ML26027A080
| ML26027A080 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Mcguire, Catawba, McGuire  (NPF-009, NPF-017, NPF-035, NPF-052) |
| Issue date: | 02/02/2026 |
| From: | Klos L NRC/NRR/DORL/LPL2-1 |
| To: | Gibby S Duke Energy Carolinas |
| Klos L | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-LLA-0132, TS 5.6.6 | |
| Download: ML26027A080 (0) | |
Text
February 2, 2026 Shawn Gibby Vice President Nuclear Engineering Duke Energy 525 S. Tryon St.
Charolotte, NC 28202
SUBJECT:
CATAWBA NUCLEAR STATION UNIT 1, MCGUIRE NUCLEAR STATION UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2 - AUDIT
SUMMARY
IN SUPPORT OF LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSED TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION CHANGE TO SECTION 5.6.5 CORE OPERATING LIMITS REPORT (EPID L-2025-LLA-0132)
Dear Mr. Gibby:
By letter dated August 18, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25230A072), Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke Energy, the licensee) submitted a license amendment request (LAR) for the Catawba Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (Catawba) and McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2 (McGuire). The proposed amendment requests the addition of the Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Westinghouse) topical report WCAP-16996-P-A, Revision 1, Realistic LOCA [Loss of Coolant Accident] Evaluation Methodology Applied to the Full Spectrum of Break Sizes (FULL SPECTRUMTM LOCA Methodology) (ADAMS package, ML17277A130), to the list of approved analytical methods used to determine the core operating limits provided in technical specification (TS) 5.6.5, Core Operating Limits Report (COLR). In addition, the amendment also requests a modification to the TS to permit the use of the Westinghouse fuel cladding alloy designated as AXIOM. This requires an update to the description of fuel assemblies specified in TS 4.2.1, Fuel Assemblies, and addition of the Westinghouse topical report WCAP-18546-P-A, Westinghouse AXIOM Cladding for use in Pressurized Water Reactor Fuel (ADAMS package ML23089A063) to the referenced analytical methods in TS 5.6.5.b.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff reviewed the licensees submittal and determined that a regulatory audit would assist in the completion of the licensing review process. The NRC staff issued a regulatory audit plan on November 7, 2025 ( ).
The NRC staff conducted the regulatory audit from November 7, 2025 to January 22, 2026.
The audit summary report is provided as an enclosure to this letter.
If you have any questions, please contact me by telephone at 301-415-5136 or by email to John.Klos@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
/RA/
L. John Klos, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch II-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-413, 50-369, and 50-370
Enclosure:
Audit Summary cc: Listserv
Enclosure AUDIT
SUMMARY
LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSED TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION CHANGE TO SECTION 5.6.5 CORE OPERATING LIMITS REPORT DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC CATAWBA NUCLEAR STATION UNIT 1, MCGUIRE NUCLEAR STATION UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2 DOCKET NOS. 50-413, 50-369, and 50-370
1.0 BACKGROUND
By letter dated August 18, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25230A072), Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke Energy, the licensee) submitted a license amendment request (LAR) for the Catawba Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (Catawba) and McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2 (McGuire). The proposed amendment requests the addition of the Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Westinghouse) topical report WCAP-16996-P-A, Revision 1, Realistic LOCA [Loss of Coolant Accident] Evaluation Methodology Applied to the Full Spectrum of Break Sizes (FULL SPECTRUMTM LOCA Methodology) (ADAMS package ML17277A130), to the list of approved analytical methods used to determine the core operating limits provided in technical specification (TS) 5.6.5, Core Operating Limits Report (COLR). In addition, the amendment also requests a modification to the TS to permit the use of the Westinghouse fuel cladding alloy designated as AXIOM. This requires an update to the description of fuel assemblies specified in TS 4.2.1, Fuel Assemblies, and addition of the Westinghouse topical report WCAP-18546-P-A, Westinghouse AXIOM Cladding for use in Pressurized Water Reactor Fuel (ADAMS package ML23089A063) to the referenced analytical methods in TS 5.6.5.b.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff reviewed the licensees submittal and determined that a regulatory audit would assist in the timely completion of the licensing review process. The NRC staff issued the regulatory audit plan on November 7, 2025 (ML25273A179), which detailed the logistics, scheduling, and audit request items in the plans attachment.
The NRC staff conducted the regulatory audit from November 7, 2025 to January 22, 2026.
The regulatory audit was performed consistent with NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) Office Instruction LIC-111, Revision 2, Regulatory Audits (ML24309A281).
2.0 AUDIT ACTIVITIES AND OBSERVATIONS The NRC audit team, identified in Section 3.0 of this audit summary, consisted of NRC staff and Section 3.0 of this audit summary lists the primary individuals that took part in or attended the audit.
The regulatory audit was conducted from November 7, 2025 to January 22, 2026. The NRC audit team used an internet-based portal provided by the licensee to review non-docketed information related to the application. Audit meetings via Microsoft Teams with the licensee were held on November 20, 2025, to facilitate technical discussions of audit items that were later submitted on the docket by the licensee.
Technical discussions were focused on the following major areas to:
Gain a better understanding of the detailed calculations, analyses, and bases underlying the LARs and confirm the NRC staffs understanding of the request.
Gain a better understanding of plant design features and implications for the LAR request.
Identify 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 design-basis functions.
Identify questions and requests that may become formal requests for additional information or requests for confirmation of information per NRR Office Instruction LIC-115, Processing Requests for Additional Information (ML21141A238).
During the discussions, it was determined that docketed information would need to be provided for Audit Questions 1, 2, 3, and 6. Additional docketed information was determined to not be necessary for Audit Questions 4 and 5.
By letter dated January 8, 2026 (ML26008A039), the licensee provided a supplement addressing technical audit points that were discussed during the November 20, 2025, teleconference.
3.0 AUDIT PARTICIPANTS The following table identifies the NRC audit team members.
Name Email Review Area (Organization)
John Klos John.Klos@nrc.gov Plant Licensing Branch LPL II-1 (LPL2-1)
Robert Beaton Robert.Beaton@nrc.gov Nuclear Systems Performance Branch Name Email Review Area (Organization)
Kevin Heller Kevin.Heller@nrc.gov Nuclear Methods and Fuel Analysis Branch 4.0 DOCUMENTS REVIEWED The licensee provided documents via the portal for review during the audit period. Below lists the documents that the NRC audit team reviewed.
Westinghouse document WCAP-19088-P, Engineering Summary Report of the McGuire Units 1 and 2 and Catawba Unit 1 Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA) Analysis with the FULL SPECTRUM LOCA (FSLOCA) Methodology, Revision 0, September 2025.
Westinghouse Calculation Note DME-LOCA-CN-AA-000003, McGuire Units 1 and 2 (DAP/DBP) and Catawba Unit 1 (DCP) Input File Finalization and Region I Break Spectrum Study for the FSLOCA EM Analysis, Revision 0.
Westinghouse Calculation Note DME-LOCA-CN-AA-000005, McGuire Units 1 and 2 (DAP/DBP) and Catawba Unit 1 (DCP) Region I and Region II Uncertainty Analysis for the FULL SPECTRUM LOCA (FSLOCA) Evaluation Model (EM) Analysis, Revision 0.
ML26027A080 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/PM NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/LA NRR/DSS/SFNB/BC NAME JKlos KZeleznock SKrepel DATE 01/26/2026 01/27/2026 01/27/2026 OFFICE NRR/DSS/SNSB/BC NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/(A)BC NRR/DORL/LPL2-1/PM NAME NDiFrancesco MMarkley (EMiller for)
JKlos DATE 01/27/2026 01/28/2026 02/02\2026