ML26029A255
| ML26029A255 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 99902130 |
| Issue date: | 02/05/2026 |
| From: | Bamhurst D NRC/NMSS/DREFS/EPMB3 |
| To: | Linda Williams Energy Northwest |
| References | |
| Download: ML26029A255 (0) | |
Text
Lisa Williams Operations, Licensing and Environmental Manager Energy Northwest 345 Hills Street Richland, WA 99352
SUBJECT:
REVISION TO THE PRE-APPLICATION READINESS ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES AND AUDIT PLAN FOR THE ENERGY NORTHWEST NEW NUCLEAR DRAFT APPLICATION
Dear Lisa Williams:
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has issued the attached revision to the Pre-Application Readiness Assessment Activities and Audit Plan for the Energy Northwest New Nuclear, LLC (ENNN) draft application, issued on September 25, 2025, (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS)
Accession No. ML25266A087). This revision is in response to your January 8, 2026, request to have the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) attend the meetings between the NRC and ENNN during the course of NRCs Environmental Pre-Application Readiness Assessment Audit process (ML26013A016).
As provided, the revision provides that EFSECs voluntary participation in the NRCs Environmental Pre-Application Readiness Assessment meetings at ENNNs request is intended to increase efficiency in new reactor licensing by providing ENNN with independent NRC and EFSEC feedback on its draft environmental report in parallel. Accordingly, the attached revision supersedes the September 25 2025 Pre-Application Readiness Assessment Activities and Audit Plan.
February 5, 2026
L. Williams 2
If you have any questions regarding this revision or the information discussed therein, please contact Madelyn Nagel, Environmental Project Manager, at 301-415-0371 or Madelyn.Nagel@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Daniel Barnhurst, Chief Environmental Project Management Branch 3 Division of Rulemaking, Environmental, and Financial Support Office of Nuclear Materials, Safety and Safeguards Docket No.: 99902130
Enclosure:
As stated cc: Theresa Howell Don Gregoire Nathan Clarke Signed by Barnhurst, Daniel on 02/05/26
MLXXXXXXXXXX
- via email OFFICE NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 OGC NMSS/REFS/EPMB3 NAME MNagel MCampestrin KBernstein DBarnhurst DATE 01/29/2026 02/02/2026 01/21/2026 02/05/2026
Enclosure REVISED PRE-APPLICATION AUDIT PLAN OF THE CASCADE ADVANCED ENERGY FACILITY DRAFT APPLICATION January 2026 Docket No. 99902130 PROCESS AND LOCATION The audit process will include a review of material on the Energy Northwest New Nuclear, LLC (ENNN) online reference portal (also known as the Electronic Reading Room or eRR) in a read-only manner and will help inform any associated discussions during audits (either in-person or virtual) at locations to be determined or, during site visits at the Hanford Site in Richland, WA as appropriate.
PURPOSE ENNN has voluntarily agreed to engage with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff in a preapplication audit for the draft Cascade Advanced Energy Facility Construction Permit Application (CPA) before the application is submitted for a formal NRC review. ENNN has voluntarily requested that the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) attend the meetings between ENNN and the NRC during the NRCs Pre-Application Readiness Assessment process.
The audit will allow the NRC staff to:
View documents in ENNNs eRR to identify information gaps between the draft application and the technical content required in the application submitted to the NRC, View documents in ENNNs eRR to identify major technical or policy issues that may adversely impact the docketing or technical review of the application, and View documents in ENNNs eRR to become more familiar with the application, particularly in areas where ENNN is proposing new concepts.
The observations from the audit will inform ENNN in finalizing the application and assist the NRC staff in planning NRC resources in preparation for the formal application.
BACKGROUND ENNN began pre-application planning discussions with the NRC staff on their preparation for the Hanford Site in August 2024. In October 2024, ENNN announced a partnership with Amazon to support future development of the Xe-100 on the Hanford Site. As discussed in public meetings held on August 9, 2024, October 24, 2024, August 14, 2025, and September 5, 2025, ENNN plans to submit an application for a construction permit, including a Preliminary Safety Analysis Report and an Environmental Report (ER).
The NRC staff will conduct the audit of the draft ER and associated information using ENNNs eRR and will share observations during virtual audits or site visits and will be concluded prior to the CPA being submitted. EFSEC may attend the meetings between ENNN and the NRC and may provide its own independent observations on the draft ER at these meetings.
2 SCOPE OF THE AUDIT The NRC staff will use NRCs Office Instruction LIC-111 Regulatory Audits (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML19226A274), as guidance for conducting this audit. In addition, the NRC staff will use appropriate portions of LIC-116, Pre-application Readiness Assessment (ML20104B698) and Pre-application Engagement to Optimize Advanced Reactors Application Reviews: Draft Report in its other pre-application interactions with ENNN (ML21145A106).
