ML26022A212
| ML26022A212 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | LaSalle  |
| Issue date: | 01/28/2026 |
| From: | Robert Kuntz Plant Licensing Branch III |
| To: | Mudrick C Constellation Energy Generation |
| Kuntz, R.F. | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2026-LLA-0009 | |
| Download: ML26022A212 (0) | |
Text
January 28, 2026 Mr. Christopher H. Mudrick Sr.
Senior Vice President Constellation Energy Generation, LLC President and Chief Nuclear Officer Constellation Nuclear 200 Energy Way Kennett Square, PA 19348
SUBJECT:
LASALLE COUNTY STATION, UNIT 1 - PUBLIC NOTICE, NRC STAFF PROPOSES TO AMEND RENEWED OPERATING LICENSES AT THE LASALLE COUNTY STATION, UNIT NO. 1 (EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCES)
Dear Mr. Mudrick:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has forwarded the enclosed Public Notice, NRC Staff Proposes to Amend Renewed Operating Licenses at the Lasalle County Station, (LaSalle) Unit 1 to the NewsTribune for publication.
This notice relates to your application dated January 21, 2026, in which you request to revise the LaSalle Technical Specification Table 3.3.1.1-1 to "Reactor Protection System (RPS)
Instrumentation," Function 2.b, "Flow Biased Simulated Thermal Power - Upscale," to permit the 1B Reactor Recirculation Flow Unit to be inoperable for the remainder of LaSalle, Unit 1 Operating Cycle 21 without considering a required Average Power Range Monitor channel inoperable.
If you have any questions, please contact me at 301-415-3733 or via e-mail at Robert.Kuntz@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Robert F. Kuntz, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch III Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No.: 50-373
Enclosure:
Public Notice cc: Listserv
PUBLIC NOTICE NRC STAFF PROPOSES TO AMEND RENEWED OPERATING LICENSES AT THE LASALLE COUNTY STATION, UNIT 1 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) staff has received an application dated January 21, 2026 (ADAMS Accession No. ML26021A170), from Constellation Energy Generation, LLC, for an exigent amendment to the renewed facility operating license for the LaSalle County Station (LaSalle), Unit 1, located in Brookfield Township, LaSalle County, Illinois.
The amendment would revise the LaSalle Technical Specifications (TS) Table 3.3.1.1-1, "Reactor Protection System (RPS) Instrumentation," Function 2.b, "Flow Biased Simulated Thermal Power - Upscale," to permit the 1B Reactor Recirculation (RR) Flow Unit to be inoperable for the remainder of LaSalle, Unit 1, Operating Cycle 21 without considering a required Average Power Range Monitor (APRM) channel inoperable.
On January 7, 2026, the LaSalle, Unit 1, 1B RR Flow Unit was declared inoperable due to the flow transmitter not responding to test inputs during surveillance testing. This placed the unit into TS 3.3.1.1 Condition A, with a 12-hour or in accordance with the Risk Informed Completion Time (RICT) Program Completion Time requirement to place the channel in trip or place the associated trip system in trip. The calculated RICT for this instrumentation is 30 days (i.e., the backstop defined by the RICT Program), which expires on February 6, 2026, at 1150 local time.
The proposed change modifies TS requirements to allow LaSalle, Unit. 1, to be shut down in a controlled manner for the refueling outage without placing the affected RPS channel or trip system in trip when the RICT expires.
The licensee requested that the proposed amendment be processed on an exigent basis in accordance with the provisions in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section
50.91(a)(6). Under 10 CFR 50.91(a)(6)(i), states that exigent circumstances exists where the licensee and Commission must act quickly, and time does not permit the Commission to publish notice that would allow 30 days for public comment. Based on the NRC staffs determination that exigent circumstances exist and its proposed determination that the amendment involves no significant hazards consideration, the NRC staff is providing this notice in local media pursuant to 10 CFR 50.91(a)(6)(i)(B) and has consulted with the licensee and the NRC regional office on the proposed media release.
The NRC staff finds that exigent circumstances exist because discovery of the failed component results in entering a limiting condition that would require placing the channel in trip within 30 days therefore precluding the ability to publish a Federal Register notice of consideration before taking the required action. Placing the channel in trip results in a condition in which routine surveillance testing on other RPS instrumentation, or a spurious, invalid condition on other RPS instrumentation could cause LaSalle, Unit 1, to undergo an unnecessary full reactor scram and unnecessary plant transient without a corresponding health and safety benefit.
The licensee and the NRC staff have evaluated the proposed change with regard to the determination of whether or not a significant hazards consideration is involved. Operation of LaSalle, Unit 1, in accordance with the proposed amendment, will not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated because the APRM system and the RPS are not initiators of any accidents previously evaluated. As a result, the proposed change does not affect the probability of any accident previously evaluated. The APRM system and the RPS functions act to mitigate the consequences of accidents previously evaluated. The reliability of the APRM system and the RPS is not significantly affected by the inoperability of the 1B RR Flow Unit.
The proposed change does not increase the consequences of an accident because the design-basis mitigation function of the affected systems is not changed and the consequences of an accident during the applicable condition are no different from those previously evaluated.
Therefore, the proposed change does not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.
The proposed amendments will not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any previously analyzed because the proposed change does not alter the protection system designs, create new failure modes, or change any modes of operation. The proposed change does not involve a physical alteration of the plant; no new or different kind of equipment will be installed. Consequently, there are no new initiators that could result in a new or different kind of accident.
Therefore, the proposed change does not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated.
The proposed amendment will not involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety because margin of safety is related to the confidence in the ability of the APRM to initiate rod blocks and scrams to help prevent damage to the fuel in the event of unanticipated power transients. Notwithstanding that proposed change allows for not meeting the single failure criterion for a limited period of time, the proposed change does not prevent an individual APRM channel from performing its intended function with only one operable flow unit input. As a result, all applicable design and safety limits will continue to remain satisfied.
Therefore, the proposed change does not involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety.
Following an initial review of this application, the requested amendments have been evaluated against the standards in 10 CFR 50.92 and the NRC staff has made a proposed (preliminary) determination that the requested amendments involve no significant hazards
considerations. The changes do not significantly increase the probability or consequences of any accident previously considered, nor create the possibility of an accident of a different kind, nor significantly decrease any margin of safety.
If the proposed determination that the requested license amendment involves no significant hazards consideration becomes final, the staff will issue the amendments without first offering an opportunity for a public hearing. An opportunity for a hearing will be published in the Federal Register at a later date and any hearing request will not delay the effective date of the amendment.
If the staff decides in its final determination that the amendment does involve a significant hazards consideration, a notice of opportunity for a prior hearing will be published in the Federal Register and, if a hearing is granted, it will be held before the amendment is issued.
Comments on the proposed determination of no significant hazards consideration may be (1) telephoned to Ilka Berrios, Acting Chief, Plant Licensing Branch III, by collect call to 301-415-2404, (2) e-mailed to Ilka.Berrios@nrc.gov, or (3) submitted in writing to Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff. All comments received by close of business on February 3, 2026, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Federal workdays will be considered in reaching a final determination. A copy of the application may be examined electronically through the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) in the NRC Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland.
Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
ML26022A212 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL3/PM NRR/DORL/LPL3/LA OGC NLO NAME RKuntz SLent ANaber DATE 1/22/2026 1/23/2026 1/27/2026 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL3/BC NRR/DORL/LPL3/PM NAME IBerrios RKuntz DATE 1/28/2026 1/28/2026