ML060200507

Summary of License Renewal Telephone Conference Between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Staff and the Nuclear Energy Institute License Renewal Task Force

ML060200507
Person / Time
Site:	PROJ0690
Issue date:	01/20/2006
From:	Hoffman S NRC/NRR/ADRO/DLR/RLRB
To:	Nuclear Energy Institute
Hoffman S, NRR, DLR 415-3245
References
Download: ML060200507 (8)

Text

January 20, 2006 ORGANIZATION: Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)

SUMMARY

OF LICENSE RENEWAL TELEPHONE CONFERENCE BETWEEN THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STAFF AND THE NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE LICENSE RENEWAL TASK FORCE The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)

License Renewal Task Force held a telephone conference on December 20, 2005, to discuss generic license renewal topics, lessons learned from the audit process, and license renewal process improvements. Participants in the conference call are listed in the Enclosure. A summary of the discussions follows:

1. New issues under development within the NRC that may affect license renewal The NRC staff has potentially identified the need for Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) addressing corrosion of boiling water reactor, Mark I, drywell steel containment shells. The current Generic Aging Lessons Learned Report does not provide guidance when the drywell shell is surrounded by a concrete structure with a narrow distance between the steel shell and the surrounding concrete, inhibiting inspection. As previously agreed with NEI, the staff is identifying this issue early in the process to enable interested stakeholders to provide input to the determination of the need for an ISG, and if so, the content of the ISG. The staff and NEI agreed to schedule a public telephone conference or meeting to discuss this issue further.

2. Lessons learned from recent safety review audits As agreed to at the November 8, 2005, meeting (ADAMS Accession Number ML053540034), a regular agenda item for the monthly telephone conferences or meetings is for the staff and applicants to discuss lessons learned from recent safety review audit activities. This discussion will provide real-time feedback to applicants entering the audit phase for their applications or for use by future applicants. NRC staff observations and the discussions that followed included:

a. To improve preparation for the audits and to maximize the effectiveness of the time the audit team spends onsite. The team leader will visit the plants shortly after the receipt of the application to assess the onsite documentation and readiness for the audits. These plants visits were originally conducted for the pilot plants receiving the new audit process.

b. The staff suggested that applicants preparing for audits visit plants that were recently audited and had a good onsite documentation and preparation for the audit. This will allow the applicant to benchmark their own preparation for audits. The staff agreed to provide a list of plants that previously had a good audit preparation and onsite documentation. NEI indicated that it will develop a standard audit preparation for the content of onsite documentation which it will be provided to the staff for review. This topic will be discussed in the next telephone conference.

c.

Pilgrim and Vermont Yankee license renewal applications are scheduled for submittal in January 2006, the audit teams will review time-limited aging analyses (TLAAs).

Currently, TLAAs are reviewed by headquarters staff.

d. The audit teams indicated that some applicants have taken credit in their applications for TLAAs managing aging effects. However, the audit team has found in a number of occasions when reviewing onsite documentation that the TLAAs did not adequately address management of the aging effect.

3. Acceptance review guidance During the November 8, 2005, a meeting was held to discuss and develop a short guidance document to better describe the criteria used by the NRC staff in performing its acceptance review for docketing. The staff indicated that the regulatory requirements for the acceptance review are contained in the ?Acceptance Review Checklist for Docketing of Timely and Sufficient Renewal Application, Table 1.1-1, in the ?Standard Review Plan for Review of License Renewal Applications for Nuclear Power Plants, NUREG-1800, Revision

1. The staff had previously provided a feedback to the industry in a letter to NEI dated April 29, 2005 (ADAMS Accession Number ML051190496) on areas observed where improving the content of applications would reduce the requests for additional information and to improve the efficiency of the review process. However, the list of information contained in the letter is not the acceptance review checklist. NEI agreed to develop a one-to-two page guidance document for the acceptance review and submit it to the NRC for future discussion.

4. Incorporating the scoping and screening review into the audit process Another action item from the November 8, 2005, meeting is for the NRC staff and industry to assess the potential benefits and process changes needed to perform the scoping and screening review of an application using onsite audits, similar to the aging management review audits. The goal would be to obtain further efficiencies in the process and help the staff manage its application review workload. The staff has just initiated its assessment of the feasibility and benefits of this change. The staff and NEI will discuss the results of this assessment in future telephone conferences or meetings as progress is made.

