ML061650423

Amendment, Completion of Review of Pending License Amendment Request

ML061650423
Person / Time
Site:	Browns Ferry
Issue date:	07/07/2006
From:	Holden C Plant Licensing Branch III-2
To:	Singer K Tennessee Valley Authority
Chernoff M, NRR/DORL, 415-4041
References
TAC MC4797, TS-432
Download: ML061650423 (5)

Text

July 7, 2006 Mr. Karl W. Singer Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice President Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801

SUBJECT:

BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT 1 REVIEW OF PENDING LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST (TAC NO. MC4797) (TS-432)

Dear Mr. Singer:

This letter provides status of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staffs review of the Tennessee Valley Authoritys (TVAs) request to remove License Condition 2.C(4) from Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 (BFN1) license.

In a letter dated September 6, 1996, TVA submitted Technical Specification Change TS-362, a request for conversion to the improved standard technical specifications (ISTS). At that time, TVA had not announced any plans to restart Unit 1. In a letter dated December 29, 1997, TVA stated:

...Unit 1 is currently defueled and will require extensive analyses and modifications to be completed prior to restart. TVA plans to perform the required analyses and modifications on Unit 1 such that on restart, the Unit 1 plant configuration and analysis basis will be the same or similar to Units 2 and 3.

Hence, in TS-362, the proposed Unit 1 ITS [improved technical specifications]

were the same as those proposed for Units 2 and 3 except for minor intrinsic unit differences.

In that letter, TVA also proposed a License Condition for Unit 1 to ensure the appropriate modifications and analyses are in place prior to entering modes of operation for which the TS applies. The proposed license condition stated:

TVA shall review the Technical Specification (TS) changes made by TS-362 and subsequent TS changes for Unit 1, and verify that the required analyses and modifications needed to support the changes are complete prior to entering the mode for which the TS applies.

K. Singer July 7, 2006 In the safety evaluation dated July 14, 1998, issuing Amendment No. 234, which approves the conversion to ISTS for Unit 1, the NRC staff included License Condition 2.C(4). The License Condition states that:

The licensee shall review the technical specification changes made by License Amendment number 234 and any subsequent TS changes, verify that the required analyses and modifications needed to support the changes are complete, and submit them for NRC review and approval prior to entering the mode for which the TS applies. This amendment is effective immediately and shall be implemented prior to entering the mode for which the TS applies.

The TVA submitted a plan for completion of License Condition 2.C(4) in a letter dated October 12, 2004 [ADAMS Accession No. ML042890152]. After review of this submittal, the NRC staff concluded that it does not provide sufficient information to approve removal of the license condition.

For example, in a letter dated July 14, 1997, the NRC staff noted that the proposed Unit 1 ITS included a main steam safety/relief valve setpoint tolerance of plus or minus 3 percent. A TVA letter dated December 11, 1996, states that analyses required to support this tolerance will be completed prior to Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 restart. TVA did not list and discuss this change in its submittal.

In order to avoid impact on planned BFN1 recovery activities (e.g, Fuel load or startup), the submittal needs to be supplemented by September 1, 2006, with the following:

C List and discuss the justifications for all changes to the TS made by License Amendment 234 and subsequent license amendments. The discussion should include whether new analyses and/or modifications were required and whether the analyses were provided to the NRC staff for review and approval. The discussion should also include the confirmation that the analyses were approved by the NRC staff at the time the applicable amendment was issued and the modifications were completed, if required.

C Based on discussions with TVA and the Unit 1 status update dated February 21, 2006

[ADAMS Accession No. ML060520652], the NRC staff understands that TVA is updating the Unit 1 design basis analyses and calculations to support the requested extended power uprate, in lieu of updating the analyses and calculations to support operation at the current licensed thermal power limit. TVA should address how the analyses and calculations to support the uprated condition satisfy the requirements of the license condition, when it is applicable.

K. Singer July 7, 2006 This information is needed by September 1, 2006, in order to support planned BFN1 recovery activities. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Margaret Chernoff at 301-415-4041 or Mr. Chandu Patel at 301-415-3025.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Cornelius F. Holden, Deputy Director Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-259 cc: See next page

ML061650423 NRR-058 OFFICE LPL2-2/PM LPL2-2/PM LPL2-2/LA LPL2-2/BC DIRS/ITSB DORL/DD NAME CPatel MChernoff RSola for MMarshall TKobetz CHolden BClayton DATE 7/3/06 7/3/06 7/3/06 7/3/06 7/5/06 7/7/06 Mr. Karl W. Singer BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT Tennessee Valley Authority cc:

Mr. Ashok S. Bhatnagar, Senior Vice President Mr. Robert G. Jones, General Manager Nuclear Operations Browns Ferry Site Operations Tennessee Valley Authority Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant 6A Lookout Place Tennessee Valley Authority 1101 Market Street P.O. Box 2000 Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Decatur, AL 35609 Mr. Larry S. Bryant, Vice President Mr. Larry S. Mellen Nuclear Engineering & Technical Services Browns Ferry Unit 1 Project Engineer Tennessee Valley Authority Division of Reactor Projects, Branch 6 6A Lookout Place U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1101 Market Street 61 Forsyth Street, SW.

Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Suite 23T85 Atlanta, GA 30303-8931 Brian OGrady, Site Vice President Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Mr. Glenn W. Morris, Manager Tennessee Valley Authority Corporate Nuclear Licensing P.O. Box 2000 and Industry Affairs Decatur, AL 35609 Tennessee Valley Authority 4X Blue Ridge Mr. Robert J. Beecken, Vice President 1101 Market Street Nuclear Support Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place Mr. William D. Crouch, Manager 1101 Market Street Licensing and Industry Affairs Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority General Counsel P.O. Box 2000 Tennessee Valley Authority Decatur, AL 35609 ET 11A 400 West Summit Hill Drive Senior Resident Inspector Knoxville, TN 37902 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Mr. John C. Fornicola, Manager 10833 Shaw Road Nuclear Assurance and Licensing Athens, AL 35611-6970 Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place State Health Officer 1101 Market Street Alabama Dept. of Public Health Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 RSA Tower - Administration Suite 1552 Mr. Bruce Aukland, Plant Manager P.O. Box 303017 Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Montgomery, AL 36130-3017 Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Chairman Decatur, AL 35609 Limestone County Commission 310 West Washington Street Mr. Masoud Bajestani, Vice President Athens, AL 35611 Browns Ferry Unit 1 Restart Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Decatur, AL 35609