ML062560341
| ML062560341 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png |
| Issue date: | 09/11/2006 |
| From: | Rowley J NRC/NRR/ADRO/DLR/RLRB |
| To: | Kansler M Entergy Nuclear Operations |
| Ellis, Twana, NRR/DLR/RLRA 301-415-3134 | |
| References | |
| %dam200611 | |
| Download: ML062560341 (7) | |
Text
September 11, 2006 Mr. Michael Kansler President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601-1839
SUBJECT:
REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE REVIEW OF VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION
Dear Mr. Kansler:
By letter dated January 25, 2006, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received the Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., application for renewal of Operating License No. DPR-28 for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VYNPS). The NRC staff is reviewing the information contained in the license renewal application and has identified, in the enclosure, areas where additional information is needed to complete the review. Specifically, the enclosed requests for additional information are from the NRC Project Team that performed the aging management program, aging management review, and time-limited aging analysis audits at VYNPS.
Based on discussions with Mr. Jim DeVincentis of your staff, a mutually agreeable date for your response is within 30 days of the date of this letter. If you have any questions regarding this letter or if circumstances result in your need to revise the response date, please contact me at 301-415-4053 or by e-mail at jgr@nrc.gov.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Jonathan Rowley, Project Manager License Renewal Branch B Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-271
Enclosure:
Requests for Additional Information cc w/encl: See next page
Document Name: E:\\Filenet\\ML062560341.wpd OFFICE PM:RLRB:DLR LA:DLR BC:RLRC:DLR BC:RLRB:DLR NAME JRowley IKing KChang JZimmerman DATE 08/29/06 08/29/06 09/11/06 09/11/06
Letter to Michael Kansler from Jonathan Rowley dated September 11, 2006
SUBJECT:
REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE REVIEW OF VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION HARD COPY DLR R/F E-MAIL:
JFair RWeisman AMurphy RPettis GGalletti DShum GBagchi SSmith (srs3)
SDuraiswamy YL (Renee) Li RidsNrrDlr RidsNrrDlrRlra RidsNrrDlrRlrb RidsNrrDe RidsNrrDci RidsNrreEemb RidsNrrDeEeeb RidsNrrDeEqva RidsNrrDss RidsNrrDnrl RidsOgcMailCenter RidsNrrAdes DLR Staff JRowley RLaufer JShea CAnderson, RI MSykes, RI DScrenci, RI MModes, RI DPelton, Sr. Resident MYoung RidsOpaMail
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:
Regional Administrator, Region I U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Mr. David R. Lewis Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman, LLP 2300 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037-1128 Mr. David OBrien, Commissioner Vermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. James Volz, Chairman Public Service Board State of Vermont 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2701 Chairman, Board of Selectmen Town of Vernon P.O. Box 116 Vernon, VT 05354-0116 Operating Experience Coordinator Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station 320 Governor Hunt Road Vernon, VT 05354 G. Dana Bisbee, Esq.
Deputy Attorney General 33 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301-6937 Chief, Safety Unit Office of the Attorney General One Ashburton Place, 19th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Ms. Deborah B. Katz Box 83 Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 Ms. Carla A. White, RRPT, CHP Radiological Health Vermont Department of Health P.O. Box 70, Drawer #43 108 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05402-0070 Mr. James M. DeVincentis Manager, Licensing Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Resident Inspector Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 176 Vernon, VT 05354 Director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency ATTN: James Muckerheide 400 Worcester Rd.
Framingham, MA 01702-5399 Jonathan M. Block, Esq.
Main Street P.O. Box 566 Putney, VT 05346-0566 Mr. John F. McCann Director, Licensing Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Gary J. Taylor Chief Executive Officer Entergy Operations 1340 Echelon Parkway Jackson, MS 39213 Mr. John T. Herron Sr. VP and Chief Operating Officer Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:
Mr. Oscar Limpias Vice President, Engineering Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Christopher Schwartz Vice President, Operations Support Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Michael J. Colomb Director of Oversight Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Travis C. McCullough Assistant General Counsel Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Ted Sullivan Site Vice President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Mr. James H. Sniezek 5486 Nithsdale Drive Salisbury, MD 21801 Ms. Stacey M. Lousteau Treasury Department Entergy Services, Inc.
