ML25272A179
| ML25272A179 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palo Verde  |
| Issue date: | 09/29/2025 |
| From: | William Orders Plant Licensing Branch IV |
| To: | Dilorenzo M Arizona Public Service Co |
| Orders, William | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-LLR-0084 | |
| Download: ML25272A179 (2) | |
Text
From:
William Orders To:
Dilorenzo, Michael D Cc:
Stephenson, Carl Bcc:
Subject:
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Units 1, 2, and 3, Acceptance of Requested Licensing Action Re: Relief Request 74 - Proposed Alternative for Steam Generator and Pressurizer Pressure Retaining Welds for PVNGS Units 1, 2, and 3 (EPID L-2025-LLR-0084)
Date:
Monday, September 29, 2025 11:06:00 AM
Dear Michael Dilorenzo,
By letter dated September 4, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML25247A295), Arizona Public Service submitted the subject relief request for Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS) Units 1, 2, and 3
. The purpose of this e-mail is to provide the results of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staffs acceptance review of this relief request. The acceptance review was performed to determine whether the application contains sufficient technical information to allow the NRC staff to complete a detailed technical review. The acceptance review is also intended to identify any readily apparent deficiencies related to the characterization of the regulatory requirements or plant licensing basis.
Pursuant to Sections 50.55a(z)(1) and 50.55a(z)(2) of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10CFR), 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.
The NRC staff has reviewed your application and concluded that it includes technical information in sufficient detail to enable the NRC staff to complete its comprehensive technical review and make an independent assessment regarding the acceptability of the proposed relief in terms of regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment. Given the more limited scope and depth of the acceptance review compared to the detailed technical review, issues that affect the NRC staffs ability to complete the technical review may still be identified despite the acceptance review being deemed adequate. If additional information is needed, you will be notified by separate correspondence.
The NRC staff has evaluated selected precedence examples related to this request.
Historically, based on these precedence examples, reviews of this nature have required approximately 166 hours0.00192 days <br />0.0461 hours <br />2.744709e-4 weeks <br />6.3163e-5 months <br /> and 8 months to complete. To support a more efficient process, the NRC is setting a goal of achieving at least 15% improvement (e.g., reduction) of those times. Based on that premise, our estimate for this review is 125 hours0.00145 days <br />0.0347 hours <br />2.066799e-4 weeks <br />4.75625e-5 months <br /> and 5 months. The NRC staff expects to complete the review by March 1, 2026.
If emergent complexities or challenges arise during the NRC staffs review that affect the initial forecasted completion date or result in significant changes to the estimated review hours, the reasons for those changesalong with updated estimateswill be communicated during routine interactions with the assigned project manager. The provided estimates are based on the NRC staffs initial review of the application and may change due to several factors, including requests for additional information, unanticipated expansion of the review scope, hearing-related activities, or if the submittal is provided to the NRC in advance of or concurrently with industry program initiatives or pilot applications.
If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-3329 or by email to William.Orders@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
William T. Orders, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch LPL4 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Docket Nos.
50-528, 50-529, and 50-530
cc: Listserv