ML25142A162
| ML25142A162 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 06/04/2025 |
| From: | Leslie Fields Licensing Processes Branch |
| To: | Jennivine Rankin Licensing Processes Branch |
| Shared Package | |
| ML25142A160 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML25142A162 (1) | |
Text
June 4, 2025 MEMORANDUM TO: Jennie Rankin, Acting Branch Chief Licensing Projects Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation FROM:
Leslie Fields, Senior Project Manager /RA/
Licensing Projects Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF THE MARCH 10, 2025, U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION PUBLIC MEETING WITH THE PRESSURIZED WATER REACTOR OWNERS GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE On March 10, 2025, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff held a public meeting with representatives of the Pressurized Water Reactor Owners Group (PWROG) Executive Committee team. The meeting was held in a hybrid format (i.e., attendance in-person, virtual, and teleconference). The objective of this meeting was to maintain a regulatory interface and encourage dialogue to discuss efficient regulatory practices to support safe operation. The PWROG and NRC highlighted the top priority areas for 2025, specifically perspectives on risk initiatives and topical report process improvements.
The meeting notice is available in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML25066A260. The presentation slides are available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML25066A000. The list of attendees for this meeting is provided in the enclosure to this memorandum.
The PWROGinitiated the meeting by welcoming NRCstaff and expressed the need for collaboration to improve submittals and the efficiency of the review process. NRC provided opening remarks by emphasizing the ongoing changes within the nuclear sector and the NRC's commitment to being "one team" with the industry. The NRC stressed the importance of efficiency without compromising safety and security, particularly with growing demands and tightening resources. The NRC also mentioned the updated NRC mission statement, which includes enabling the safe deployment of technologies efficiently and reliably.
CONTACT:
Leslie Fields, NRR/DORL Leslie.Fields@nrc.gov
After introductions, NRC outlined its priorities, which included NRC staffs implementation of the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy ADVANCE Act of 2024. This focuses on restoring trust in senior leadership and reinvigorating the risk-informed framework. The NRC noted that the 2025 initiatives for the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation also include targeted risk-informing, shedding low-priority work, and promoting the use of digital labor.
During the meeting, there was discussion on PWROGs organizational structure emphasizing its strong and growing membership including all the domestic PWR utilities and several international members. The role of the PWROG's Project Management Office was highlighted as a resource for providing continuity for the organization. The successful statistical program developed between the PWROG and NRC was noted as an example of effective and efficient collaboration. The NRC also provided detailed information on its current organizational structure, acknowledging recent changes due to the ADVANCE Act.
NRC further discussed licensing initiatives being conducted under Section 505 of the ADVANCE Act, including the establishment of a Reactor Licensing Efficiencies and Processes Team (R-LEAP) within the NRC. The NRC outlined the team's focus on pre-application meeting guidance, obtaining supplemental information, prioritizing RCIs over RAs, efficient audits, development of safety concern sheets (SCS), and the use of the reactor program system (RPS) by the NRC. In addition, the NRC highlighted the success of the licensing data analytics efforts, which have reduced schedule duration and hours needed to complete NRC licensing actions.
The NRC also mentioned the ongoing licensing efforts associated with power uprates and the digital instrumentation and controls lessons learned workshop.
Examples of successful preapplication engagement for topical report reviews were mentioned, and NRC encouraged the continuation of this approach for future PWROG submittals, specifically for planned submittal of the supplement to WCAP-15987, Technical Basis for Extending the Dye Penetrant Examination Frequency for the Embedded Flaw Process for Repair of Reactor Vessel Head Penetrations. This topical report proposes to provide a basis for extending the frequency for pressure-temperature examinations for embedded flaw repairs and preapplication engagement would be useful.
The final discussion focused on the risk-informed process for evaluations (RIPE) to address generic industry issues. RIPE was developed to leverage the principles of risk-informed decision-making (RIDM) and streamline the NRC review process for very low risk-significant license amendment and exemption requests. PWROG emphasized the importance of conducting RIPE workshops to improve the regulatory efficiency of RIPE submissions.
More details on RIDM is available in Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.174, An Approach for Using Probabilistic Risk Assessment in Risk-Informed Decisions on Plant-Specific Changes to the Licensing Basis.
No regulatory decisions were made during this meeting.
Please direct any inquiries to Leslie Fields via email to Leslie.Fields@nrc.gov.
Enclosure:
List of Attendees
LIST OF ATTENDEES U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Meeting with PWROG Executive Committee Representatives March 10, 2025, 2:20 pm - 4:15 pm Enclosure U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) STAFF Name Office Leslie Fields NRR Michael Franovich NRR Shilp Vasavada NRR Jamie Pelton NRR Aida Rivera-Varona NRR Jennie Rankin NRR Meena Khanna NRR Carla Roque-Cruz NRR Ngola Otto NRR Shivani Mehta NRR Undine Shoop NRR Michelle Honcharik NRR Daniel King NRR Demetrius Murray NRR Derek Scully NRR Gordon Curran NRR James Delosreyes NRR Michelle Kichline NRR Jason Drake NRR Vic Cusumano NRR Kevin Hsueh NRR Bob Pascarelli NRR Marieliz Johnson NRR Prosanta Chowdhury NRR Reinaldo Rodriguez NRR Tony Nakanishi NRR Philip Benavides NMSS PWROG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES Name Organization Jim Lynde Constellation/ PWROG Chairman Dewey Olinski Westinghouse/ PWROG Executive Director Chad Holderbaum Westinghouse James Andrachek Westinghouse Mitchell Dior BWROG Chairman James P. Molkenthin Westinghouse Thomas Laubham Westinghouse Carolyn Mahnick Westinghouse Marie Bernadette Degeye Westinghouse Mark Moenssens Westinghouse
LIST OF ATTENDEES U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Meeting with PWROG Executive Committee Representatives March 10, 2025, 2:20 pm - 4:15 pm Michael Prible Westinghouse PWROG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES Name Organization Nicholas Marino Westinghouse Terry G. Rudek Westinghouse Jeff McClelland American Electric Power (AEP)
Adam Heflin Arizona Public Services (APS)
Ferran Tarrasa Blanes Ascó-Vandells Nuclear Association (ANACNV)
Borja Rosell Herrera Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo (CNAT)
Dana Knee Dominion Energy James Holloway Dominion Energy Mary H Miller Dominion Energy Shawn Kent Gibby Duke-Energy Adrian Smith EDF Energy Jose Augusto Ramos do Amaral Eletronuclear Jaime McCoy Evergy Christopher Geiser Florida Power and Light (FPL)
Keith Vincent FPL Alan Thomas Framatome Darren Wood Framatome Gary Peters Framatome Joseph Jerz Holtec Bozidar Krajnc KRSKO Nuclear Power Plant (Slovenia)
Steven Sewell Luminant Kenneth Schrader Pacific Gas & Electric (PGE)
Corey Thomas SNC (SouthernCo)
Drew Richards South Texas Project (STP)
Christopher Georgeson South Texas Project Electric Generating Station (STPEGS)
Earl Berry SouthernCo Bradley Wicker Dolan Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Jarrett Keller Lavasseur TVA Magnus Holmgren Vattenfall MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC Name Organization Jana Bergman Curtiss-Wright Steven Dolley Inside NRC
Package: ML25142A160 Meeting Summary: ML25142A162 Meeting Notice: ML25066A260 Meeting Slides: ML25066A000 OFFICE DORL/LLPB/PM DORL/LLPB/LA DORL/LLPB/BC DORL/PLPB/PM NAME LFields DHarrison JRankin LFields DATE 6/2/2025 6/2/2025 6/4/2025 6/4/2025