ML110110272
| ML110110272 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Watts Bar  |
| Issue date: | 01/27/2011 |
| From: | Leeds E Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Bhatnagar A Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Milano P, NRR/DLPM 415-1457 | |
| References | |
| Download: ML110110272 (6) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 January 27, 2011 Mr. Ashok S. Bhatnagar Senior Vice President Nuclear Generation Development and Construction Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801
SUBJECT:
WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT 2-STATUS OF OPERATING LICENSE APPLICATION REVIEW
Dear Mr. Bhatnagar:
On July 28, 2010, my staff sent you a letter documenting the status of the operating license (OL) application review for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN), Unit 2. In that letter, the staff also identified issues with the timeliness and quality of the documentation submitted by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the resulting impact on the OL application review.
The purpose of this letter is to re-emphasize to you that issues with the timeliness and quality of submittals continue to arise, and these issues are impacting the schedule for completing the licensing review. As a consequence, the duration of review activities to achieve the schedule milestones needed for licensing WBN Unit 2 will be extended because of TVA's difficulty in providing the necessary and sufficient supporting information in response to staff requests for additional information (RAls).
Specifically, your staff submitted on December 18, 2010, what was expected to be the final "as-designed" fire protection report in order to allow the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff to commence its review, which is critical to the overall project schedule. My staff performed an initial review of the information and found that the material contains place holders for future design information, in addition to errors and omissions. Therefore, the submittal does not fully meet our informational needs. The fire protection review schedule has already been impacted by previous delays, and further delays can only worsen the schedule.
For the reviews underway on a number of the topics presented in the WBN Unit 2 Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), the late receipt of TVA responses to RAls affected the NRC staffs progress. For example, the staff has received only partial responses to its RAls (which were issued on August 27,2010) supporting the review of Chapters 11 and 12, and TVA is late in providing the remaining information. Similarly, information needed by the staff to complete its review of shared support systems and spent fuel pool cooling were due in October 2010, but interim commitments were missed and the information was not submitted until December 2010.
As a final example, TVA's information on a new radiation monitor described in FSAR Chapter 7 was confusing because of references to other plants, which created questions about the applicability of the documentation. TVA has not yet been able to fully address these issues.
Although a complete RAI submittal is best, the staff has told TVA to not refrain from providing
A. Bhatnagar
- 2 the available information if portions will be delayed. However, the staff feels that the delays have been excessive and have disrupted the review process.
Finally, you are already aware that the staffs review of TVA's supplement to its environmental impact statement supporting operation of WBN Unit 2 has been extended because of delays in the submittal of revised analyses on severe accident mitigation alternatives and other supporting studies. TVA will need to pay special attention to addressing staff questions to minimize further schedule delays.
In summary, we request your prompt action to ensure that your submittals are timely, complete, and of high quality. This action is imperative for the NRC staff to complete all of its licensing reviews and inspections consistent with your schedule to commence operation in fiscal year 2012.
Sincerely, 1L=:
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. pO-391 cc: Distribution via Listserv
A. Bhatnagar
- 2 the available information if portions will be delayed. However, the staff feels that the delays have been excessive and have disrupted the review process.
Finally, you are already aware that the staff's review of TVA's supplement to its environmental impact statement supporting operation of WBN Unit 2 has been extended because of delays in the submittal of revised analyses on severe accident mitigation alternatives and other supporting studies. TVA will need to pay special attention to addressing staff questions to minimize further schedule delays.
In summary, we request your prompt action to ensure that your submittals are timely, complete, and of high quality. This action is imperative for the NRC staff to complete all of its licensing reviews and inspections consistent with your schedule to commence operation in fiscal year 2012.
Sincerely, IRAJ Eric J. Leeds, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-391 cc: Distribution via Listserv DISTRI BUTION:
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