ML070380152

RAI Regarding Inservice Inspection Request for Relief No. 2ISI-001

ML070380152
Person / Time
Site:	Nine Mile Point
Issue date:	02/26/2007
From:	Pickett D NRC/NRR/ADRO/DORL/LPLI-1
To:	O'Connor T Nine Mile Point
Pickett D, NRR/DORL, 415-1364
References
TAC MD3696
Download: ML070380152 (4)

Text

February 26, 2007 Mr. Timothy J. OConnor Vice President Nine Mile Point Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC P. O. Box 63 Lycoming, NY 13093

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT NO. 2, INSERVICE INSPECTION REQUEST FOR RELIEF NO. 2ISI-001 (TAC NO. MD3696)

Dear Mr. OConnor:

By letter dated November 16, 2006, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC requested Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval of proposed Request for Relief Number 2ISI-001 for Nine Mile Point Unit 2 (NMP2). The request is for permanent relief from the inservice inspection requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 50, Section 50.55a(g) for the volumetric examination of reactor pressure vessel shell circumferential welds for the remaining license period and the license renewal period of extended operation for NMP2.

The NRC staff has reviewed the information provided in your request and has determined that additional information is needed to complete its review. Enclosed is the NRC staffs request for additional information (RAI). The RAI was discussed with your staff on February 1, 2007, and it was agreed that your response would be provided within 60 days from the date of this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Douglas V. Pickett, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch I-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-410

Enclosure:

RAI cc w/encl: See next page

February 26, 2007 Mr. Timothy J. OConnor Vice President Nine Mile Point Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC P. O. Box 63 Lycoming, NY 13093

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT NO. 2, INSERVICE INSPECTION REQUEST FOR RELIEF NO. 2ISI-001 (TAC NO. MD3696)

Dear Mr. OConnor:

By letter dated November 16, 2006, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC requested Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval of proposed Request for Relief Number 2ISI-001 for Nine Mile Point Unit 2 (NMP2). The request is for permanent relief from the inservice inspection requirements of Title 10, Part 50, of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 50.55a(g) for the volumetric examination of reactor pressure vessel shell circumferential welds for the remaining license period and the license renewal period of extended operation for NMP2.

The NRC staff has reviewed the information provided in your request and has determined that additional information is needed to complete its review. Enclosed is the NRC staffs request for additional information (RAI). The RAI was discussed with your staff on February 1, 2007, and it was agreed that your response would be provided within 60 days from the date of this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Douglas V. Pickett, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch I-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-410

Enclosure:

RAI cc w/encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC RidsNrrPMDPickett RidsNrrLASLittle LPLI-1 PDI-1 Reading File MDavid RidsOgcRp RidsNrrAdesDciCvib RidsNrrAcrsAcnwMailCenter Accession Number: ML070380152 NRR-088 OFFICE LPL1-1/PE LPL1-1/PM LPL1-1/LA CVIB/BC LPL1-1/BC(A)

NAME MDavid DPickett SLittle MMitchell JBoska DATE 2/22/07 2/23/07 2/22/07 2/23/07 2/26/07 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station cc:

Mr. Michael J. Wallace Mark J. Wetterhahn, Esquire President Winston & Strawn Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC 1700 K Street, NW c/o Constellation Energy Group Washington, DC 20006 750 East Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21202 Supervisor Town of Scriba Mr. Mike Heffley Route 8, Box 382 Senior Vice President and Chief Oswego, NY 13126 Nuclear Officer Constellation Generation Group Carey W. Fleming, Esquire 1997 Annapolis Exchange Parkway Senior Counsel Suite 500 Constellation Generation Group, LLC Annapolis, MD 21401 750 East Pratt Street, 17th Floor Baltimore, MD 21202 Regional Administrator, Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 126 Lycoming, NY 13093 Charles Donaldson, Esquire Assistant Attorney General New York Department of Law 120 Broadway New York, NY 10271 Mr. Paul D. Eddy Electric Division NYS Department of Public Service Agency Building 3 Empire State Plaza Albany, NY 12223 Mr. Peter R. Smith, President New York State Energy, Research, and Development Authority 17 Columbia Circle Albany, NY 12203-6399

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT NO. 2 REQUEST FOR RELIEF NO. 2ISI-001 By letter dated November 16, 2006, Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC (the licensee) submitted Request for Relief (RR) No. 2ISI-001 for Nine Mile Point Unit 2 (NMP2) requesting an alternative to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code),Section XI, Table IWB-2500-1, Category B-A, Item Number B1.11, reactor pressure vessel (RPV) circumferential shell welds inspection requirements. RR No. 2ISI-001 is for the second 10-year inservice inspection (ISI) interval, in which NMP2 adopted the 1989 Edition of Section XI of the ASME Code, with no addenda, as the ASME Code of record.

Subarticle IWB-2500 of the ASME Code requires components specified in Table IWB-2500-1 to be examined. Table IWB-2500-1 requires volumetric examination of all RPV shell circumferential welds each inspection interval.

The licensee is requesting permanent relief from the above ASME Code requirements for the remaining license period and the license renewal period of extended operation for NMP2. The following information is required to complete the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staffs review of RR No. 2ISI-001.

In order for the licensee to request relief for the extended operation period, it must also address BWRVIP-74, "BWR Reactor Pressure Vessel Inspection and Flaw Evaluation Guidelines,"

dated September 21, 1999. The staffs evaluation of BWRVIP-74 was provided by safety evaluation (SE), dated October 18, 2001 (ML012920549). That SE concluded that Appendix E of the staffs July 28, 1998 SE of BWRVIP-05 (BWR RPV Shell Weld Inspection Recommendations, dated September 1995) conservatively evaluated BWR RPVs to 64 Effective Full Power Years (EFPY), which is 10 EFPY greater than what is realistically expected for the end of an additional 20-year license renewal period. Therefore, the staffs analysis provides a technical basis for relief from the current ISI requirements of ASME Code,Section XI for volumetric examination of circumferential welds as they may apply for the license renewal period. The October 18, 2001, SE further stated that, to obtain relief, each licensee will have to demonstrate:

That, at the end of the renewal period, the circumferential welds will satisfy the limiting conditional failure probabilities for circumferential welds in Appendix E of the staff's July 28, 1998 SE, and that they have implemented operator training and established procedures that limit the frequency of cold overpressure events to the frequency specified in the staffs July 28, 1998 SE.

Enclosure