ML26007A310
| ML26007A310 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palo Verde  |
| Issue date: | 01/08/2026 |
| From: | Sam Graves NRC/RGN-IV/DORS/EB2 |
| To: | Heflin A Arizona Public Service Co |
| References | |
| IR 2026405 | |
| Download: ML26007A310 (0) | |
See also: IR 05000528/2026405
Text
January 08, 2026
Adam C. Heflin, Executive Vice President
and Chief Nuclear Officer
Arizona Public Service Company
P.O. Box 52034, MS 7602
Phoenix, AZ 85072-2034
SUBJECT:
PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION - NOTIFICATION
OF CYBERSECURITY INSPECTION (NRC INSPECTION REPORT
05000528/2026405 AND 05000529/2026405 AND 05000530/2026405)
AND REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Dear Adam Heflin:
On May 11, 2026, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will begin an inspection in
accordance with Inspection Procedure (IP) 71130.10, Cybersecurity, at Palo Verde Nuclear
Generating Station. The inspection will be performed to evaluate and verify your ability to meet
the requirements of the NRCs cybersecurity rule, Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(10 CFR) Part 73, Section 54, Protection of Digital Computer and Communication Systems
and Networks.
Experience has shown that these inspections are extremely resource intensive, both for the
NRC inspectors and licensee staff. In order to minimize the inspection impact to the site and
to ensure a productive inspection for both parties, we have enclosed a request for
documents needed for the inspection. The document request has been divided into four
groups.
The first group specifies information necessary to assist the inspection team in choosing the
focus areas (i.e., sample set) to be inspected by IP 71130.10. This information should be
made available either in an online repository (preferred) or digital media (CD/DVD) and
delivered/available to the regional office no later than February 13, 2026. The inspection team
will review this information and, by March 13, 2026, will request the specific items that should
be provided for review.
The second group of requested documents will assist the inspection team in the evaluation of
the critical systems and critical digital assets (CSs/CDAs), defensive architecture, and the
areas of your cybersecurity program selected for review. This information will be requested for
review in the regional office prior to the inspection by April 10, 2026, as identified above.
The third group of requested documents consists of additional items that the inspection team
will review, or need access to, during the inspection. Please have this information available by
the first day of the onsite inspection, May 11, 2026.
A. Heflin
2
The fourth group of information aids the inspection team in tracking issues identified during the
inspection. It is requested that this information be provided to the lead inspector as the
information is generated during the inspection. It is important that all requested documents are
up to date and complete to minimize the number of additional documents requested during the
preparation and/or the onsite portions of the inspection.
The lead inspector for this inspection is Sam Graves. We understand that our regulatory contact
for this inspection is Jeremia Meuller of your organization. If there are any questions about the
inspection or the material requested, please contact the lead inspector at 817-200-1102 or via
e-mail at samuel.graves@nrc.gov.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
This letter contains mandatory information collections that are subject to the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
approved these information collections under approval number 3150-0011. The burden to the
public for these information collections is estimated to average 40 hour4.62963e-4 days <br />0.0111 hours <br />6.613757e-5 weeks <br />1.522e-5 months <br />(s) per response. Send
comments regarding this information collection to the FOIA, Library and Information Collection
Branch, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Mail Stop: T6-A10M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by email to Infocollects.Resource@nrc.gov, and
to the Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-10202, (3150-0011)
OMB, Washington, DC 20503.
Public Protection Notification
The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a request for
information or an information collection requirement unless the requesting document displays a
currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding,
of the NRC's Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be available
electronically for public inspection in the NRCs Public Document Room or from the Publicly
Available Records (PARS) component of the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and
Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).
