify information that may require docketing to support the basis of the NRC staffs licensing decision.
The NRC staff will conduct the audit virtually via Microsoft Teams using a licensee-established electronic portal available to NRC staff from approximately January 19, 2026, through February 20, 2026, with formal audit meetings to be scheduled during this period as needed.
The NRC staff reserves the right to extend the audit, if necessary. The detailed audit plan is enclosed with this letter.
If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-2258 or by e-mail at Zachary.Turner@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Zachary M. Turner, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch II-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-348 and 50-364
Enclosure:
Audit Plan cc: Listserv
Enclosure REGULATORY AUDIT PLAN BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION TO SUPPORT THE REVIEW OF ALTERNATIVE REQUEST FNP-ISI-ALT-2025-10 FOR CONTAINMENT UNBONDED POST-TENSIONING SYSTEM INSERVICE INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS SOUTHERN NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANY JOSEPH M. FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 DOCKET NOS. 50-348 AND 50-364
1.0 BACKGROUND
By letter dated February 27, 2025 (Agencywide Documents and Access Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25058A186), as supplemented by letter dated October 9, 2025 (ML25282A075), Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC, the licensee) submitted alternative request FNP-ISI-ALT-2025-10 for Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant (Farley), Units 1 and 2. SNC is proposing an alternative inservice inspection (ISI) that would extend the inspection exam frequency of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code),Section XI, Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components, Subsection IWL-2500, Examination Requirements. Specifically, the alternative request would extend the inspection exam frequency of ASME Code Section XI Table IWL-2500-1 Examination Category L-B for item numbers L2.10, L2.20, L2.30, L2.40, and L2.50. A public meeting was held on December 16, 2025 (ADAMS Package No. ML25352A128) in which the NRC staff and SNC discussed details related to the proposed alternative request.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has determined the need for a regulatory audit to be conducted in accordance with Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office Instruction LIC-111, Regulatory Audits (ML24309A281), for the NRC staff to examine the licensees non-docketed information with the intent to gain a better understanding of the proposed alternative request, to verify information, and to identify information that may require docketing to support the basis of the NRC staffs licensing decision.
2.0 REGULATORY AUDIT BASIS A regulatory audit is a planned license-or regulation-related activity that includes the examination and evaluation of primarily non-docketed information associated with the proposed alternative request. An audit is conducted to gain understanding, to verify information, and to identify information that will require docketing to support the basis of a licensing or regulatory decision. An audit will assist the NRC staff in efficiently conducting its review and gaining insights to the licensees processes and procedures. Information that the NRC staff relies upon to make the safety determination must be submitted on the docket. This audit will be conducted in accordance with NRR Office Instruction LIC-111, Regulatory Audits, Revision 2, dated December 2024 (ML24309A281), with exceptions noted within this audit plan.
The NRC staff (i.e., audit team) will perform the audit to support its evaluation of whether SNCs request meets the standards per Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 50.55a, Codes and standards. The audit will assist the NRC staff with understanding the licensees proposed alternative request.
3.0 REGULATORY AUDIT SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY NRCs objectives of the audit are the following:
Gain a better understanding of the evaluation and supporting analyses performed in support of the proposed alternative request and confirm the NRC staffs understanding of the request.
Gain a better understanding of the plants relevant design features and safety analysis implications for the proposed alternative request.
Gain a better understanding of the methodologies and plant-specific analyses used to justify the proposed changes in this proposed alternative request.
Identifying any information needed to enable the NRC staffs evaluation of whether the proposed changes challenge design-basis functions or adversely affect the capability or capacity of plant equipment to perform its safety functions.
Identifying questions and requests that may become formal requests for additional information (RAIs) per NRR Office Instruction LIC-115, Processing Requests for Additional Information (ML21141A238).
4.0 INFORMATION AND OTHER MATERIAL NECESSARY FOR THE AUDIT The NRC staff will request information and an audit meeting(s) throughout the audit period.
The NRC staff will use an audit items list to identify the information (e.g., methodology, process information, and calculations) to be audited. The NRC staff will provide the final audit items list as an enclosure to the audit summary report, which will be publicly available. The attachment to this audit plan includes the initial audit items list. Throughout the audit period, the NRC staff will provide SNC with audit questions and audit-related requests so that the licensee can better prepare for audit discussions with NRC staff. Any information accessed through the licensees portal will not be held or retained in any way by NRC staff. The NRC staff requests the licensee to have the requested audit information listed in the audit items list to be readily available and accessible for the NRC staffs review via a Web-based portal.