639 Loyola Avenue New Orleans, LA 70113 Mr. Raymond Shadis New England Coalition Post Office Box 98 Edgecomb, ME 04556 Mr. James P. Matteau Executive Director Windham Regional Commission 139 Main Street, Suite 505 Brattleboro, VT 05301 Mr. William K. Sherman Vermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Drawer 20 Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. Michael D. Lyster 5931 Barclay Lane Naples, FL 34110-7306 Ms. Charlene D. Faison Manager, Licensing 440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. James Ross Nuclear Energy Institute 1776 I Street, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006-3708 Diane Curran, Esq.*
Harmon, Curran, Spielberg
& Eisenberg, L.L.P.
1726 M Street, NW., Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036
Enclosure VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (RAIs)
RAI 3.6.2.2-N-08-1 The applicant responded to the staffs Request for Additional Information (RAI) 3.6.2.2-N-08 in a letter dated July 14, 2006, License Renewal Application, Amendment 4". In the letter the applicant stated:
Entergy, consistent with the Peach Bottom precedent, credited the [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] FERC dam inspection program to manage the effects of aging on civil and structural elements of the [Vernon Hydroelectric Station] VHS.
A FERC letter to the previous owner of the VHS, New England Power Company (currently owned by TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc.), dated August 6, 1997 states: By letter dated June 26, 1997, you requested an exemption from filing an Independent Consultants Safety Inspection Report under Part 12, Subpart D, of the Commissions Regulations... and...I am granting your request for an exemption from the Part 12, Subpart D requirement for submittal of an Independent Consultants Safety Inspection Report.
As the exemption is only on the filing of an Independent Consultants Safety Inspection Report under Part 12, Subpart D, describe specific Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station aging management activities, provide inspection reports, and describe any corrective actions that have been take as a result of the inspection reports - as they pertain to the VHS in accordance with 10 CFR 54.21(a)(3) - since the exemption was granted.
Integrated Plant Assessment for Electrical SSCs In letter dated July 14, 2006, License Renewal Application, Amendment 4, the applicant stated that no aging effects require management for VHS based on independent generators and power transmission circuits. The Statements of Considerations for 10 CFR Part 54 clearly states that redundancy can not be used to preclude aging effects of in-scope passive-long-lived electrical components. In order for the staff to further evaluate the VHS issue, please provide the following additional information:
RAI 3.6.2.2-N-08-2 Electrical components for the VHS include 2 black-start turbine generators, cables and buses for power transmission, instrumentation and control components and their associated cables and connections. The audit team found that there is an aging management program (AMP) for underground cables from Vernon tie breaker routed to Vermont Yankee. However, there appears to be no AMPs for electrical components from the tie breaker to VHS generators.
Please describe how aging effects on the rest of the electrical components will be managed during the period of extended operation.
RAI 3.6.2.2-N-08-3 Identify all inaccessible medium-voltage (2 kV to 35 kV) cables associated with station blackout (SBO) alternate ac (AAC) source from the VHS generators to 4.16 kV safety buses at VYNPS.
Please describe how aging effects will be managed for all inaccessible medium-voltage cables associated with SBO AAC that are not subject to environment qualification requirements of 10 CFR 50.49 and are exposed to moisture while energized.
RAI 3.6.2.2-N-08-4 The applicant stated that VHS switchyard passive long-lived commodity groups are effectively maintained through routine maintenance by the switchyard owner. Describe how this routine maintenance will manage the aging effects on the VHS switchyard passive long-lived commodity groups during the period of extended operations.
RAI 3.6.2.2-N-08-5 Address the following SBO AAC related items:
- a.
Please describe (as stated in Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) AMP XI.E6) how aging effects are managed so that the intended function of cable connections associated with SBO AAC (including VHS) will be maintained during the extended period of operation.
b.
As stated in GALL XI.E5, fuse holders that are within the scope of license renewal should be tested. Provide an aging management review (AMR) and describe how aging effects are managed for fuse holders (metallic clamps) associated with SBO AAC source (including VHS).
c.
Please discuss why torque relaxation for bolted connections of switchyard bus within the VHS switchyards (69 kV and 13.8 kV) is not a concern.
d.
Per LRA Section 3.6, increased resistance of connections due to oxidation is not an applicable aging effect. Please discuss why increased resistance of connections due to oxidation is not a concern for the switchyard bus and switchyard bus connections associated with the VHS switchyard, or provide an AMP to manage the aging effect.
e.
A large buildup of contamination enables the conductor voltage to track along the surface more easily and can lead to insulator flash over. Please describe how this aging effect is managed for high-voltage insulators within the VHS switchyards.