Sincerely,
Sam Graves, Senior Reactor Inspector
Engineering Branch 2
Division of Operating Reactor Safety
Signed by Graves, Samuel
on 01/08/26
A. Heflin
3
Docket Nos: 05000528; 05000529; 05000530
License Nos: NPF-41; NPF-51; NPF-74
Enclosure:
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station -
Cybersecurity Inspection Document Request
Cc w/ enclosure Distribution via LISTSERV
SUNSI Review: ADAMS:
Non-Publicly Available
Non-Sensitive
Keyword:
By: STG Yes No
Publicly Available
Sensitive
OFFICE
SRI:DORS/EB2
NAME
SGraves
SIGNATURE
/RA/
DATE
01/08/26
Enclosure
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station - Cybersecurity Inspection Document Request
Inspection Report: 05000528/2026405, 05000529/2026405 and 05000530/2026405
Inspection Dates:
Week of May 11, 2026
Inspection Procedure:
IP 71130.10, Cybersecurity
Reference 1:
ML21330A088, Guidance Document for Development of the
Request for Information (RFI) and Notification Letter for IP
71130.10 Cyber Security Inspection, Revision 2
NRC Inspectors:
Andrew Saunders
817-200-1102
817-200-1275
Samuel.Graves@nrc.gov
Andrew.saunders@nrc.gov
NRC Contractors:
Michael Shock
301-415-7000
Michael.shock@nrc.gov
NRC Supporting Staff:
Tim Marshall
Tim.marshall@nrc.gov
I.
Information Requested for In-Office Preparation
This initial request for information (i.e., Table RFI #1) concentrates on providing the
inspection team with information necessary to select appropriate components and
cybersecurity program elements to develop a site-specific inspection plan. The first RFI is
used to identify the critical digital assets or systems to be chosen as the sample set
required to be inspected by the cybersecurity IP. The first RFIs requested information is
specified below in Table RFI #1. Please provide the information requested in Table RFI #1
to the regional office by February 13, 2026, or sooner, to facilitate the selection of specific
items for review.
The inspection team will examine the documentation from the first RFI and select specific
systems and equipment to provide a more focused follow-up request to develop the second
RFI requested information. The inspection team will submit the specific systems and
equipment selected to your staff by March 13, 2026, which will be utilized to evaluate the
equipment, defensive architecture, and the areas of the licensees cybersecurity program for
review.
2
Please provide the information requested by the second RFI (Table RFI #2) to the regional
office by April 10, 2026. All requests for information shall follow the guidance document
(Reference 1) identified above. For information requests that have more than ten (10)
documents, please provide a compressed (i.e., Zip) file of the documents.
The required Table RFI #1 information shall be provided in an online document repository
(preferred) or on digital media (CD/DVD) to the lead inspector by February 13, 2026. The
preferred file format for all lists is a searchable Excel spreadsheet file. The information
should be indexed and hyper-linked to facilitate ease of use. If you have any questions
regarding this information, please contact the inspection team leader as soon as possible.
Table RFI #1
Section 3,
Paragraph Number/Title:
IP Ref
1
A list of all identified critical systems (CSs) and critical digital assets
(CDAs), - highlight/note any additions, deletions, reclassifications due
to new guidance (white papers, changes to NEI 10-04, 13-10, etc.)
since the last cybersecurity inspection
Overall
2
Network topology diagrams to include information and data flow for
critical systems in levels 2, 3, and 4 (If available). Please provide
digital copies with this response. Provide printed copies during the
onsite activities. (See Table 1ST Week Onsite)
Overall
3
The most recent effectiveness analysis and self-assessments of the
cybersecurity program
03.01(b)
4
Design change/modification program documentation and a list, with
descriptions, of all design changes that affected CDAs and that have
been installed and completed (i.e. available for use) since the last
cybersecurity inspection, including either a summary of the design
change or the 50.59/50.54(p) documentation for the change as
appropriate
03.03(a)
5
Cybersecurity Plan and any 50.54(p) analysis to support changes to
the plan since the last inspection
Overall
6
Provide copies of all cybersecurity program related procedures and
policies with their descriptive name and associated number (if
available)
Overall
7
Portable media and mobile services (PMMD) control documentation,
including kiosk security control assessment/documentation
03.02(e)
8
Corrective actions taken as a result of cybersecurity incidents/issues
to include previous NRC violations and Licensee Identified Violations
since last two cybersecurity inspections
Overall
In addition to the above information please provide the following:
(1) electronic copies of the cybersecurity program license condition from the operating
license(s)
(2) name(s) and phone number(s) for the regulatory and technical contacts
(3) current management and engineering organizational charts related to cybersecurity
3
Based on this information, the inspection team will identify and select specific systems and
equipment (e.g., CSs/CDAs) from the information requested by Table RFI #1 and submit
this selection to your staff by March 13, 2026, for the second RFI (i.e., Table RFI #2).
