ML26075B149
| ML26075B149 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hatch, Vogtle, Farley, 05000026, 05000025 (NPF-002, NPF-008, DPR-057, NPF-005, NPF-068, NPF-081, NPF-091, NPF-092) |
| Issue date: | 03/30/2026 |
| From: | John Lamb NRC/NRR/DORL/LPL2-1 |
| To: | Coleman J Southern Nuclear Operating Co |
| Lamb J, NRR/DORL/LPL2-1 | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-LLA-0157 | |
| Download: ML26075B149 (0) | |
Text
March 30, 2026 Jamie M. Coleman Regulatory Affairs Director Southern Nuclear Operating Co., Inc.
3535 Colonnade Parkway Birmingham, AL 35243
SUBJECT:
JOSEPH M. FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2; EDWIN I. HATCH NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2; AND VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1, 2, 3, AND 4 - AUDIT PLAN FOR LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST TO ADOPT EMERGENCY ACTION LEVEL SCHEME PURSUANT TO NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE 99-01, REVISION 7, DEVELOPMENT OF EMERGENCY ACTION LEVELS FOR NON-PASSIVE REACTORS (EPID L-2025-LLA-0157)
Dear Ms. Coleman:
By letter dated September 30, 2025 (Agencywide Documents and Access Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25273A375), as supplemented by letter dated February 10, 2026 (ML26041A355), Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC, the licensee) submitted a license amendment request (LAR) for the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant (Farley), Units 1 and 2; Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant (Hatch), Units 1 and 2; and Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (Vogtle), Units 1, 2, 3, and 4 (collectively, the SNC fleet). The proposed LAR would adopt the emergency action level (EAL) scheme pursuant to Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 99-01, Revision 7 (ML24274A312), Development of Emergency Action Levels for Non-Passive Reactors.
By email dated February 25, 2026 (ML26061A104), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff accepted the LAR for review.
Based on its review of the SNC submittal and supplement, the NRC staff has determined that an audit is needed to review the LAR justification supporting revision to the SNC Fleet EAL scheme, and to determine if additional information may need to be docketed for the NRC to complete its review.
The NRC staff has prepared the enclosed audit plan per NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office Instruction LIC-111, Regulatory Audits, Revision 1, dated October 2019 (ML19226A274).
LIC-111 states that a regulatory audit is a planned, licensed, or regulation-related activity that includes the examination of primarily non-docketed information with the intent to gain understanding, to verify information, or to identify information that will require docketing to support the basis of the licensing or regulatory decision.
The virtual audit will take place from May 1, 2026, to August 30, 2026.
If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-3100 or by email to John.Lamb@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
/RA/
John G. Lamb, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch II-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-348, 50-364, 50-321, 50-366, 50-424, 50-425,52-025, and 50-026
Enclosure:
Audit Plan cc: Listserv
Enclosure REGULATORY AUDIT PLAN BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST TO ADOPT EMERGENCY ACTION LEVEL SCHEME PURSUANT TO NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE (NEI) 99-01, REVISION 7, DEVELOPMENT OF EMERGENCY ACTION LEVELS FOR NON-PASSIVE REACTORS JOSEPH M. FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 EDWIN I. HATCH NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1, 2, 3, AND 4 DOCKET NOS. 50-348, 50-364, 50-321, 50-366, 50-424, 50-425,52-025, AND 52-026
1.0 BACKGROUND
By letter dated September 30, 2025 (Agencywide Documents and Access Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25273A375), as supplemented by letter dated February 10, 2026 (ML26041A355), Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC, the licensee) submitted a license amendment request (LAR) for the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant (Farley), Units 1 and 2; Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant (Hatch), Units 1 and 2; and Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (Vogtle), Units 1, 2, 3, and 4 (collectively, the SNC fleet). The proposed LAR would adopt the emergency action level (EAL) scheme pursuant to Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 99-01, Revision 7 (ML24274A312), Development of Emergency Action Levels for Non-Passive Reactors.
By e-mail dated February 25, 2026 (ML26061A104), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff accepted the LAR for review.
Based on its review of the SNC submittal and supplement, the NRC staff has determined that an audit is needed to review the proposed LAR justification supporting revision to the SNC Fleet EAL scheme, and to determine if additional information may need to be docketed for the NRC to complete its review.
2.0 REGULATORY AUDIT BASIS A regulatory audit is a planned license-or regulation-related activity that includes the examination and evaluation of primarily non-docketed information associated with the LAR. An audit is conducted to gain understanding, to verify information, and to identify information that will require docketing to support the basis of a licensing or regulatory decision. An audit will assist the NRC staff in efficiently conducting its review and gaining insights to the licensees processes and procedures. Information that the NRC staff relies upon to make the safety determination must be submitted on the docket. This audit will be conducted in accordance with NRR Office Instruction LIC-111, Regulatory Audits, Revision 1, dated October 2019 (ML19226A274), with exceptions noted within this audit plan.
