ML100541619

Determination of Acceptability and Sufficiency for Docketing, Proposed Review Schedule, and Opportunity for a Hearing Regarding the Application from Energy Northwest, for Renewal of the Operating Licenses for the Columbia Generating Station

ML100541619
Person / Time
Site:	Columbia
Issue date:	03/04/2010
From:	Brian Holian Division of License Renewal
To:	Oxenford W Energy Northwest
Gettys E, NRR/DLR, 415-4029
References
Download: ML100541619 (6)

Text

March 4, 2010 Mr. W.S. Oxenford, Senior Vice President, Generation and Chief Nuclear Officer Columbia Generating Station Energy Northwest MD PE08 P.O. Box 968 Richland, WA 99352

SUBJECT:

DETERMINATION OF ACCEPTABILITY AND SUFFICIENCY FOR DOCKETING, PROPOSED REVIEW SCHEDULE, AND OPPORTUNITY FOR A HEARING REGARDING THE APPLICATION FROM ENERGY NORTHWEST FOR RENEWAL OF THE OPERATING LICENSE FOR THE COLUMBIA GENERATING STATION

Dear Mr. Oxenford:

By letter dated January 19, 2010, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received Energy Northwests application for renewal of operating license No. NPF-21 for the Columbia Generating Station (CGS). Notice of receipt of this application was published in the Federal Register on February 2, 2010 (75 FR 5353). The purpose of this letter is to provide the results of the NRC staff's acceptance review of the license renewal application (LRA) for CGS. The acceptance review determines whether the application contains sufficient information to allow the NRC staff to proceed with the safety and environmental reviews.

The NRC staff has reviewed your application following the guidance in NUREG-1800, Revision 1, Standard Review Plan for Review of License Renewal Applications for Nuclear Power Plants, and NUREG-1555, Standard Review Plans for Environmental Reviews for Nuclear Power Plants. As a result, the NRC staff has determined that the application is sufficient and acceptable for docketing, in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Sections 2.101, 54.19, 54.21, 54.22, 54.23, 51.45, and 51.53(c). However, the staffs determination does not preclude requests for additional information (RAIs) as the review proceeds.

This letter forwards the NRC staffs safety and environmental review schedule for the CGS application (Enclosure 1). The NRC staff will follow established review procedures and the enclosed schedule to complete the reviews required by 10 CFR Parts 54 and 51. This schedule has been established in accordance with a 30-month review plan, which includes time to conduct a hearing, should a hearing be requested and granted. Milestones for hearing activities are not included in the enclosed schedule because these dates, if needed, would be established by the Commission or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel.

We would like to emphasize that the review of your LRA will be very detailed and thorough. The NRC staff will make every effort to meet the scheduled milestones; thus, your responses to the staff's RAIs, if needed, must be complete and provided in a timely manner. We request that you inform the NRC staff as early as possible should potential delays arise in your support of the schedule.

W. Oxenford Finally, we have also enclosed a copy of the notice related to your application that is being sent to the Office of the Federal Register for publication (Enclosure 2). This notice announces the opportunity to request a hearing and to file a petition for leave to intervene.

If you have any questions on this matter, please contact Ms. Evelyn Gettys, Project Manager, for the review of the CGS LRA, by telephone at 301-415-4029 or via e-mail at Evelyn.Gettys@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Brian E. Holian, Director Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-397

Enclosures:

As stated cc w/encls: See next page

ML100541619 OFFICE PM:RPB1:DLR LA:RPOB:DLR PM:RPB1:DLR BC:RPB1:DLR NAME EGettys IKing DDoyle BPham DATE 2/25/10 3/3/10 2/26/10 3/3/10 OFFICE OGC NLO D:DLR:NRR NAME LSubin BHolian DATE 3/2/10 3/4/10 Letter to W. Oxenford from B. Holian dated March 4, 2010

SUBJECT:

DETERMINATION OF ACCEPTABILITY AND SUFFIENCY FOR DOCKETING, PROPOSED REVIEW SCHEDULE, AND OPPORTUNITY FOR A HEARING REGARDING THE APPLICATION FROM ENERGY NORTHWEST, FOR RENEWAL OF THE OPERATING LICENSES FOR THE COLUMBIA GENERATING STATION DISTRIBUTION:

HARD COPY:

DLR RF E-MAIL:

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Columbia Generating Station cc:

J.V. Parrish, Chief Executive Officer EFSEC Manager Energy Northwest Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council MD 1023 P.O. Box 43172 P.O. Box 968 Olympia, WA 98504-3172 Richland, WA 99352-0968 Mr. S. K. Gambhir Energy Northwest MD PE04 P.O. Box 968 Richland, WA 99352-0968 Mr. Gregory V. Cullen, Manager, Regulatory Programs Energy Northwest P.O. Box 968 MD PE20 Richland, WA 99352-0968 Mr. William A. Horin, Esq.

Winston and Strawn 1700 K Street, NW Washington, DC 20006-3817 Chairman, Benton County Board of Commissioners P.O. Box 190 Prosser, WA 99350-0190 Mr. Richard Cowley Washington State Department of Health 111 Israel Road, SE Tumwater, WA 98504-7827 Mr. Ron Cohen U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 69 Richland, WA 99352 Regional Administrator U.S. NRC Region IV Texas Health Resources Tower 612 E. Lamar Boulevard, Suite 400 Arlington, TX 76011-4125

COLUMBIA GENERATING STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION REVIEW SCHEDULE Milestone Scheduled Actual Receive license renewal application (LRA) 1/19/10 1/20/10 Publish Federal Register Notice (FRN) - LRA availability 1/26/10 2/02/10 Publish FRN - acceptance/rejection and opportunity for hearing 3/10/10 Publish FRN - Intent to conduct Environmental Scoping 3/10/10 Public Meeting - license renewal overview 4/6/10 Public Meeting - environmental scoping meeting 4/6/10 Deadline for filing hearing requests and petitions for intervention 5/14/10 Environmental scoping period ends 5/14/10 Audit - Environmental 6/7-11/10 Audit - Scoping & Screening Methodology 5/10-14/10 Audit - Aging Management Programs 5/24-6/4 10/18-22 &

Inspection - Regional 11/1-5/10 Issue environmental requests for additional information (RAIs) 7/2/10 Receive responses for environmental RAIs 8/2/10 Issue safety RAIs 8/02/10 Receive responses for safety RAIs 9/2/10 Issue draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) 12/15/10 Publish EPA FRN - draft SEIS available for comments 12/22/10 Public Meeting - draft SEIS meeting 1/12/11 Issue safety evaluation report (SER) with open items 2/11 End of draft SEIS comment period 3/7/11 Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Subcommittee meeting 4/11 Issue final SER 8/2/11 ACRS Full Committee meeting 9/11 Issue final SEIS 7/19/11 Publish EPA FRN - availability of final SEIS 7/22/11 Decision - Director, NRR (22 months if no hearing) 11/18/11 Commission decision (30 months if hearing is granted) 7/18/12 ENCLOSURE 1