ML15118A778

Termination of Emergency Response Data System Feed to the State of California for SONGS

ML15118A778
Person / Time
Site:	San Onofre
Issue date:	05/22/2015
From:	Robert Lewis Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response
To:	Weisenmiller R State of CA, Energy Commission
References
Download: ML15118A778 (3)

Text

May 22, 2015 Mr. Robert Weisenmiller, Chair California Energy Commission 1516 Ninth Street, MS-33 Sacramento, CA 95814

SUBJECT:

TERMINATION OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE DATA SYSTEM FEED TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION

Dear Mr. Weisenmiller:

This letter serves to notify the State of California that Southern California Edison (SCE) is in the process of terminating the Emergency Response Data System (ERDS) link from the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Operations Center, based on the permanently shutdown status of the facility. The ERDS link for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is not affected and will continue to be provided via the NRC Operations Center in the event of an emergency declaration at this facility.

Section VI of Appendix E to Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) establishes the requirement for a nuclear power reactor licensee to have a real-time electronic data link from the licensees onsite computer system to the NRC Operations Center that provides for the automated transmission of a limited data set of selected parameters. The final Memorandum of Understanding between the NRC and the State of California, dated November 26, 2008 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS)

Accession No. ML080640123), provides the basis for mutually agreeable procedures whereby the State of California may utilize the NRC ERDS to receive data during an emergency at a commercial nuclear power plant in California.

SONGS Unit 1 was permanently shut down on November 30, 1992. All fuel assemblies were removed from the Unit 1 reactor on March 6, 1993, and Unit 1 is in the decommissioning phase.

SONGS Unit 1 above-ground structures have been dismantled, and the spent fuel from Unit 1 is stored in the onsite dry cask storage facility (independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI))

and in the General Electric-Hitachi Morris facility located in Morris, Illinois. SONGS Units 2 and 3 have been permanently shut down since January 2012. After the reactors were shut down, all fuel assemblies were removed from the reactor vessels and placed in spent fuel pools (SFPs).

The spent fuel is currently stored onsite in SFPs and in an onsite ISFSI.

By letter dated June 12, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML131640201), SCE submitted a certification to the NRC, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(a)(1)(i), indicating its intention to permanently cease power operations at SONGS Units 2 and 3 as of June 7, 2013. By letters dated June 28, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13183A391), and July 22, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13204A304), pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(a)(1)(ii), SCE submitted certifications of permanent removal of fuel from the Unit 3 and Unit 2 reactor vessels as of October 5, 2012, and July 18, 2013, respectively. Upon docketing of these certifications, the 10 CFR Part 50

R. Weisenmiller licenses for SONGS Units 2 and 3 no longer authorize operation of the reactors or emplacement or retention of fuel into the reactor vessels, as specified in 10 CFR 50.82(a)(2).

Nuclear power facilities that have permanently or indefinitely shut down are exempt from the requirements to have an ERDS data link to the NRC (see Section VI.2 of Appendix E to 10 CFR Part 50). As such, SCE is in the process of removing ERDS from service for SONGS Units 2 and 3.

The termination of the ERDS link for SONGS does not impact the NRCs responsibility to provide State and local authorities with recommendations and advice on offsite actions that they may consider to protect their citizenry. Also, SCE is still required to provide notification to offsite authorities for an emergency declaration and provide information on facility status to support the assessment of a potential radiological release at the facility.

If you have any questions regarding the termination of the ERDS link for SONGS, or continued interface with the NRC for an event at SONGS, please contact Bezakulu Alemu at (301) 287-3731 or by e-mail at Bezakulu.Alemu@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Robert J. Lewis, Director Division of Preparedness and Response Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response cc: Moustafa Abou-Taleb, Manager Preparedness Branch, California Office of Emergency Services Bill Maier, Regional State Liaison Officer, NRC, Region RIV

ML15118A778 *via email OFFICE NSIR/DPR NSIR/DPR NSIR/DPR/ORLOB/BC NSIR/DPR:DD NAME BAlemu BStapleton J.D. Anderson JAndersen DATE 04/30/15 04/30/15 04/30/15 04/30/15*

OFFICE NMSS/FSTB:BC OGC - NLO NRR/DORL/LPL4-2/BC Region IV/RSLO NSIR/DPR:D NAME PMichalak* HBenowitz* MKhanna* WMaier* RLewis DATE 05/06/15 05/06/15 05/05/15 05/08/15 05/22/15