5.0 AUDIT TEAM The audit team will consist of the following NRC staff:
Zachary Turner, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing (DORL)/Plant Licensing Branch 2-1 (LPL2-1)
John Lamb, Division of Safety Systems DORL/LPL2-1 Dawnmathews Kalathiveettil, DORL/LPL2-1 Si Hwan Park, Division of Engineering and External Hazards (DEX)/Structural, Civil, and Geotechnical Engineering Branch (ESEB)
George Wang, DEX/ESEB 6.0 LOGISTICS To support the review schedule communicated to SNC when the NRC staff accepted the proposed alternative request for technical review, audit activities will be performed remotely and virtually using Microsoft Teams, teleconference, and a Web-based portal or other virtual meeting space created by the licensee. The NRC staff information requests and communications with licensee staff will be coordinated through the NRCs licensing project manager.
A desktop audit will take place between January 19, 2026, through February 20, 2026. The NRCs licensing project manager will inform the licensee of the entrance and exit meeting dates when they are established. The NRC staff may change and/or add audit dates and times, or extend the audit, if necessary. An audit meeting agenda and questions, if needed, will be sent in advance of the audit meeting.
The NRC staff requests the licensee to have the information referenced in Section 9.0 of this audit plan available and accessible for the NRC staffs review via an internet-based portal within five days of this audit plan. The NRC staff requests that any supplemental information requested be available and accessible for the NRC staffs review within five days of the date of the NRCs notification to the licensee of the new requests. The NRCs licensing project manager will inform the licensee via routine communications when the NRC staff no longer needs access to the portal. The NRC staff requests the licensee notify the NRCs licensing project manager when an audit item is added to its portal by sending an e-mail to the NRC licensing project manager.
7.0 SPECIAL REQUESTS The NRC requests access to requested documents and information through a Web-based portal that allows the NRC staff and contractors to access documents over the Internet. The following conditions associated with the online portal must be maintained while the NRC staff and contractors have access to the online portal:
The online portal will be password-protected. A separate password will be assigned to each member of the NRC staff and NRC contractors participating in the audit.
The online portal will prevent the NRC participants from printing, saving, downloading, or collecting any information directly from the online portal.
Conditions of use of the online portal will be displayed on the login screen and will require acknowledgment by each user.
Username and password and/or other Web-based portal access information should be provided directly to members of the NRC staff and contractors as needed. The NRC licensing project manager will provide the licensee with names and contact information of the NRC staff and contractors participating in the audit. All other communications should be coordinated through the NRC project manager. The NRCs project manager will inform the licensee via routine communications when the NRC staff no longer needs access to the electronic portal.
No data accessed by the audit team members will be retained by the NRC following the conclusion of the audit.
8.0 DELIVERABLES An audit summary will be prepared within approximately 60 days of the completion of the audit.
If the NRC staff identifies information during the audit that is needed to support its regulatory decision, the NRC staff will issue separate requests for additional information to the licensee per NRR Office Instruction LIC-115, Processing Requests for Additional Information, (ML21141A238).
9.0 AUDIT QUESTIONS/DISCUSSIONS The NRC staff requests access to the following documents:
Item #
Audit Item 1
Farley Nuclear Plant, 5th Interval Containment Inspection Plan, Volume 5 / Version 4.0, February 2021.
2 Five Year Tendon Surveillance Report on Containment Post-Tensioning System /
Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Unit 1 / Alabama Power Company / Job No. 7597, report prepared Bechtel Power Corporation, Gaithersburg Maryland, June1982.
3 Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant / Unit 2 Containment Post-Tensioning System /
Three-Year Inservice Inspection / Volume 1 - Report, report prepared by Southern Company Services, Inc., September 1983.
4 Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant / Unit 2 Containment Post-Tensioning System /
Five-Year Inservice Inspection / Volume 1 - Report, report prepared by Southern Company Services, Inc., September 1985.
5 Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant / Unit 1 Containment Post-Tensioning System /
Ten-Year Inservice Inspection, report prepared by Southern Company Services, Inc., October 1987.
6 Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant / Unit 2 Containment Post-Tensioning System /
Ten-Year Inservice Inspection, report prepared by Southern Company Services, Inc., July 1990.
7 Containment Fifteen-Year Tendon Surveillance Report / Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant Unit 1 / Southern Nuclear Operating Company, report prepared by Southern Company Services, Inc., October 1992.
8 Containment Post-Tensioning System / Fifteen-Year Inservice Inspection Report -
Unit 2 / Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, report prepared by Southern Company Services, Inc., August 1995.
9 Containment Twenty-Year Tendon Surveillance Report / Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant Unit 1 / Southern Nuclear Operating Company, report prepared by Southern Company Services, Inc., October 1997.
10 Farley Nuclear Plant Unit 1 and 2 / ASME Section XI Sub-Section IWE/IWL Report /
June 2000, report prepared by Southern Company Services, Inc., October 2000.
