ML081130057

Indian Point - NRC Staff'S Reply to Riverkeeper, Inc.'S Response to the Licensing Board'S Questions Regarding Contention EC-2 (Samas)

ML081130057
Person / Time
Site:	Indian Point
Issue date:	04/21/2008
From:	Mizuno B NRC/OGC
To:	Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
SECY RAS
References
50-247-LR, 50-286-LR, RAS E-82
Download: ML081130057 (5)

Text

April 21, 2008 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD In the Matter of )

)

ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC. ) Docket Nos. 50-247/286-LR

)

(Indian Point Nuclear Generating )

Units 2 and 3) )

NRC STAFFS REPLY TO RIVERKEEPER, INC.S RESPONSE TO THE THE LICENSING BOARDS QUESTIONS REGARDING CONTENTION EC-2 (SAMAs)

The Staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Staff) hereby replies to Riverkeeper, Inc.s Response to Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Questions Regarding Contention EC-2 (Riverkeepers Response), filed on April 7, 2008.1 As set forth below, the Staff submits that, even as clarified, the contention is inadmissible because it fails to show any reason to believe that the MAAP code is defective or was used improperly by the Applicant.2 First, Riverkeepers reliance on NUREG-1465 (Riverkeepers Response, passim) is unavailing. At issue here is the adequacy of Entergys analysis of the release of radionuclides to the environment in a severe accident. In contrast, NUREG-1465s source term only addresses the release of radionuclides into containment; it assumes a release resulting from substantial meltdown of the core into the containment . . . and [assumes] that the containment remains intact but leaks at its maximum allowable leak rate. NUREG 1465, at 1 (emphasis 1

In Contention EC-2, Riverkeeper, Inc. (Riverkeeper) challenged Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.s (Entergy) use of the Modular Accident Analysis Program (MAAP) Code in calculating accident consequences for purposes of severe accident mitigation alternatives (SAMA) analysis. Riverkeeper claimed that Entergys use of the MAAP code produced a lower source term than the source term in NUREG-1465. In its April 7, 2008 response, Riverkeeper confirmed (a) that NUREG-1465s source term is a source term for releases from the reactor vessel into containment and (b) that Riverkeeper had then assumed that 100% of the radionuclide inventory would be released from the containment to the environment by way of an early energetic containment failure. Riverkeepers Response at 2 and 3 n.1.

2 Duke Energy Corp. (McGuire Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2; Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2), LBP-03-17, 58 NRC 221, 240 (2003).

added). Thus, NUREG-1465 does not support Riverkeepers use of that document to postulate a 100% prompt release resulting from an early energetic containment breach.

Second, even if NUREG-1465s source term could be used as the source term for an energetic early release from containment, Riverkeeper still has not established a basis for its contention. While Riverkeeper points to a single event followed by a 100% early release from containment, Entergys MAAP-based source term represents all early high release accident sequences, including Riverkeepers early energetic containment failure sequence,3 which Entergy weighted according to their estimated frequency of occurrence consistent with probabilistic practice. Entergy determined that 90% of early high releases would be the result of containment by-pass events, specifically steam generator tube rupture and inter-active system loss of coolant accidents, and that the remaining 10% would be the result of early containment failure and other events.4 Early containment failure and containment by-pass are different events, with significant differences in sequence progression, release pathways, and fission product deposition and removal mechanisms.5 These two different events naturally result in different source terms; the disparity between Entergys MAAP-based probabilistic source term and the NUREG-1465 source term fails to show any reason to believe that Entergys source term is deficient, as required to support an admissible contention.

Respectfully submitted,

/RA/

Beth N. Mizuno Counsel for NRC Staff Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 21st day of April, 2008 3

Indian Point License Renewal Application, Environmental Report (LRA ER), Sections 1.2.2.7 and 3.2.2.7, Consequence Analysis Source Terms for IP2 and IP3.

4 LRA ER, Figures E.1-2 and E.3-2, Contributions to Large Early Release Frequency for IP2 and IP3.

5 NUREG-1150, Severe Accident Risks: An Assessment for Five U.S. Nuclear Power Plants, December 1990, Vol. 2, Sections C-10.1 and C-13.4.1.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD In the Matter of )

)

ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC. ) Docket Nos. 50-247/286-LR

)

(Indian Point Nuclear Generating )

Units 2 and 3) )

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that copies of the foregoing NRC STAFFS REPLY TO RIVERKEEPER, INC.S RESPONSE TO THE LICENSING BOARD QUESTIONS REGARDING CONTENTION EC-2 (SAMAs), dated April 21, 2008, have been served upon the following through deposit in the NRCs internal mail system, with copies by electronic mail, as indicated by an asterisk, or by deposit in the U.S. Postal Service, with copies by electronic mail, as indicated by double asterisk, this 21st day of April, 2008:

Lawrence G. McDade, Chair* Office of Commission Appellate Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Adjudication*

