SECY-96-0170, Southern Nuclear Operating Co. (Hatch, Farley & Vogtle), Ltr, EOF Relocation (Tac No. MC1056, MC1057, MC1058, MC1059, MC1060, MC1061)
| ML043350484 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hatch, Vogtle, Farley  |
| Issue date: | 04/06/2005 |
| From: | John Nakoski NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD2 |
| To: | Gasser J Southern Nuclear Operating Co |
| Gratton C, NRR/DLPM, 415-1055 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML050530140 | List: |
| References | |
| SECY-04-0236, SECY-96-0170, TAC MC1056, TAC MC1057, TAC MC1058, TAC MC1059, TAC MC1060, TAC MC1061 | |
| Download: ML043350484 (7) | |
Text
April 6, 2005 Mr. Jeffrey T. Gasser Executive Vice President Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201
SUBJECT:
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS FACILITY (EOF) RELOCATION AND CONSOLIDATION TO THE SOUTHERN NUCLEAR CORPORATE EOF (TAC NOS. MC1056, MC1057, MC1058, MC1059, MC1060, AND MC1061)
Dear Mr. Gasser:
By letter dated October 16, 2003, as supplemented April 15 and August 16, 2004, Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. (SNC, the licensee), submitted a request to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for review and approval for the consolidation of the near-site EOF facilities for the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 (Hatch), Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 (Farley), and Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2 (Vogtle), into a Corporate EOF currently used by SNC, in Birmingham, Alabama. The Corporate EOF would become a common EOF for Farley, Hatch, and Vogtle.
The standards that emergency response plans for nuclear reactors must meet are delineated in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 50.47(b) and in Appendix E to 10 CFR Part 50. Per SECY-96-170, dated September 18, 1996, Commission approval is required for an EOF located more than 25 miles from the nuclear plant. The SNC plants range from a distance of 213 miles to 352 miles from the common EOF.
We have reviewed the licensees request and note the following:
Because this distance is significantly greater than previously approved by the Commission and could no longer be considered near-site, the NRC is granting an exemption from 10 CFR 50.47(b) and Appendix E to 10 CFR Part 50. The exemption is included as Enclosure 1.
The NRC staff observed a dual-site drill on July 14, 2004. The NRC staff observed the licensee's notification process, staffing, communication, technical support, dose assessment, protective action recommendation process, coordination with offsite officials, and overall command and control. The licensee demonstrated the capability to respond to a dual-site emergency event.
The licensee included in its submittal package letters of concurrence from the State and local emergency management agencies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. SNC has made provisions in the proposed common EOF to accommodate State emergency management agencies and local representatives.
J. Gasser !
SNC previously staffed its Corporate EOF within 60 minutes from the time of notification of a site area emergency. SNC has committed to augmenting its emergency response organization to achieve operational status (including command and control functions) within 60 minutes from the time of notification (the time of notification will not exceed 15 minutes) of an Alert or higher emergency declaration. In addition, the licensee has established an on-call list/duty roster. These personnel are required to remain fit for duty and be able to respond to the EOF in 60 minutes.
The licensee will provide the same level of communications that exists at its current EOFs: commercial telephones, bridge lines, radios, an offsite premise extension (to bypass local telephone switching), SNC's own phone system (Southern LINC), a direct ringdown system (Emergency Notification Network), and the Federal Telecommunication System lines for NRC use.
SNC has a goal of activating the EOF in support of all activities that include Technical Support Center activation. This would result in a common EOF activation for a drill/exercise at least three times a year. In addition, as stated in the emergency plan, the licensee has committed to conducting a drill once every 5 years involving more than one SNC site.
SNC has identified two positions that will have site-specific responsibilities (EOF Manager and Technical Supervisor). If an emergency event occurs at more than one site, an EOF Manager and a Technical Supervisor for each site will respond to the EOF.
The NRC staff concluded that the establishment of a common EOF will effectively and efficiently support the SNC emergency response capability. This is consistent with promoting the common defense and security and ensuring there is reasonable assurance that protective measures can and will be implemented in the event of a radiological emergency at any of the SNC nuclear plants.
Based on the above, on December 23, 2004, the NRC staff recommended in SECY-04-236, SOUTHERN NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANYS PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH A COMMON EMERGENCY OPERATING FACILITY AT ITS CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS, that the Commission approve consolidation of the EOFs for Farley, Hatch, and Vogtle into the Birmingham common EOF. In SECY-04-236, the NRC staff discussed the distances between the plant locations and the proposed common EOF. Because the distances are significantly greater than other EOF relocations previously approved, the NRC could no longer consider the common EOF to be ?near-site, and recommended that an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.47(b) and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix E be granted for the affected plants. In a February 23, 2005, Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM), the Commission accepted the NRC staffs recommendation to approve the EOF relocation and concurred with using an exemption for the approval of the SNC common EOF. The Commission noted in the SRM the former EOFs should maintain functionality in order to accommodate the NRC site team, if needed. Specific functionality requirements for the former EOFs are contained with the enclosed exemption.
