ML25232A205

Updated Restart Inspection Activity Plan for Palisades Nuclear Plant

ML25232A205
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	08/21/2025
From:	April Nguyen NRC/RGN-III/DORS
To:	Mlynarek M Holtec Decommissioning International
References
Download: ML25232A205 (1)

Text

Mike Mlynarek Site Vice President Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC Palisades Nuclear Plant 27780 Blue Star Memorial Highway Covert, MI 49043-9530

SUBJECT:

UPDATED RESTART INSPECTION ACTIVITY PLAN FOR PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT

Dear Mike Mlynarek:

The general inspection policy discussed in Inspection Manual Chapter 2562, Light-Water Reactor Inspection Program for Restart of Reactor Facilities Following Permanent Cessation of Power Operations, dated April 24, 2025, states, in part, that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will ensure that operational readiness has been reasonably verified across the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) cornerstones of safety. The restart inspection plan was documented in ADAMS Accession No. ML24228A195.

On July 1, 2025, the NRC staff received a letter from Holtec Palisades, LLC (Holtec Palisades),

stating its readiness to transition Palisades Nuclear Plant (PNP) to an operational status (ML25182A066). Holtec Palisades recommended in its letter the transition of Palisades to the ROP on August 25, 2025.

On July 18, 2025, the Palisades Restart Panel (PRP) issued a memorandum discussing the transition to operational status and to the ROP for PNP (ML25147A274). The memorandum provided the ROP transition plan for conducting NRC inspection and oversight of licensee restart activities prior to fuel loading and resumption of power operations. The ROP transition plan stated that the PRP determined that PNP will transition to the ROP in Column I of the Action Matrix. Inspection and assessment efforts will continue as PNP enters the ROP on August 25, 2025.

On July 24, 2025, the NRC approved an exemption from the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.82(a)(2), as detailed in the letter, Palisades Nuclear Plant - Exemption from the Requirements of 10 CFR 50.82(a)(2) Concerning the Prohibition to Operate and Emplace Fuel in the Reactor Vessel, (ML25163A182). The NRC staff separately reviewed and approved Holtecs license transfer application and four license amendment requests related to the resumption of power operations at PNP (ML25167A243, ML25157A127, ML25157A107, ML25150A281, and ML25156A045). The NRC staff issued its approval of these actions concurrently with its approval of the exemption.

August 21, 2025

M. Mlynarek 2

The enclosed inspection activity plan lists the inspections scheduled through December 31, 2026. The NRC provides the inspection plan to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issues. Routine inspections performed by resident inspectors are not included in the inspection plan. The inspections listed during the last 12 months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised. As discussed in SECY-25-0045, Recommendations for Revising the Reactor Oversight Process, dated June 5, 2025 (ML25042A278), the NRC determined that a broad, comprehensive review of the ROP is necessary to reflect improvements in industry performance and advancements in technology. The outcome of the comprehensive review and recommendations to revise the ROP baseline inspection program, when approved by the NRC Commission, will require a revision to this inspection plan. The NRC will contact you as soon as possible to discuss changes to the inspection plan should circumstances warrant any changes.

This letter and its enclosure will be made available for public inspection and copying at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html and at the NRC Public Document Room in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding.

Please contact me at 630-829-9587 with any questions you have regarding this letter.

Sincerely, April M. Nguyen, Lead Palisades Restart Team Division of Operating Reactor Safety Docket Nos. 05000255 and 07200007 License No. DPR-20

Enclosure:

Palisades Site Inspection Activity Plan cc: Distribution via LISTSERV Signed by Nguyen, April on 08/21/25

M. Mlynarek 3

Letter to Mike Mlynarek from April M. Nguyen dated August 21, 2025.

SUBJECT:

UPDATED RESTART INSPECTION ACTIVITY PLAN FOR PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT DISTRIBUTION:

Rodney Clagg RidsNrrPMPalisades Resource RidsNrrDorlLpl3 RidsNrrDroIrib Resource Jack Giessner Mohammed Shuaibi Diana Betancourt-Roldan John Pelchat Jared Heck Jennifer Dalzell R3-DORS ROPassessment.Resource@nrc.gov ADAMS Accession Number: ML25232A205

SUNSI Review

Non-Sensitive

Sensitive

Publicly Available

Non-Publicly Available OFFICE R-III R-III NAME JWinslow:anm ANguyen DATE 08/20/2025 08/21/2025 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Palisades Site Inspection Activity Plan 2025 Inservice Inspection Until Complete Alloy 600 Repair Activities - IP 71111.08P Until Complete Reactor Vessel Head Repairs - IP 71111.08P Until Complete Steam Generator Repair Activities - IP 71111.08P Cybersecurity Inspection 09/08/2025 - 09/12/2025 Cybersecurity Restart Inspection - Pre-fuel Load - IP 81000.12 (3 inspectors)

Fire Protection To Be Determined Fire Protection Team Inspection - IP 71111.21N.05 (2 inspectors) 2026 Cybersecurity Inspection 01/26/2026 - 02/13/2026 Cybersecurity Restart Inspection - Post Fuel Load - IP 81000.13 (3 inspectors)

Security Inspection 03/16/2026 - 03/20/2026 Access Authorization - IP 71130.01 (1 inspector)

Access Control - IP 71130.02 Fitness-For-Duty Program - IP 71130.08 Radiation Protection Inspection 04/13/2026 - 04/17/2026 Radioactive Gaseous and Liquid Effluent Treatment - IP 71124.06 (1 inspector)

Biennial Licensed Operator Requalification 04/27/2026 - 05/01/2026 Biennial Licensed Operator Requalification - IP 71111.11B (2 inspectors)

Radiation Protection Inspection 06/08/2026 - 06/12/2026 Radioactive Solid Waste Processing and Radioactive Material Handling, Storage, and Transportation - IP 71124.08 (1 inspector)

2026 Initial License Exam 06/22/2026 - 06/26/2026 Onsite Validation of Initial License Exam 07/27/2026 - 08/07/2026 Initial License Exam Administration Force-on-Force Planning and Exercise Weeks 08/17/2026 - 08/21/2026 Contingency Response - Force-On-Force Testing - IP 71130.03 (5 inspectors) 09/14/2026 - 09/18/2026 Contingency Response - Force-On-Force Testing - IP 71130.03 Emergency Preparedness 10/05/2026 - 10/09/2026 Alert and Notification System Testing - IP 71114.02 (1 inspector)

Emergency Response Organizational Staffing and Augmentation System - IP 71114.03 Emergency Action Level and Emergency Plan Changes - IP 71114.04 Maintenance of Emergency Preparedness - IP 71114.05 Performance Indicator Verification - IP 71151 Security Inspection 10/19/2026 - 10/23/2026 Equipment Performance, Testing, and Maintenance - IP 71130.04 (1 inspector)

Security Plan Changes - IP 71130.09 Performance Indicator Verification - IP 71151