5. The next monthly telephone conference will be scheduled for January 2006.

/RA/

Stephen T. Hoffman, Senior Project Manager License Renewal Branch B Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Project No. 690

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encls: See next page

5. The next monthly telephone conference will be scheduled for January 2006.

/RA/

Stephen T. Hoffman, Senior Project Manager License Renewal Branch B Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Project No. 690

Enclosure:

As stated cc w/encls: See next page DISTRIBUTION: See next page ADAMS Accession Number: ML060200507 DOCUMENT NAME:.E:\\Filenet\\ML060200507.wpd OFFICE LA:DLR PM:RLRB:DLR BC-RLRB:DLR NAME M. Jenkins S. Hoffman JZimmerman DATE 1/19/06 1/20/06 1/20/06 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Note to: Organization: Nuclear Energy Institute from Stephen T. Hoffman, Dated: January 20, 2006

SUMMARY

OF LICENSE RENEWAL TELEPHONE CONFERENCE BETWEEN THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) STAFF AND THE NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE (NEI) LICENSE RENEWAL TASK FORCE DISTRIBUTION:

SSmith (srs3)

RidsNrrDrip RidsNrrDe RidsNrrDss RidsNrrDlrRlra RidsNrrDlrRlrb RidsNrrDci RidsNrrDnrl RidsNrrDeEeeb RidsNrrDeEqva RidsNrrDeEqvb RidsNrrDeEemb RidsOgcMailCenter RidsNrrDssSbpb RidsResDetErab RidsAcrsAcnwMailCenter DLR R/F CColleli CJulian MModes JVora LKozak OPA OCA

Enclosure LIST OF PARTICIPANTS FOR A TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL BETWEEN THE NRC STAFF AND THE NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE DECEMBER 20, 2005 Participants Affiliations Stephen Hoffman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Jacob Zimmerman NRC Louise Lund NRC Greg Cranston NRC Tomeka Terry NRC Ken Chang NRC Daniel Merzke NRC Rani Franovich NRC S.K. Mitra NRC Weidong Wang NRC Jim Davis NRC Roy Matthew NRC R.K. Wild NRC Kiyoto Tanabe NRC (Japanese assignee)

John G. Lamb Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Staff James Ross Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)

Mike Detamore PPL Susquehanna Steve Schellin NMC Point Beach Roger Rucker Beaver Valley Dave Kunsmiller Beaver Valley Bob Kalinowski DC Cook Steve Dort Beaver Valley Steve Schellin NMC Point Beach Garry Young Entergy Eric Blocher Strategic Teaming and Resource Sharing (STARS)

Bill Victor Cooper Dave Bremer Cooper Ken Brune TVA Mike McFarlane Southern Nuclear Company Kathryn Sutton Morgan, Lewis Al Fulvia Exelon Lori Yulcome Wolf Creek Joe Paritz Monticello Ken Albright Prairie Island Brian Wholers Duane Arnold Nancy Chapman Bechtel SERCH Steven Dolley Platts Nuclear

NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE Project No. 690 cc:

Mr. Joe Bartell U.S. Department of Energy NE-42 Washington, DC 20585 Ms. Christine S. Salembier Commissioner State Liaison Officer Department of Public Service 112 State St., Drawer 20 Montipelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. James Ross Nuclear Energy Institute 1776 I St., N.W., Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006-3708 Mr. William Corbin Virginia Electric & Power Company Innsbrook Technical Center 5000 Dominion Blvd.

Glen Allen, VA 23060 Mr. Frederick W. Polaski Manager License Renewal Exelon Corporation 200 Exelon Way Kennett Square, PA 19348 Peter A. Mazzaferro Site Project Manager - License Renewal Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC P.O. Box 63 Lycoming, NY 13093 Mr. David Lochbaum Union of Concerned Scientists 1707 H St., NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20006-3919 Mark Ackerman Project Manager, License Renewal FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company P.O. Box 4 Route 168 (Mail Stop BV-SGRP)

Shippingport, PA 15077 Mr. Paul Gunter Director of the Reactor Watchdog Project Nuclear Information & Resource Service 1424 16th St., NW, Suite 404 Washington, DC 20036 Mr. Hugh Jackson Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy &

Environment Program 215 Pennsylvania Ave., SE Washington, DC 20003 Mary Olson Nuclear Information & Resource Service Southeast Office P.O. Box 7586 Asheville, NC 28802 Talmage B. Clements Manager - License Renewal Progress Energy P.O. Box 1551 Raleigh, NC 27602 Mr. Charles R. Pierce Manager - License Renewal Southern Nuclear Operating Company P. O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201 Mr. Garry G. Young Manager, License Renewal Services 1448 SR 333, N-GSB-45 Russellville, AR 72802 Richard J. Grumbir Project Manager, License Renewal Indiana Michigan Power Company Nuclear Generation Group 500 Circle Drive Buchanan, MI 49107

NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE Project No. 690 cc:

Mr. Timothy E. Abney, Manager Licensing and Industry Affairs Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Decatur, AL 35609 Mr. James E. Knorr 6610 Nuclear Road Two Rivers, WI 54241 Patrick Burke License Renewal Project Manager Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant Nuclear Management Company, LLC 2807 West County Road 75 Monticello, MN 55362-9637