As a result of the NRC staffs review and the Commissions acceptance of its recommendation, we find that the licensees request to consolidate the EOFs for Farley, Hatch and Vogtle into the
J. Gasser Birmingham common EOF is acceptable. The NRC staff will also closely monitor the consolidation effort to ensure that communication and coordination among stakeholders are not adversely affected by the consolidation. A copy of the exemption is enclosed. The exemption has been forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.
Sincerely,
/RA/
John A. Nakoski, Chief, Section 1 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-321, 50-366, 50-348, 50-364, 50-424, and 50-425
Enclosure:
As stated cc: See next page
J. Gasser Birmingham common EOF is acceptable. The NRC staff will also closely monitor the consolidation effort to ensure that communication and coordination among stakeholders are not adversely affected by the consolidation. A copy of the exemption is enclosed. The exemption has been forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.
Sincerely,
/RA/
John A. Nakoski, Chief, Section 1 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-321, 50-366, 50-348, 50-364, 50-424, and 50-425
Enclosure:
As stated cc: See next page DISTRIBUTION: PUBLIC PDII-1 R/F RidsNrrPMCGratton RidsNrrDlpmLpdii-1 (JNakoski)
RidsNrrDlpmLpdii (EHackett)
RidsNrrDlpm (LMarsh)
RidsNrrLA RidsAcrsAcnwMailCenter CHawes (Hard Copy)
RidsRgn2MailCenter (MWidmann)
RidsOgcRp DLPM DPR EWeiss LOlshan SMonarque SPeters KCotton Package No.: ML050530140 NRR-106 Document No.: ML043350484 Exemption No.: ML050530134 OFFICE PDII-1/PM PDII-2/LA NSIR/EPD/SC OGC PDII-1 /SC PDII NAME CGratton CHawes EWeiss AFernandez JNakoski EHackett DATE 03/21/05 03/22/05 3/17/05 3/18/05 03/24/05 04/05/05 OFFICE DLPM/D NAME LMarsh DATE 04/05/05 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant Vogtle Electric Generating Plant cc:
Laurence Bergen Oglethorpe Power Corporation 2100 E. Exchange Place P.O. Box 1349 Tucker, GA 30085-1349 Mr. Jeffrey T. Gasser Executive Vice President Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201 Mr. Raymond D. Baker Manager - Licensing Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201 Mr. H. L. Summer, Jr.
Vice President - Nuclear Hatch Project Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201-1295 Resident Inspector Hatch Project 11030 Hatch Parkway North Baxley, GA 31513 Mr. Harold Reheis, Director Department of Natural Resources 205 Butler St, SE, Suite 1252 Atlanta, GA 30334 Chairman Appling County Commissioners County Commissioners Baxley, GA 31513 Office of the County Commissioners Burke County Commission Waynesboro, GA 30830 Mr. Arthur H. Dombay, Esq.
Troutman Sanders Nations Bank Plaza 600 Peachtree St, NE Suite 5200 Atlanta, GA 30308 Resident Inspector Vogtle Plant 8805 River Road Waynesboro, GA 30830 Mr. Steven M. Jackson Senior Engineer -Power Supply Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia 1470 Riveredge Parkway, NW Atlanta, GA 30303-4684 Mr. G. R. Frederick, General Manager Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
U.S. Highway 1 North P.O. Box 2010 Baxley, GA 31515 Mr. Reece McAllister Executive Secretary Georgia Public Service Commission 244 Washington St., SW Atlanta, GA 30334 Mr. D. E. Grissette, Vice President Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201 Mr. K. Rosanski, Resident Manager Oglethorpe Power Corporation Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant P.O. Box 2010 Baxley, GA 31515
Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant Vogtle Electric Generating Plant cc:
Mr. N.J. Stringfellow, Manager-Licensing Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201-1295 Mr. Skip Kitchens, General Manager Vogtle Electric General Plant Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1600 Waynesboro, GA 30830 Attorney General Law Department 132 Judicial Building Atlanta, GA 30334
Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Units 1 & 2 cc:
Mr. J. R. Johnson General Manager Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 470 Ashford, AL 36312 Mr. B. D. McKinney, Licensing Manager Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201-1295 Mr. M. Stanford Blanton Balch and Bingham Law Firm P.O. Box 306 1710 Sixth Avenue North Birmingham, AL 35201 Mr. J. Gasser Executive Vice President Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201 State Health Officer Alabama Department of Public Health 434 Monroe St.
Montgomery, AL 36130-1701 Chairman Houston County Commission P.O. Box 6406 Dothan, AL 36302 Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 7388 N. State Highway 95 Columbia, AL 36319 William D. Oldfield SAER Supervisor Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 470 Ashford, AL 36312