This audit will cover all the chapters of the ER including appendices. Associated appendices are anticipated to cover topics such as environmental consultations and environmental permitting and authorizations. The audit of ENNNs draft application could cover the draft ER Chapters 1 through 10 and related information.
INFORMATION AND OTHER MATERIAL NECESSARY FOR THE PRE-APPLICATION AUDIT The NRC staff discussed with ENNN what is needed for the audit. The following is needed to support the audit: Chapters 1 through 10 of the ER of the draft application, all available supporting topical reports, all major supporting technical reports, examples of important calculations, and ENNN staff who can answer questions related to these documents. The table below lists the technical review areas for the ER Audit Teams, respectively.
AUDIT TEAM Environmental Report Review Area Staff for the NRCs audit Chapter 1, Introduction Chapter 2, Proposed Site and Affected Environment Chapter 3, Site Layout and Project Description Chapter 4, Environmental Impacts of Construction Chapter 5, Environmental Impacts of Operation Chapter 6, Fuel Cycle, Transportation, and Decommissioning Impacts Chapter 7, Cumulative Impacts Chapter 8, Need for Power Chapter 9, Alternatives for the Proposed Action Chapter 10, Conclusions Madelyn Nagel Jennifer Davis PNNL contractors Other technical support, as needed LOGISTICS The audit will be conducted in a number of phases and will involve examination of documents and materials via ENNNs eRR and could include visits to the Hanford Site or ENNN facilities. The initial audit planning and engagement with ENNN will be scheduled for January 2026, beginning with a virtual entrance meeting, following the posting of the annotated ER chapter outlines for the first phase in the eRR, and ending with a virtual exit meeting at the conclusion of the last phase of pre-application.
While the audit is underway, the NRC staff will provide its own observations on the ER to ENNN for each phase during observation meetings. The NRC will notice these observation meetings with
3 ENNN as closed, recurring meetings on the NRCs public website. These meetings may be cancelled as necessary.
EFSEC staff and its contractors may attend all meetings between the NRC and ENNN during the readiness assessment, including the observation meetings. EFSEC staff may provide their own independent observations on ENNNs ER. EFSEC should coordinate with ENNN to independently obtain access to the environmental readiness assessment materials.
The NRC staff will notify EFSEC of the NRCs schedule and milestones for completing the readiness assessment, including any schedules changes. EFSEC is not required to follow the NRCs readiness assessment schedule to complete its own review process and provide its own observations. While EFSEC may deviate from the NRC staffs schedule, it would not affect the NRCs schedule for conducting or concluding the NRCs preapplication readiness assessment.
EFSEC is independently responsible for its own compliance with any public disclosure requirements, as applicable.
REVIEW APPROACH The readiness assessment will be conducted by NRC reviewers or contractors who are technical experts in their assigned review areas. The NRC readiness assessment team will conduct an assessment that includes the following attributes:
NRC will control phase and session attendance and will specify charging codes for technical reviewers, NRC will implement the assessment generally in three-week phases on specified technical engagements (i.e., on chapters and/or topics),
NRC will engage with State and Federal government stakeholders involved in the proposed project during readiness meetings, ENNN will provide tailored presentations and discussions to NRC and EFSEC staff as
- needed, NRC will implement real-time problem/issue identification and documentation via SharePoint.
AUDIT OBSERVATIONS To conclude the NRC staffs readiness assessment of ENNNs ER, the NRC will send its audit observations, including any identified technical concerns or major information gaps by the NRC staff, to ENNN in a publicly available report that will also summarize the scope of the NRC staffs audit activities. The NRCs Office Instruction LIC-111 (ML19226A274) delineates the timeline for the final report to be completed within 45 calendar days of completion of the audit. The audit team will endeavor to complete the final report within 45 days using the streamlined process described above. To protect the applicants proprietary information, if needed, the NRC staff will issue a proprietary version of the audit report. The NRC staffs expectation is that ENNN will consider the observations from the audit while finalizing the application and will reevaluate the application submission date based on its evaluation of the time to address the audit observations.
4 EFSEC may independently issue its own report documenting EFSECs observations and audit activities provided on ENNNs ER, if desired or deemed necessary by EFSEC. If EFSEC issues its own report, it would be limited to a description of EFSECs observations and activities and would not describe the NRC staffs observations and audit activities. Any such report may reference the NRC staffs final audit report.
The NRC and EFSEC staff will retain independent authority and control over any documents each agency may produce during this readiness assessment as described in this audit plan for the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility draft application.