II. Additional Information Requested to be Available Prior to Inspection
As stated in Section I above, the inspection team will examine the returned documentation
requested from Table RFI #1 and submit the list of specific systems and equipment to your
staff by March 13, 2026, for the second RFI (i.e., Table RFI #2). The second RFI will
request additional information required to evaluate the CSs/CDAs, defensive architecture,
and the areas of the CSP selected for the cybersecurity inspection. The additional
information requested for the specific systems and equipment is identified in Table RFI #2.
All requested information shall follow the guidance document (Reference 1) identified
above.
The Table RFI #2 information shall be provided in an online document repository
(preferred) or on digital media (CD/DVD) to the lead inspector by April 10, 2026.
The preferred file format for all lists is a searchable Excel spreadsheet. The
information should be indexed and hyper-linked to facilitate ease of use. If you have
any questions regarding this information, please call the inspection team leader as
soon as possible.
Table RFI #2
Section 3,
Paragraph Number/Title:
Items
For the system(s)/assets chosen for inspection provide:
1
Documentation of ongoing monitoring and assessment activity
performed on the system(s)/critical digital assets
03.01(a)
2
All security control assessments for the selected system(s) and
critical digital assets
03.01(a)
3
All vulnerability screenings/assessments associated with, or scans
performed on the selected system(s) since the last cybersecurity
inspection
03.01(c)
4
Documentation (including configuration files and rules sets) for:
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system
Network-based Intrusion Detection/Protection Systems
(NIDS/NIPS), and
Host-based Intrusion Detection Systems (HIDS) for system(s)
chosen for inspection
03.02(b)
5
Documentation (including configuration files and rule sets) for Intra-
security level firewalls and boundary devices used to protect the
selected system(s)
03.02(c)
6
Password/Authenticator documentation
03.02(c)
7
Baseline configuration information for the selected CDAs
03.03(a)
8
Documentation on any changes, including Security Impact Analyses,
performed on the selected system(s) since the last inspection,
including security impact analyses for replacement critical digital
assets
03.03(b)
4
Table RFI #2
Section 3,
Paragraph Number/Title:
Items
9
Copies of the purchase order documentation for any new equipment
purchased for the selected systems since the last inspection.
03.03(c)
10
Device access and key control documentation
03.02(c)
11
User account/credential documentation
03.02(d)
12
Configuration management documentation including any security
impact analysis performed due to configuration changes since the
last inspection
03.03(a)
and (b)
13
Provide documentation describing any cybersecurity changes to the
access authorization program since the last cybersecurity inspection
Overall
III. Information Requested to be Available on First Day of Inspection
For the specific systems and equipment identified in Section II above, provide the following
information (i.e., Table 1ST Week Onsite) to the team by May 11, 2026, the first day of the
onsite inspection. All requested information shall follow the referenced guidance document.
The preferred file format for all lists is a searchable Excel spreadsheet file. The information
should be indexed and hyper-linked to facilitate ease of use. If you have any questions
regarding this information, please contact the inspection team leader as soon as possible.
Table 1ST Week Onsite
Section 3,
Paragraph Number/Title:
Items
1
Printed copies of network topology diagrams. Please provide in
ANSI size C or larger, if possible
Overall
2
Updated copies of corrective actions taken as a result of
cybersecurity incidents/issues, to include previous NRC-identified
violations and licensee-identified violations since the last
cybersecurity inspection, as well as related corrective actions
Overall
In addition to the above information please provide the following:
(1) Vendor Manuals, Assessment and Corrective Actions:
a.
vendor manuals for the equipment selected as samples; and
b.
corrective action documents, including status of corrective actions generated
because of the most recent cybersecurity quality assurance (QA) audit and/or self-
assessment.
IV. Information Requested To Be Provided Throughout the Inspection
(1) copies of any corrective action documents generated as a result of the inspection teams
questions or queries during the inspection. If using a document repository to transfer
information to the team, please create a separate area or item for corrective action
documents generated in response to the teams questions.
5
(2) copies of the list of questions submitted by the inspection team members and the
status/resolution of the information requested (typically provided daily during the
inspection to each inspection team member).
If you have any questions regarding the information requested, please contact the team leader.