ML110050255

December 29, 2010, Summary of Public Conference Call with Exelon Generation Company, LLC, Regarding LaSalle Netco Insert Request

ML110050255
Person / Time
Site:	LaSalle
Issue date:	01/17/2011
From:	Ellen Brown Plant Licensing Branch III
To:
Brown Eva, NRR/DORL, 415-2315
Shared Package
ML110050347	List: ML110050255 ML110050359
References
TAC ME2376, TAC ME2377
Download: ML110050255 (13)

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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION f/l ~ WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-1)001

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• • • • .. January 17, 2011 LICENSEE: Exelon Generation Company, LLC FACILITY: LaSalle County Station, Units 1 and 2 (LaSalle)

SUMMARY

OF DECEMBER 29, 2010, PUBLIC CONFERENCE CALL WITH EXELON GENERATION COMPANY, LLC REGARDING LASALLE NETCO INSERT REQUEST (TAC NOS. ME2376 AND ME2377)

On December 29,2010, a Category 1 public conference call was held between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), representatives of Exelon Generation Company, LLC (the licensee) and a representative from NETCO at the NRC Headquarters, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The purpose of the meeting was to continue discussions from the public meeting on November 10,2010, regarding the license amendment request (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Package No.

ML092810278) to allow full recovery of spent fuel storage rack cells that are unusable due to Boraflex neutron absorber degradation through the use of NETCO-SNAP-IN rack inserts. A list of attendees is provided as Enclosure 1. Some portions of the meeting discussion were proprietary; a non-proprietary meeting summary follows.

The NRC's presentation (See Enclosure 2) summarized the license amendment application status and presented outstanding NRC concerns with the Exelon plan for installing rack inserts and the proposed actions to reconfigure the spent fuel pool as presented by Exelon in the public meeting held on November 10, 2010, and documented in Exelon's response (ADAMS Package No. ML102270566) received on November 23, 2010, to the NRC's request for additional information (ADAMS Package No. ML103210499) dated November 19, 2010.

The NRC staff clarified that there is no concern with the use of spent fuel pool cells that credit NETCO-SNAP-IN rack inserts as the neutron absorber, there is however, a concern with the use of spent fuel pool cells that credit Boraflex as the neutron absorber without further evaluation of the method used to determine the extent of Boraflex degradation (RACKLlFE).

The NRC staff concerns include: code validation, analysis assumptions, biases and uncertainties in the RACKLIFE model, Boraflex thinning which could allow the material to slide during a seismic event, the lack of a recent criticality analysis, and the lack of detail in determining if margins are offset by non conservatisms or uncertainties.

Exelon reiterated a previously proposed threl9 tier method to credit cells based on Boraflex degradation. The first tier (low Boraflex degradation) will permit unrestricted fuel storage. The second tier (moderate Boraflex degradation) will permit low reactivity fuel storage. The third tier (substantial Boraflex degradation) will be unusable. Exelon stated a date by which spent fuel bundle transfer to dry storage must begin in order to achieve refuel outage goals without using the proposed three tier method. The NRC staff asked and was informed that the outside temperature must be greater than 0 degrees Fahrenheit in order to transfer fuel to dry storage.

-2 The NRC staff intends to provide a technical evaluation to permit limited crediting of Boraflex for a specified period time beyond the refuel outage. The NRC staff intends to formalize its concerns with the method to determine Boraflex degradation (RACKLlFE) in a request for additional information (RAI). The NRC, dependent upon the Exelon response to the RAI, intends to provide a technical evaluation for the time after the specified period of time beyond the refuel outage.

No members of the public were in attendance. Public Meeting Feedback forms were not received.

Please direct any inquiries to me at 301-415-2315, or eva.brown@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, IRA!

