ML022760559
| ML022760559 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Dresden  (DPR-019, DPR-025) |
| Issue date: | 10/04/2002 |
| From: | Rossbach L NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD3 |
| To: | Skolds J Exelon Generation Co |
| Rossbach L, 415-2863, NRR/DLPM | |
| References | |
| TAC MB6375, TAC MB6376 | |
| Download: ML022760559 (7) | |
Text
October 4, 2002 Mr. John L. Skolds, President Exelon Nuclear Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555
SUBJECT:
DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNITS 2 AND 3 - PUBLIC NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSES (TAC NOS. MB6375 AND MB6376)
Dear Mr. Skolds:
The enclosed public notice was forwarded to the Joliet Herald Newspaper for publication. This notice relates to your application dated September 26, 2002, for amendments to Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-19 and DPR-25 for the Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3. The proposed amendment would revise the design basis to allow lifting heavier loads with the reactor building crane.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Lawrence W. Rossbach, Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate III Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-237 and 50-249
Enclosure:
Public Notice cc w/encl: See next page
October 4, 2002 Mr. John L. Skolds, President Exelon Nuclear Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555
SUBJECT:
DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNITS 2 AND 3 - PUBLIC NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSES (TAC NOS. MB6375 AND MB6376)
Dear Mr. Skolds:
The enclosed public notice was forwarded to the Joliet Herald Newspaper for publication. This notice relates to your application dated September 26, 2002, for amendments to Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-19 and DPR-25 for the Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3. The proposed amendment would revise the design basis to allow lifting heavier loads with the reactor building crane.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Lawrence W. Rossbach, Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate III Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-237 and 50-249
Enclosure:
Public Notice cc w/encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC CRosenberg PDIII-2 Reading OGC LRaghavan ACRS LRossbach MRing, RIII RBouling OFFICE PDIII-2/PM PDIII-1/LA PDIII-1/SC NAME LRossbach RBouling MShuaibi for LRaghavan DATE 10/03/02 9/27/02 9/27/02 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
Dresden Nuclear Power Units 2 and 3 cc:
Site Vice President - Dresden Nuclear Power Station Exelon Generation Company, LLC 6500 N. Dresden Road Morris, IL 60450-9765 Dresden Nuclear Power Station Plant Manager Exelon Generation Company, LLC 6500 N. Dresden Road Morris, IL 60450-9765 Regulatory Assurance Manager - Dresden Exelon Generation Company, LLC 6500 N. Dresden Road Morris, IL 60450-9765 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Dresden Resident Inspectors Office 6500 N. Dresden Road Morris, IL 60450-9766 Chairman Grundy County Board Administration Building 1320 Union Street Morris, IL 60450 Regional Administrator U.S. NRC, Region III 801 Warrenville Road Lisle, IL 60532-4351 Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety Office of Nuclear Facility Safety 1035 Outer Park Drive Springfield, IL 62704 Document Control Desk-Licensing Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Senior Vice President, Nuclear Services Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Vice President Mid-West Regional Operating Group Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Senior Vice President Mid-West Regional Operating Group Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Vice President - Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Director - Licensing Mid-West Regional Operating Group Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Senior Counsel, Nuclear Mid-West Regional Operating Group Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555 Manager Licensing - Dresden and Quad Cities Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL 60555
PUBLIC NOTICE NRC STAFF PROPOSES TO AMEND OPERATING LICENSES AT THE DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNITS 2 AND 3 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has received an application dated September 26, 2002, from the Exelon Generation Company, LLC (the licensee), for exigent amendments to the operating licenses for the Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3 (Dresden), located in Grundy County, Illinois.
