ML26028A178
| ML26028A178 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Cook  |
| Issue date: | 01/27/2026 |
| From: | Scott Wall NRC/NRR/DORL/LPL3 |
| To: | Britton A American Electric Power |
| Wall S, NRR/DORL/LPL3 | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2026-LLR-0000, EPID L-2026-LLR-0001 | |
| Download: ML26028A178 (0) | |
Text
From:
Scott Wall To:
Amanda M Britton Cc:
Joe Tanko; ext_Bradford_Culwell; Richard A Wynegar
Subject:
Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 - Acceptance of Relief Requests In Support of the Sixth Inservice Testing Interval (EPID: L-2026-LLR-0000,L-2026-LLR-0001)
Date:
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 11:19:15 AM By letter dated December 30, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No.ML25364A335), Indiana Michigan Power Company (I&M, the licensee) submitted two (2) relief requests (RRs) for Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 (CNP). The proposed RRs are in support of the sixth Inservice Testing (IST) interval.
The purpose of this e-mail is to provide the results of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staffs acceptance review of these alternative requests.The acceptance review was performed to determine if there is sufficient technical information in scope and depth 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. For alternative REL-PP1, pursuant to Sections 50.55a(z)(1) and 50.55a(z)(2) of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the applicant shall demonstrate that the proposed alternatives would provide an acceptable level of quality and safety, or that compliance with the specified requirements of Section 50.55a would result in hardship or unusual difficulty without a compensating increase in the level of quality or safety. For alternative REL-002, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.55a(f)(5)(iii) and 50.55a(f)
(6)(i), the licensee requested relief and to use alternative requirements for inservice testing items, on the basis that the code requirement is impractical.
The NRC staff has reviewed your application 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 acceptability of the proposed exemption in terms of regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment. 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.
The NRC staff has evaluated precedence related to this request. To support a schedule or hour estimate the NRC staff based its estimate on the information provided in your submittal and the Byron-specific precedent. To support a more efficient process, the NRC is setting a goal of achieving at least 15% improvement (e.g., reduction). Based on that, the NRC staff has estimated the following for each RR:
The NRC staff has evaluated precedence related to this request. 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). The NRC staff considers the application contains reviews that meets the GEM Limited review definition.
Based on the GEM approach, our estimates for these reviews are:
- 1. REL-PP1 - Boric Acid Pump Vibration Requirements EPID: L-2026-LLR-00000
Hours to Complete:16 hours Target Completion Date: January 28, 2026
- 2. REL-002 - Seat Leakage Testing for Information Notice 91-56 Valves EPID: L-2026-LLR-0001 Hours to Complete: 16 hours1.851852e-4 days <br />0.00444 hours <br />2.645503e-5 weeks <br />6.088e-6 months <br /> Target Completion Date: January 28, 2026
If achieved, this represents approximately a 77% reduction in estimated hours and a 99%
reduction in review time. These estimates are based on the NRC staffs initial review of the application, and they could change, due to several factors including requests for additional information, and unanticipated addition of scope to the review. Additional delay may occur if the submittal is provided to the NRC in advance or in parallel with industry program initiatives or pilot applications.
If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-2855 or e-mail at Scott.Wall@nrc.gov.
Scott P. Wall Senior Project Manager Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 301.415.2855 Scott.Wall@nrc.gov