Mail Stop - T-3 F23 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop: O-16G4 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: LGM1@nrc.gov E-mail: OCAAMAIL@nrc.gov Dr. Richard E. Wardwell* Office of the Secretary*

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Attn: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff Mail Stop - T-3 F23 Mail Stop: O-16G4 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: REW@nrc.gov E-mail: HEARINGDOCKET@nrc.gov Dr. Kaye D. Lathrop* Zachary S. Kahn*

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Law Clerk 190 Cedar Lane E. Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Ridgway, CO 81432 Mail Stop - T-3 F23 E-mail: KDL2@nrc.gov U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel* E-mail: ZXK1@nrc.gov U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mail Stop: T-3 F23 Washington, DC 20555-0001

Marcia Carpentier* John LeKay**

Law Clerk FUSE USA Atomic Safety and Licensing Board 351 Dyckman Street Mail Stop: T-3 E2B Peekskill, NY 10566 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission E-mail: fuse_usa@yahoo.com Washington, DC 20555-0001 (E-mail: Marcia.Carpentier@nrc.gov) Manna Jo Greene**

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc.

William C. Dennis, Esq.** 112 Little Market Street Assistant General Counsel Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. E-mail: Mannajo@clearwater.org 440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Justin D. Pruyne, Esq.**

E-mail: wdennis@entergy.com Assistant County Attorney Office of the Westchester County Attorney Kathryn M. Sutton, Esq.** 148 Martine Avenue, 6th Floor Paul M. Bessette, Esq. White Plains, NY 10601 Martin J. ONeill, Esq. E-mail: jdp3@westchestergov.com Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Daniel E. ONeill, Mayor**

Washington, D.C. 20004 James Seirmarco, M.S.

E-mail: ksutton@morganlewis.com Village of Buchanan E-mail: pbessette@morganlewis.com Municipal Building E-mail: martin.o'neill@morganlewis.com Buchanan, NY 10511-1298 E-mail: vob@bestweb.net Michael J. Delaney, Esq.**

Vice President - Energy Department John J. Sipos, Esq.**

New York City Economic Development Charlie Donaldson, Esq.

Corporation (NYCDEC) Assistants Attorney General 110 William Street New York State Department of Law New York, NY 10038 Environmental Protection Bureau E-mail: mdelaney@nycedc.com The Capitol Albany, NY 12224 Susan H. Shapiro, Esq.** E-mail: john.sipos@oag.state.ny.us 21 Perlman Drive Spring Valley, NY 10977 Joan Leary Matthews, Esq.**

E-mail: mbs@ourrocklandoffice.com Senior Attorney for Special Projects New York State Department of Arthur J. Kremer, Chairman** Environmental Conservation New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Office of the General Counsel Alliance (AREA) 625 Broadway, 14th Floor 347 Fifth Avenue, Suite 508 Albany, NY 12233-1500 New York, NY 10016 E-mail: jlmatthe@gw.dec.state.ny.us E-mail: ajkremer@rmfpc.com kremer@area-alliance.org

Diane Curran, Esq.** Victor Tafur, Esq.**

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, Phillip Musegaas, Esq.

LLP Riverkeeper, Inc.

1726 M Street, NW, Suite 600 828 South Broadway Washington, D.C. 20036 Tarrytown, NY 10591 E-mail: dcurran@harmoncurran.com E-mail: phillip@riverkeeper.org vtafur@riverkeeper.org Robert Snook, Esq.**

Office of the Attorney General Richard L. Brodsky, Esq.**

State of Connecticut 5 West Main St.

55 Elm Street Elmsford, NY 10523 P.O. Box 120 E-mail: brodskr@assembly.state.ny.us Hartford, CN 06141-0120 richardbrodsky@msn.com E-mail: robert.snook@po.state.ct.us Elise N. Zoli, Esq.**

Daniel Riesel, Esq**. Goodwin Procter, LLP Thomas F. Wood, Esq. Exchange Place Ms. Jessica Steinberg, J.D. 53 State Street Sive, Paget & Riesel, P.C. Boston, MA 02109 460 Park Avenue E-mail: ezoli@goodwinprocter.com New York, NY 10022 E-mail: driesel@sprlaw.com Sarah L. Wagner, Esq.**

jsteinberg@sprlaw.com Legislative Office Building, Room 422 Albany, NY 12248 Ms. Nancy Burton** E-mail: sarahwagneresq@gmail.com 147 Cross Highway Redding Ridge, CT 06876 John Louis Parker, Esq.**

E-mail: nancyburtonct@aol.com Office of General Counsel, Region 3 New York State Department of Mylan L. Denerstein, Esq.** Environmental conservation Janice A. Dean, Esq. 21 South Putt Corners Road Executive Deputy Attorney General, New Paltz, NY 12561-1620 Social Justice E-mail: jlparker@gw.dec.state.ny.us Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York 120 Broadway, 25th Floor New York, NY 10271 E-mail: mylan.denerstein@oag.state.ny.us janice.dean@oag.state.ny.us

/RA/

Beth N. Mizuno Counsel for NRC Staff