Eva Brown, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 111-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-373 and 50-374

Enclosures:

1. List of Attendees

2. NRC Handout cc w/encl: Distribution via ListServ

LIST OF A TIENDEES DECEMBER 29,2010, PUBLIC MEETING WITH EXELON GENERATION COMPANY, LLC REGARDING LASALLE NETCO INSERT REQUEST Name Affiliation A Ulses* NRC/NRR E. Brown NRC/NRR C.Norton NRC/NRR K. Wood* NRC/NRR A Pulvirenti NRC/RES C. Upa* NRC/Rill F. Ramirez* NRC/Rill D. Benyak

• Exelon P. Simpson

• Exelon K. Nicely

• Exelon S. Shields* Exelon J. Dunlap* Exelon A Levin* Exelon T. Simpkin* Exelon P. Hansett* Exelon K. Hachmuth* Exelon P. Wlcyk* Exelon J. Gumnick* Exelon G. Benes* Exelon S. Leuenroth* NETCO

• by phone Enclosure 1

NRC HANDOUTS December 29, 2010, PUBLIC MEETING WITH EXELON GENERATION COMPANY, LLC REGARDING LASALLE NETCO INSERT REQUEST Enclosure 2

LaSalle County Station Unit 2 Spent Fuel Storage Racks Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Nuclear Regulatory Commission December 29, 2010 Enclosure 2

Agenda

~ Introduction - Charles Norton

~ Application Status - Eva Brown

~ Path Forward - Eva Brown

.. Outstanding Concerns - Kent Wood

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Application Status

~ October 5,2009 submittal [ML092810278]

• November 12, 2009 Acceptance Review Complete

[ML093160531 ]

~ Requests for Additional Information o April 26, 2010 [ML100980209]

o June 2, 2010 e-mail [ML101540001]

o November 19,2010 [ML103210499]

o December 10, 201 0 [ML103430423]

• Supplements o June 10, 201 0 [ML101650229]

o November 23, 201 0 [ML103270566]

o December 14, 201 0 [ML103490098]

o December 22,2010 [ML103570025]

Application Status (cont.)

~ Pu bl ic Meeti ngs o June 1 , 201 0

• Discuss RAI Responses o October 21, 2010

• Discuss support for outage o November 1 0, 201 0

• Licensee proposal for outage o December 29, 201 0

• Discuss status and path forward beyond outage

Path Forward

~ NRC Review to be completed in two parts o Outage + 1 20 o Full campaign

~ Outage (L2 R1 3) o Spring 2011 refueling outage o Pool reconfiguration L2R13+ 120 days

~ Full campaign o Licensee proposed completion December 31 , 2014 o Outstanding technical issues

Outage + 120

~ Relies heavily on November 10, 201 proposal

° o Engineering judgement

• November 23, 201 0 supplement

• December 14, 201 0 supplement

• December 22, 2010 supplement

~ NRC staff technical review o Completion scheduled January 28, 2011 o Partial review o License conditions

- 2 The NRC staff intends to provide a technical evaluation to permit limited crediting of Boraflex for a specified period time beyond the refuel outage. The NRC staff intends to formalize its concerns with the method to determine Boraflex degradation (RACKLlFE) in a request for additional information (RAI). The NRC, dependent upon the Exelon response to the RAI, intends to provide a technical evaluation for the time after the specified period of time beyond the refuel outage.

No members of the public were in attendance. Public Meeting Feedback forms were not received.

Please direct any inquiries to me at 301-415-2315, or eva.brown@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, IRA!

Eva Brown, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 111-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-373 and 50-374

Enclosures:

1. List of Attendees

2. NRC Handout cc w/encl: Distribution via ListServ DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC DMerzke, EDO R-III CHarris, RES LPL3-2 RlF RTaylor, NRR APulvirenti, RES Rids AcrsAcnw_MailCTR Resource AUlses, NRR cSteger, NRR RidsNrrDorl Resource MGavrilas, RES VMitlyng, OPA R-III RidsNrrDorlLpl3-2 Resource CNorton, NRR KRiemer, Rill RidsNrrPMLasalie Resource NDiFrancesco, NRR CLipa, Rill RidsNrrLATHarris MYoder, NRR FRamirez, Rill RidsOgcMailCenter Resource EWong. NRR RidsRgn3MailCenter Resource KWood, NRR Package ADAMS Accession No. ML110050347 ADAMS Accession Meeting Summary ML110050255 ADAMS Accession no Handouts ML110050359 NRC-001 OFFICE DORULPL3-2/PM DORULPL3-21PM DORULPL3-21LA DORULPL3-21BC NAME cNorton EBrown THarris RCarlson DATE 01/6111 0117111 01/6111 01/17/11 OFFICIAL RECORD COpy