The NRC staff will perform the audit to support its evaluation of whether SNCs LAR can be approved per Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Section 50.90, Application for amendment of license, construction permit, or early site permit.
This regulatory audit is based on the SNC LAR, and Section 13.3, Emergency Planning, of NUREG-0800, Standard Review Plan, (ML063410307). This regulatory audit is a planned, licensed-, or regulation-related activity that includes the examination of primarily non-docketed information with the intent to gain understanding, to verify information, or to identify information that will require docketing to support the basis of the licensing or regulatory decision.
3.0 REGULATORY AUDIT SCOPE OR METHODOLOGY NRCs objectives of the audit are the following:
Gain a better understanding of the detailed calculations, analyses, and bases underlying the LAR and confirm the NRC staffs understanding of the LAR.
Gain a better understanding of scheme change features, variances from the NEI guidance, and their implications for the LAR.
Identify any information needed to enable the NRC staffs evaluation of the technical basis and assumptions used for this application.
Identify any information needed to enable the NRC staffs evaluation of whether the proposed changes challenge functions or adversely affect the capability or capacity to perform preparedness and response functions.
Identify questions and requests that may become formal requests for additional information (RAI) per NRR Office Instruction LIC-115, Processing Requests for Additional Information (ML21141A238). The NRC staff will audit the information and methods that the licensee used to determine the impact and the licensees evaluation of the proposed scheme changes.
4.0 INFORMATION AND OTHER MATERIAL NECESSARY FOR THE AUDIT The NRC staff will request information and an audit meeting(s) throughout the audit period. The NRC staff will provide SNC with audit questions and audit-related requests so that the licensee can better prepare for audit discussions with NRC staff. Any information accessed through the licensees portal will not be held or retained in any way by NRC staff. The NRC staff requests the licensee to have the requested audit information listed in the audit items list to be readily available and accessible for the NRC staffs review via a Web-based portal.
5.0 TEAM ASSIGNMENTS Role Name Title Team Lead and Project Manager John Lamb Senior Project Manager Technical Support Don Johnson Senior Emergency Preparedness (EP) Specialist Technical Support Jeff Herrera Senior Emergency Preparedness (EP) Specialist Role Name Title Technical Support Jonathan Fiske EP Specialist 6.0 LOGISTICS To support the review schedule communicated to SNC when the NRC staff accepted the LAR for technical review, audit activities will be performed remotely and virtually using Microsoft Teams, teleconference, and a Web-based portal or other virtual meeting space created by the licensee. The NRC staff information requests and communications with licensee staff will be coordinated through the NRCs licensing project manager.
The audit will take place from May 1, 2026, to August 30, 2026.
The NRCs licensing project manager will inform the licensee of the entrance and exit meeting dates when they are established. The NRC staff may change and/or add audit dates and times, or extend the audit, if necessary. An audit meeting agenda and questions, if needed, will be sent in advance of the audit meeting.
The NRC staff requests the licensee to have the information available and accessible for the NRC staffs review via an internet-based portal within five days of this audit plan. The NRC staff requests that any supplemental information requested be available and accessible for the NRC staffs review within five days of the date of the NRCs notification to the licensee of the new requests. The NRCs licensing project manager will inform the licensee via routine communications when the NRC staff no longer need access to the portal. The NRC staff requests the licensee to notify the NRCs licensing project manager when an audit item is added to its portal by sending an e-mail to the NRC licensing project manager.
This audit will be conducted in accordance with the SNC-NRC Online Reference Portal Information Access Agreement dated July 29, 2025 (ML25169A357).
7.0 DELIVERABLES An audit summary will be prepared within 90 days of the completion of the audit. If information evaluated during the audit is needed to support a regulatory decision, the NRC staff will identify it in a formal request for additional information. The NRC staff will provide the RAls to the licensee in separate docketed correspondence.
SUBJECT:
JOSEPH M. FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2; EDWIN I. HATCH NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2; AND VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1, 2, 3, AND 4 - AUDIT PLAN FOR LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST TO ADOPT EMERGENCY ACTION LEVEL SCHEME PURSUANT TO NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE 99-01, REVISION 7, DEVELOPMENT OF EMERGENCY ACTION LEVELS FOR NON-PASSIVE REACTORS (EPID L-2025-LLA-0157) DATED MARCH 30, 2026 DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC RidsACRS_MailCTR Resource RidsNrrDorl Resource RidsNrrDorlLpl2-1 Resource RidsNrrLAKZeleznock Resource RidsNrrPMVogtle Resource RidsRgn2MailCenter Resource JHerrera, NSIR DJohnson, NSIR ADAMS Accession Nos.:
Package: ML26075A439 Audit Plan: ML26075B149 eConcurrence Case: 20260316-90010