DCL-11-047, Diablo Canyon, Units 1 and 2 - Request for Deferral of Issuance of Renewed Operating Licenses

Diablo Canyon, Units 1 and 2 - Request for Deferral of Issuance of Renewed Operating Licenses

ML111010592
Person / Time
Site:	Diablo Canyon
Issue date:	04/10/2011
From:	Conway J T Pacific Gas & Electric Co
To:	Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Document Control Desk
References
DCL-11-047, OL-DPR-80, OL-DPR-82
Download: ML111010592 (2)

Text

Pacific Gas and Electric Company April 10, 2011 PG&E Letter DCL-11-047 US Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555-0001 Docket No. 50-275, OL-DPR-80 Docket No. 50-323, OL-DPR-82 Diablo Canyon Units 1 and 2 John T. Conway Senior Vice President-Energy Supply & Chief Nuclear Officer 77 Beale Street Mail Code B32 San Francisco, CA 94105 415.973.3336 Internal:

223.3336 Fax: 415.973.2313 Alternate Address Diablo Canyon Power Plant p. O. Box 56 Avila Beach, CA 93424 805.545.3333 Fax: 805.545.4884 Request for Deferral of Issuance of Diablo Canyon Power Plant Renewed Operating Licenses Dear Commissioners and Staff: By Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Letter DCL-09-079, "License Renewal Application," dated November 23, 2009, PG&E submitted an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the .renewal of Facility Operating Licenses DPR-80 and DPR-82, for Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) Units 1 and 2, respectively.

The application included the license renewal application (LRA), and Applicant's Environmental Report -Operating License Renewal Stage. As you know, the Commission's review of the LRA includes consideration of whether license renewal is consistent with the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). The agencies responsible for performing the coastal consistency review for DCPP are San Luis Obispo County and the California Coastal Commission.

In light of recent events at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, and the considerable public concern regarding the need to assure the seismic safety at DCPP, PG&E has decided it is most prudent to have completed certain seismic studies at DCPP prior to issuance of the coastal consistency certification and the renewed NRC operating licenses, if approved.

The seismic studies referenced above are the seismic studies approved and funded by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), including 3-D seismic studies recommended by the California Energy Commission (collectively referred to in this letter as the "3-D seismic studies").

The CZMA and the California Coastal Act, and their implementing regulations, do not necessarily require the 3-D seismic studies to be completed prior to issuance of the coastal consistency certification or that a coastal development permit be obtained in connection with license renewal. Nonetheless, as noted above, PG&E believes it prudent to complete these studies and issue a report addressing the results prior to issuance of a consistency certification and/or renewed operating licenses, if approved.

A member of the STARS (Strategic Teaming and Resource Sharing) Alliance Callaway

• Comanche Peak

• Diablo Canyon

• Palo Verde

• San Onofre

• South Texas Project

• Wolf Creek Document Control Desk April 1 0,2011 Page 2 PG&E Letter DCL-11-047 The CPUC approved PG&E's application for funding to perform the 3-D seismic studies on August 16, 2010. PG&E estimates that implementation of the 3-D seismic studies and investigations will occur over a minimum three-year period, which started in 2010. However, because this task will require the acquisition of all necessary State of California permits for seismic sources that exceed the 2-kilojoule energy limit, compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, conducting data collection over the defined off-shore survey area, and data interpretation and integration, it is possible for the completion date for the studies to be delayed. In any event, presuming PG&E obtains all necessary permits, PG&E expects the 3-D seismic studies to be completed, and intends to issue a report addressing the results of those studies, as soon as possible after completing the analysis of the data and no later than December 2015. PG&E therefore requests that the Commission delay the final processing of the LRA such that the renewed operating licenses, if approved, would not be issued until after PG&E has completed the 3-D seismic studies and submitted a report to the NRC addressing the results of those studies. PG&E would appreciate a Commission response to this letter granting this request on the docket for the License Renewal Application, Docket No. 50-275, OL-DPR-80, Docket No. 50-323, OL-DPR-82.

Please contact Mr. Terence L. Grebel, License Renewal Project Manager, at (805) 545-4160 with any questions about this letter. Executed on April 1 0,2011. Sincerely, { . Jo T. Conway Senior Vice President

-Energy Supply and Chief Nuclear Officer jlp/223-9809 cc: Elmo E. Collins, NRC Region IV Regional Administrator Nathanial B. Ferrer, NRC Project Manager, License Renewal Kimberly J. Green, NRC Project Manager, License Renewal Michael S. Peck, NRC Senior Resident Inspector James T. Polickoski, Project Manager, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Alan B. Wang, Project Manager, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Diablo Distribution A member of the STARS (Strategic Teaming and Resource Sharing) Alliance Callaway

• Comanche Peak

• Diablo Canyon

• Palo Verde

• San Onofre

• South Texas Project

• Wolf Creek