ML15090A240

Acceptance of Requested Licensing Action Regarding License Amendment Request and Exemption Request Regarding the Transitioning to Areva Fuel

ML15090A240
Person / Time
Site:	Saint Lucie
Issue date:	04/08/2015
From:	Farideh Saba Plant Licensing Branch II
To:	Nazar M Florida Power & Light Co
Saba F DORL/LPL2-2 301-415-1447
References
TAC MF5494, TAC MF5495
Download: ML15090A240 (3)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 Mr. Mano Nazar President and Chief Nuclear Officer Nuclear Division NextEra Energy P.O. Box 14000 Juno Beach, FL 33408-0420 April 8, 2015

SUBJECT:

ST. LUCIE PLANT, UNIT NO. 2 -ACCEPTANCE OF REQUESTED LICENSING ACTION REGARDING LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST AND EXEMPTION REQUEST REGARDING THE TRANSITIONING TO AREVA FUEL (TAC NOS. MF5494 AND MF5495)

Dear Mr. Nazar:

By letter dated December 30, 2014 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML15002A091 ), Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) requested an amendment to the Technical Specifications (TSs) of Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-16 and asked for an exemption from the regulation for St. Lucie Plant, Unit No. 2 (SL-2). The proposed amendment would revise the TSs to allow the use of AREVA fuel at SL-2. Additionally, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)

Section 50.12, FPL requests an exemption from the provisions of 10 CFR 50.46, "Acceptance criteria for emergency core cooling systems [ECCSs] for light-water nuclear power reactors,"

and Appendix K to 10 CFR Part 50, "ECCS Evaluation Models," to allow the use of M5fuel rod cladding in future core reload applications for SL-2.

On March 4, 2015, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff held a conference call with members of your staff to discuss insufficiencies identified during the acceptance review of the amendment and exemption requests. Specifically, the amendment and exemption requests did not adequately provide justification for the use of AREVA methodologies used for the control element assembly ejection accident and seismic analyses. By letter dated March 10, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15055A473), you were informed of the above insufficiencies and that the license amendment request and exemption request would need to be supplemented by March 23, 2015. In addition, on March 19, 2015, the NRC staff held a closed meeting with members of your staff to further discuss and address questions regarding the insufficiencies.

By letter dated March 23, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15084A011 ), supplemental information was submitted by FPL. The NRC staff has reviewed the supplemental information and concluded that it does provide technical information in sufficient detail to enable the NRC staff to (1) perform its detailed technical review, and (2) make an independent assessment regarding the acceptability of the proposed amendment and exemption in terms of regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment.

The staff finds the application of XN-NF-78-44 (NP) (A), "A Generic Analysis of the Control Rod Ejection Transient for Pressurized Water Reactors," October 1982, ENC, Inc. to AREVA CE16x16 fuel, to be an expansion of the applicability of this Topical Report. Therefore, the staff

will follow this acceptance with a request for additional information that asks the licensee to confirm the acceptability of the application of XN-NF-78-44 (NP)(A) to AREVA CE 16x16 fuel by performing additional calculations using alternative methods.

Given the lesser scope and depth of the acceptance review as compared to the detailed technical review, there may be instances in which issues that impact the NRC staff's ability to complete the detailed technical review are identified, despite completion of an adequate acceptance review. You will be advised of any further information needed to support the NRC staff's detailed technical review by separate correspondence.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-1447 or Farideh.Saba@nrc.gov.

Docket No. 50-389 cc: Distribution via Listserv Sincerely, Farideh E. Saba, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 11-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

ML15090A240 OFFICE LPL 1-2/PM LPL2-2/LAiT LPL2-2/LA DSS/SNPB*

NAME RGladnev LRonewicz BClayton JDean DATE 3/31/2015 4/2/2015 4/2/2015 4/6/2015 OFFICE DRA/APHB*

DLR/RE RB*

DSS/STSB*

LPL2-2/BC NAME SWeerakkodv DWrona RElliott SHelton DATE 2/25/2015 2/24/2015 2/25/2015 4/8/2015