Presently, the Dresden reactor building crane is approved as single-failure-proof for lifting loads of 110 tons. By application dated September 26, 2002, the licensee proposed changes to allow the use of the Dresden reactor building crane during power operations to lift heavy loads in excess of 110 tons. Since the crane is only approved as single-failure-proof for loads of 110 tons, the licensee stated that the proposed use of the crane for higher loads requires prior NRC approval in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, (10 CFR), Part 50, Section 50.59, "Changes, tests, and experiments." In accordance with 10 CFR 50.90, Application for amendment of license or construction permit, the licensee proposed a one-time change to the Dresden Updated Final Safety Analysis Report to state that lifting heavy loads up to and including 116 tons was allowed prior to and during the upcoming Dresden Unit 3 refueling outage 17. The licensee requested that these amendments be treated as exigent amendments in accordance with 10 CFR 50.91(a)(6) because time does not permit the NRC to publish a Federal Register notice allowing 30 days for prior public comment, the requested amendments involve no significant hazards consideration, and the exigency could not have been avoided by the licensee.
The licensee and the NRC staff have evaluated this proposed change with regard to the determination of whether or not a significant hazards consideration is involved. Operation of Dresden in accordance with the proposed amendments will not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated. The proposed changes would allow use of the reactor building crane at Dresden during power operations to lift heavy loads up to 116 tons for removal and installation activities for the reactor shield blocks prior to and during the upcoming Dresden Unit 3 refueling outage 17. Reactor shield block removal activities are scheduled to commence on October 7, 2002. The reactor building crane has additional margin for a total lifted load of 116 tons with single-failure-proof features if a design-basis earthquake (DBE) is not assumed. The licensee has qualitatively demonstrated that the probability of a DBE occurring during the limited 24-hour duration of the request is very small. The probability of load drop accidents previously evaluated is not increased since the capacity of the reactor building crane exceeds the weight of the reactor shield blocks. A load drop analysis will also be performed to demonstrate that dropping a 116-ton load will not result in a significant increase in the consequences of an accident previously evaluated. Therefore, the proposed changes do not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.
The proposed amendments will not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any previously analyzed. The proposed changes would allow use of the Dresden reactor building crane for a limited duration to lift heavy loads up to a total of 116 tons during removal and installation activities for the reactor shield blocks. The reactor building crane has additional margin for a lifted load of 116 tons with single-failure-proof features if a DBE is not assumed. The probability of a DBE during the limited duration of the request is very small. Therefore, the single-failure-proof features ensure that the proposed changes provide an equivalent level of safety and will not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated.
The proposed amendments will not involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety.
The reactor building crane is rated for lifting loads up to 125 tons. The NRC has approved qualification of the Dresden reactor building crane as single-failure-proof for loads up to 110 tons. The proposed change allows use of the crane for a limited duration to lift loads up to 116 tons. Existing safety margins are enhanced when lifting loads up to 116 tons if a DBE is not assumed, and the licensee has demonstrated that the probability of a DBE during the limited duration of the request is very small. Therefore, it is concluded that the proposed changes do not result in a significant reduction in the margin of safety.
Following an initial review of this application, the requested amendments have been evaluated against the standards in 10 CFR 50.92 and the NRC staff has made a proposed (preliminary) determination that the requested amendments involve no significant hazards considerations. The changes do not significantly increase the probability or consequences of any accident previously considered, nor create the possibility of an accident of a different kind, nor significantly decrease any margin of safety.
If the proposed determination that the requested license amendment involves no significant hazards consideration becomes final, the staff will issue the amendments without first offering an opportunity for a public hearing. An opportunity for a hearing will be published in the Federal Register at a later date and any hearing request will not delay the effective date of the amendment.
If the staff decides in its final determination that the amendment does involve a significant hazards consideration, a notice of opportunity for a prior hearing will be published in the Federal Register and, if a hearing is granted, it will be held before the amendment is issued.
Comments on the proposed determination of no significant hazards consideration may be (1) telephoned to L. Raghavan, Chief, Section 1, Project Directorate III, by collect call to 301-415-1389, or by facsimile to 301-415-1222, (2) e-mailed to lxr1@nrc.gov, or (3) submitted in writing to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. All comments received by close of business on October 4, 2002, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Federal workdays will be considered in reaching a final determination. A copy of the application may be examined electronically through the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room link at the NRC Web site http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the Commissions Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland.
Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov.