ML051670328

RAI AC and DC Sources TS Amendment Request

ML051670328
Person / Time
Site:	Palo Verde
Issue date:	06/28/2005
From:	Fields M NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD4
To:	Overbeck G Arizona Public Service Co
Fields M B ,NRR/DLPM,415-3062
References
TAC MB9150, TAC MB9151, TAC MB9152
Download: ML051670328 (4)

Text

June 28, 2005 Mr. Gregg R. Overbeck Senior Vice President, Nuclear Arizona Public Service Company P. O. Box 52034 Phoenix, AZ 85072-2034

SUBJECT:

PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION, UNITS 1, 2, AND 3 -

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: ALTERNATE CURRENT AND DIRECT CURRENT SOURCES TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION AMENDMENT REQUEST (TAC NOS. MB9150, MB9151, AND MB9152)

Dear Mr. Overbeck:

By letter dated May 28, 2003, Arizona Public Service Company (APS or the licensee) requested an amendment to the Technical Specifications for Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3. Based in part on the results of your responses to Temporary Instruction 2515/156, "Offsite Power System Operational Readiness," the staff has determined that additional information is needed in order to complete its review and evaluation of your request. The enclosed questions were e-mailed to your staff on June 9, 2005. Any differences between the enclosed request for additional information and the questions that were e-mailed are editorial or clarifications. Your staff agreed to submit a response to these questions within 30 days from the date of this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Mel B. Fields, Senior Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate IV Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, and STN 50-530

Enclosure:

Request for Additional Information cc w/encl: See next page

Mr. Gregg R. Overbeck June 28, 2005 Senior Vice President, Nuclear Arizona Public Service Company P. O. Box 52034 Phoenix, AZ 85072-2034

SUBJECT:

PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION, UNITS 1, 2, AND 3 -

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RE: ALTERNATE CURRENT AND DIRECT CURRENT SOURCES TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION AMENDMENT REQUEST (TAC NOS. MB9150, MB9151, AND MB9152)

Dear Mr. Overbeck:

By letter dated May 28, 2003, Arizona Public Service Company (APS or the licensee) requested an amendment to the Technical Specifications for Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3. Based in part on the results of your responses to Temporary Instruction 2515/156, "Offsite Power System Operational Readiness," the staff has determined that additional information is needed in order to complete its review and evaluation of your request. The enclosed questions were e-mailed to your staff on June 9, 2005. Any differences between the enclosed request for additional information and the questions that were e-mailed are editorial or clarifications. Your staff agreed to submit a response to these questions within 30 days from the date of this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Mel B. Fields, Senior Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate IV Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, and STN 50-530

Enclosure:

Request for Additional Information cc w/encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION PUBLIC RJenkins PDIV-2 r/f RidsNrrDlpmLpdiv2 (DCollins)

RidsNrrPMMFields RidsNrrDlpmDpr RidsNrrLADBaxley RidsNrrDeDpr APal RidsRgn4MailCenter (TPruett)

ACCESSION NO: ML051670328 NRR-088 OFFICE PDIV-2/PM PDIV-1/LA EEIB/SC PDIV-2/SC NAME MFields DBaxley RJenkins DCollins DATE 6-23-05 6/22/05 6/27/05 6/28/05 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ALTERNATING CURRENT AND DIRECT CURRENT SOURCES TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION AMENDMENT REQUEST ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION, UNITS 1, 2, AND 3 DOCKET NOS. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, AND STN 50-530

1. A number of issues were addressed at the time of plant licensing related to offsite grid reliability that were based on the grid being under the control of the nuclear power plant licensee. Now that the grid is under the control of the transmission system operator (TSO), it is important that these issues be re-examined to assure that there are no adverse impacts on plant safety from this change. The staff understands that the TSO does not use a real-time contingency analysis (RTCA) program to determine grid conditions that would make Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (Palo Verde) offsite power system inoperable in the event of various contingencies. For the purpose of diesel generator (DG) online testing, the staff requests the following:

(a) Does your TSO perform periodic studies to verify that adequate offsite power capability, including adequate Palo Verde post-trip switchyard voltages (immediate and/or long-term), will be available to Palo Verde over the projected time frame of the study?

(b) Are the key assumptions and parameters of these periodic studies translated into TSO guidance to ensure that the transmission system is operated within the bounds of the analysis?

(c) If the bounds of the analyses are exceeded, does this condition trigger the notification to the Palo Verde operator?

(d) How often is the bounded analysis verified correct and how does this frequency support past performance?

(e) Provide a discussion of how the grid stability will be maintained during on-line surveillance testing and the system operated within the bounds of the analyses.

(f) Does your TSO notify the Palo Verde operator when degraded grid conditions could occur so the Palo Verde operator could abort the testing?

2. The intent of Surveillance Requirement (SR) 3.8.1.14 and SR 3.8.1.10 is to ensure that the DG will perform its intended function during a design basis event. SR 3.8.1.14 and SR 3.8.1.10 currently are not required to be performed at a power factor based on the actual loading condition. Based on a review of the corresponding BASES section, the staff finds that these tests are being performed at unity power factor due to high voltage concerns. Since the proposed changes will allow these SRs to be performed at power when the system voltage will be relatively lower than at shutdown, provide your justification for not performing these SRs at the power factor based on the actual loading condition. You may refer to TSTF-276-A, Rev. 2 which provides guidance for when the power factor cannot be achieved.

Palo Verde Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 cc:

Mr. Steve Olea Mr. John Taylor Arizona Corporation Commission Public Service Company of New Mexico 1200 W. Washington Street 2401 Aztec NE, MS Z110 Phoenix, AZ 85007 Albuquerque, NM 87107-4224 Douglas Kent Porter Mr. Thomas D. Champ Senior Counsel Southern California Edison Company Southern California Edison Company 5000 Pacific Coast Hwy Bldg D1B Law Department, Generation Resources San Clemente, CA 92672 P.O. Box 800 Rosemead, CA 91770 Mr. Robert Henry Salt River Project Senior Resident Inspector 6504 East Thomas Road U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Scottsdale, AZ 85251 P. O. Box 40 Buckeye, AZ 85326 Mr. Jeffrey T. Weikert Assistant General Counsel Regional Administrator, Region IV El Paso Electric Company U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Location 167 Harris Tower & Pavillion 123 W. Mills 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400 El Paso, TX 79901 Arlington, TX 76011-8064 Mr. John Schumann Chairman Los Angeles Department of Water & Power Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Southern California Public Power Authority 301 W. Jefferson, 10th Floor P.O. Box 51111, Room 1255-C Phoenix, AZ 85003 Los Angeles, CA 90051-0100 Mr. Aubrey V. Godwin, Director Brian Almon Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency Public Utility Commission 4814 South 40 Street William B. Travis Building Phoenix, AZ 85040 P. O. Box 13326 1701 North Congress Avenue Mr. Craig K. Seaman, Director Austin, TX 78701-3326 Regulatory Affairs Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Karen O'Regan Mail Station 7636 Environmental Program Manager P.O. Box 52034 City of Phoenix Phoenix, AZ 85072-2034 Office of Environmental Programs 200 West Washington Street Mr. Hector R. Puente Phoenix AZ 85003 Vice President, Power Generation El Paso Electric Company Mr. Gregg R. Overbeck 310 E. Palm Lane, Suite 310 Senior Vice President, Nuclear Phoenix, AZ 85004 Arizona Public Service Company P. O. Box 52034 Phoenix, AZ 85072-2034 May 2005