11 Farley Nuclear Plant Unit 1 / ASME Section XI Sub-Section IWE/IWL Report /
November 2002, report prepared by Southern Company Services, Inc., November 2002.
12 Unit 1 (30th Year) & Unit 2 (25th Year) Physical Containment Building Tendon Surveillance at the Farley Nuclear Plant / Post Tensioning Surveillance Report, report prepared by Precision Surveillance Corporation, Revision 0, August 2006.
13 Final Report for the Containment Structure Tendon Surveillance at Farley Nuclear Plant Unit 1 and Unit 2, report prepared by Precision Surveillance Corporation, Revision 2, August 2013.
14 Final Report for the Containment Structure Tendon Surveillance at Farley Nuclear Plant Unit 1 and Unit 2, report prepared by Precision Surveillance Corporation, Revision 0, February 2018.
15 Final Report for the 2021 ASME IWL Tendon and Concrete Surveillance at Farley Station - Unit 1 and Unit 2, report prepared by Precision Surveillance Corporation, Revision 0, March 2022.
16 Latest report for the ASME Table IWL-2500-1 Examination Category L-A inspection 17 U738360, 1985 Inryco Inspection Unit #1 and #2 Tendon Grease Reports.
18 Inryco Post Tensioning Division / Joseph M. Farley nuclear Plant, Unit No. 2 /
Anchor Head Investigation / OMD Investigation No. 19975 - Final Report.
19 Southern Nuclear Operating Company, RER SNC320306, Support for Farleys Unit 1 Hoop Tendon H7AB Failure and Extended Conditions, Approved 10 July 2013.
20 Document Number: SNC1000660, Revision 1, DECP-U1 Anchor Head Replacement, Approved 28 January 2020.
21 Failure Analysis and Testing of Thirteen (13) Post Tension Containment Anchor Heads, 17-0174-TR-001, Revision 0, November 2017, report prepared by Altran.
22 Calculation SC-SNC432512-001, Ver. 1.0, Evaluation of Two Adjacent Inactive Hoop Tendons.
23 Documents that provide the following information:
Historical and current humidity and moisture data for tendon galleries, and applicable standards or acceptable limits for these conditions.
Condition Reports (CR), Work Orders (WO) and photos related to the presence of free water and signs of leakage in tendon galleries and roof anchorage areas.
CRs, WOs and photos documenting the condition and integrity of seals and protective caps on anchor heads.
CRs, WOs and photos associated with the drainage systems condition and performance that may cause water accumulation or leakage in areas, such as tendon gallery floor, roof above tendon gallery, roof anchorage areas, containment base, penetrations and access points.
24 Documents that provide the following information:
Construction drawings of containments at Units 1 and 2 including tendon layout and details, anchor heads and anchoring details, tendon gallery, and drainage system in areas such as tendon gallery floor, roof above tendon gallery, roof anchorage areas, containment base, penetrations and access points.
Tendon design calculations (both original and newly installed).
Material specifications of the original and newly installed prestressing tendons: type, diameter, material standard, and engineering properties (yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, relaxation data, etc.)
Material specifications of the original and newly installed anchor heads:
type, material standard, and engineering properties (tensile capacity, hardness, corrosion protection details, etc.)
CPM testing information related to low base values, including the locations with low CPM base numbers, corresponding testing results, and applicable acceptance criteria that define inadequate corrosion protection and potential hydrogen stress cracking.
Tendon force trends for the re-tensioned/replaced tendons for both Units 1 and 2 in augmented examinations.
Locations of the re-tensioned/replaced tendons using diagram or drawings.
All augmented examinations and testing results (including tendon selection) for the initial inspection and subsequent inservice inspections (ASME Table IWL-2521-2), nonconformances and corrective actions related to 1985, 2012 and 2017 events.
Magnetic particle testing information on anchor heads, including locations tested and test results for each location.
25 Documents that provide the following information:
Total count of heat treatment lots used for the anchor heads (for both Units 1 and 2), and heat treatment lot locations using diagrams or drawings.
Identification of anchor heads associated with tendons (e.g. Hoop tendon HXX, Dome tendon DXX, and Vertical tendon VXX) within each heat treatment lot.
The number and locations of anchor heads tested for hardness and their Rockwell hardness testing results.
The technical basis for the acceptable Rockwell hardness limit for anchor heads.
26 Provide root cause evaluations associated with 1985, 2012, and 2017 events.
- via eConcurrence NRR-106 OFFICE DORL/LPL-1/PM*
DORL/LPL2-1/LA*
DEX/ESEB/BC*
NAME ZTurner2 KZeleznock ITseng DATE 1/5/2025 1/2/2025 1/6/2026 OFFICE DORL/LPL2-1/BC*
DORL/LPL2-1/PM*
NAME MMarkley ZTurner DATE 1/6/2026 1/7/2026