ML081300809

Request for Additional Information, Renewal of Active or Expired N-Type Certificates for Plants

ML081300809
Person / Time
Site:	Watts Bar
Issue date:	05/22/2008
From:	Milano P NRC/NRR/ADRO/DORL/WBSPB
To:	Bhatnagar A Tennessee Valley Authority
Milano P, NRR/DORL , 415-1457
References
TAC MD8314
Download: ML081300809 (5)

Text

May 22, 2008 Mr. Ashok S. Bhatnagar Senior Vice President Nuclear Generation Development and Construction 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801

SUBJECT:

WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT 2 - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING RENEWAL OF ACTIVE OR EXPIRED N-TYPE CERTIFICATES FOR PLANTS NOT IN ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION (TAC NO. MD8314)

Dear Mr. Bhatnagar:

By letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) dated February 1, 2008, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) submitted a request for authorization to use an alternative to the requirements in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code),Section III. Specifically, TVA requested to use the provisions of ASME Code Case N-520-2, Alternative Rules for Renewal of Active or Expired N-Type Certificates for Plants Not in Active Construction,Section III, Division I. Code Case N-520-2 would allow TVA to obtain a temporary Certificate of Authorization from ASME to complete and transfer documentation of the partially completed ASME Section III systems and components to the jurisdiction of a subcontractor, who will be an ASME Section III N-Certificate holder.

The NRC staff is reviewing your submittal and has determined that additional information is needed to complete its review. The specific information requested is addressed in the enclosure to this letter.

This request for additional information was discussed with members of your staff, and it was agreed that a response would be provided within 45 days of the date of this letter. If circumstances result in the need to revise the requested response date, please contact me at (301) 415-1457.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Patrick D. Milano, Senior Project Manager Watts Bar Special Projects Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-391

Enclosure:

Request for Additional Information cc w/encl: See next page

This request for additional information was discussed with members of your staff, and it was agreed that a response would be provided within 45 days of the date of this letter. If circumstances result in the need to revise the requested response date, please contact me at (301) 415-1457.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Patrick D. Milano, Senior Project Manager Watts Bar Special Projects Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-391

Enclosure:

Request for Additional Information cc w/encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC RidsOgcRp RidsNrrDorlLwpb RidsNrrPMPMilano RidsNroDcipCqvb RidsNrrDorlDpr RidsNrrPMJUribe RidsNrrDciCpnb R. McIntyre, NRO RidsNrrDeEqva RidsAcrsAcnw&mMailCenter RidRgn2MailCenter (R. Haag)

RidsNrrLABClayton (Hard Copy)

ADAMS Accession Number: ML081300809 OFFICE LWPB/PM LWPB/LA EQVA/BC LWPB/BC NAME PMilano BClayton DThatcher LRaghavan DATE 5/12/08 5/12/08 5/19/08 5/22/08 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

ENCLOSURE REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT 2 DOCKET NO. 50-391 By letter dated February 1, 2008 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML080370185), Tennessee Valley Authority submitted a request for authorization to use of the provisions of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code Case N-520-2, Alternative Rules for Renewal of Active or Expired N-Type Certificates for Plants Not in Active Construction,Section III, Division I, for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2 (WBN-2). In reviewing the application, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has determined that the following information is needed in order to complete its review:

1.

In paragraph (c) of the ASME Code Case N-520-2 it is stated that: [t]he Quality Assurance program previously accepted by the society shall be continually implemented (NCA-8140) and any revisions to the program shall be acceptable to the Authorized Nuclear Inspection Agency. However, in the second paragraph of page 1 of to the application, it notes that the ASME Section III Quality Assurance (QA)

Manual was applied to WBN-2 only through October 25, 1996. It appears that the code case requires that the ASME Section III QA manual should have been applied post October 25, 1996, to such items as layup, maintenance, and removal of components for use on the other unit.

Clarify whether the QA manual was applied after October 25, 1996, for such items as layup, maintenance, and removal of components.

2.

In Enclosure 1, the section entitled Proposed Alternative and Basis for Use states in Item No. 2 that: [t]he Society will perform a survey of the limited scope quality assurance program and processes to ensure that the procedures are in place to accomplish the code data transfer in accordance with the provisions of the Code Case.

Since NRC staff has not yet reviewed this revised code case, nor has it approved its generic use by the industry through the usual processes of incorporation (i.e., Regulatory Guides, Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 50.55a), the staffs position is that a FULL ASME survey, and not a limited survey, should be performed.

Clarify your definition of a limited scope survey to provide, in more detail, the scope of the survey of the QA program to be performed.

3.

In Enclosure 1, Item No. 6 of the section entitled Proposed Alternative and Basis for Use, states that the term length of the temporary certificates will be of limited duration.

Paragraph (f)(7) of the code case has specific requirements for the term of the temporary certificates and for renewals.

Clarify your definition of limited duration to a more detailed timeframe, and describe how this will comply with requirements of the code case.

Ashok S. Bhatnagar Tennessee Valley Authority WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT UNIT 2 cc:

Mr. Gordon P. Arent New Generation Licensing Manager Tennessee Valley Authority 5A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Senior Resident Inspector, Unit 2 Watts Bar Nuclear Plant U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1260 Nuclear Plant Road Spring City, TN 37381 Mr. Michael K. Brandon, Manager Licensing and Industry Affairs Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Spring City, TN 37381 Mr. William R. Campbell, Jr.

Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice President Tennessee Valley Authority 3R Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 County Executive 375 Church Street Suite 215 Dayton, TN 37321 County Mayor P. O. Box 156 Decatur, TN 37322 Mr. John C. Fornicola, General Manager Nuclear Assurance Tennessee Valley Authority 3R Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 General Counsel Tennessee Valley Authority 6A West Tower 400 West Summit Hill Drive Knoxville, TN 37902 Mr. Michael J. Lorek, Plant Manager Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Spring City, TN 37381 Mr. Lawrence E. Nanney, Director Tennessee Dept. of Environmental Health &

Conservation Division of Radiological Health 3rd Floor, L&C Annex 401 Church Street Nashville, TN 37243-1532 Mr. Larry E. Nicholson, General Manager Performance Improvement Tennessee Valley Authority 3R Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Mr. Masoud Bajestani, Vice President Watts Bar Unit 2 Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Spring City, TN 37381 Mr. Michael D. Skaggs Site Vice President Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P. O. Box 2000 Spring City, TN 37381 Ms. Ann P. Harris 341 Swing Loop Road Rockwood, TN 37854