ML13056A124

Email from M. Franovich, NRR to J. Vail, NRR Et Al. FW: Request for COM Ta Brief

ML13056A124
Person / Time
Site:	Oconee
Issue date:	08/08/2008
From:	Mike Franovich Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Jeff Circle, Viall J Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, NRC/NRR/DRA/APOB
References
FOIA/PA-2012-0325
Download: ML13056A124 (2)

Text

of Circle, Jeff Mike Franovich ' ' L --

From:

Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 9:02 AM To: James Vail; Jeff Circle

Subject:

FW: Request for COM TA brief Showtime ..... mark your calendars.

From: John Adams t '*Q Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 8:00 AM To: Jon Thompson Cc: Mike Franovich; Melanie Wong; Melanie Galloway

Subject:

RE: Request for COM TA brief This is to confirm that the staff will brief the TAs on the subject topic on Tuesday (8/12) at 4:00 p.m. in the 18th floor conference room.

Note that some of the TAs may be tied up in the Commission meeting which is scheduled to run until 4:30.

That may delay the start of this briefing.

From: Jon Thompson I n v Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 11:15 AM To: John Adams Cc: Mike Franovich; Melanie Wong; Melanie Galloway

Subject:

Request for COM TA brief REQUEST FOR COMMISSIONERS ASSISTANT'S BRIEFING:

To: J. Adams, OEDO From: J. Thompson, NRR/DORL/LPL 2-1

Subject:

Staff requests a briefing of the Commission Technical Assistants on Issuance of Request for Information per 10 CFR 50.54(f) regarding the Oconee Flood Issue.

Summary:

The purpose of the briefing is to inform the Technical Assistants of the NRC staff's intent to issue a request for information per 10 CFR 50.54(f) related to predicted failure frequencies and event consequences for the Jocassee Pumped Storage Dam which is located in proximity to the Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS). There is the potential for this request to be followed by a safety order following NRC staff review of the licensee's response. NRC staff evaluated licensee responses to an ROP White Finding have discovered that there may be a significant underestimate of both the consequences and likelihood of an external flooding event at the site. The licensee's response would provide the information necessary to assess what regulatory action the NRC may deem necessary to take in order to protect public health and safety.

Key Messages:

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• The NRC is taking this action to ensure protection of public health and safety.

• This information request pursuant to 10 CFR 50.54(f) requires the licensee to provide the NRC with information regarding external flooding of the Oconee site, including the consequences of a Jocassee Dam failure. The NRC will use this information to determine whether further regulatory action is needed with respect to the affected licensees and whether further additional assessment is needed.

• The NRC staff have performed a preliminary cost-benefit analysis which indicates modifications up to $13 million could be justified with an estimated preliminary cost for modifications (higher walls, water-proof doors, etc.) of approximately $3 million.

• The NRC recognizes that the use of an erroneous rupture frequency, significantly lower than what should have been based on actual data, could be a cause of concern at certain nuclear power plants. This information request is part of NRC's plan to address this issue.

• The NRC staff will issue an IN to apprise other licensees of the potential discrepancies in the flood analyses used to assess protection and begin to review potential impacts on other plants.

Proposed times:

Possible briefing times are Monday, 8/11 at 10:00 am (preferred) or 3:00 pm; or Tuesday 8/12 at 11:00 am or 4:00 p.m. Staff are also available Friday afternoon if desired. Approximately 45 minutes is needed for this briefing.

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