[en] There are several distinguishing features of the ice condenser containment design that differentiate it from the more familiar large dry containments and affect its behavior during severe accidents both favorably and unfavorably. The most prominent features that determine the long-term containment performance are the comparatively low design pressure, ∼205 kPa (15 psig), and a small volume, ∼34 000 m³ (1,200,000 ft³). A cross-sectional view of the Catawba nuclear station (CNS) containment. As required by US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Generic Letter 88-20 (Ref. 1), an individual plant examination has been completed for CNS (Ref. 2). The examination utilized a level-3 probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), which included an evaluation of the containment performance. The containment performance assessment employed a containment event tree to systematically address the potential containment challenges