The safety evaluation report documents the technical review of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2 license renewal application by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52 include requirements for licensing new nuclear power plants.3 These regulations include the NRC's requirements for early site permit (ESP), design certification, and combined license (COL) applications. The ESP process (10 CFR Part 52, Subpart A, “Early Site Permits”) is intended to address and resolve siting-related issues. The design certification process (10 CFR Part 52, Subpart B, “Standard Design Certifications”) provides a means for a vendor to obtain NRC certification of a particular reactor design. Finally, the COL process (10 CFR Part 52, Subpart C, “Combined Licenses”) allows an applicant to seek authorization to construct and operate a new nuclear power plant. A COL may reference an ESP, a certified design, both, or neither. As part of demonstrating that all applicable NRC requirements are met, a COL applicant referencing an ESP or certified design must demonstrate compliance with any requirements not already resolved as part of the referenced ESP or design certification before the NRC issues that COL.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52 include requirements for licensing new nuclear power plants.3 These regulations include the NRC's requirements for early site permit (ESP), design certification, and combined license (COL) applications. The ESP process (10 CFR Part 52, Subpart A, “Early Site Permits”) is intended to address and resolve siting-related issues. The design certification process (10 CFR Part 52, Subpart B, “Standard Design Certifications”) provides a means for a vendor to obtain NRC certification of a particular reactor design. Finally, the COL process (10 CFR Part 52, Subpart C, “Combined Licenses”) allows an applicant to seek authorization to construct and operate a new nuclear power plant. A COL may reference an ESP, a certified design, both, or neither. As part of demonstrating that all applicable NRC requirements are met, a COL applicant referencing an ESP or certified design must demonstrate compliance with any requirements not already resolved as part of the referenced ESP or design certification before the NRC issues that COL.

This safety evaluation report (SER) documents the technical review of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (PVNGS), license renewal application (LRA) by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff (the staff). By letter dated December 11, 2008, and supplemented by letter dated April 14, 2009, Arizona Public Service Company (APS) (the applicant) submitted the LRA in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 54 “Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants.” APS requests renewal of the PVNGS operating licenses (facility operating license numbers NPF-41, NPF-51, and NPF-74) for a period of 20 years beyond the current expiration dates of midnight on June 1, 2025, for Unit 1; April 24, 2026, for Unit 2; and November 25, 2027, for Unit 3.