ML15161A344

Withdrawal of an Amendment Request

ML15161A344
Person / Time
Site:	Browns Ferry
Issue date:	06/16/2015
From:	Farideh Saba Plant Licensing Branch II
To:	James Shea Tennessee Valley Authority
Saba F DORL/LPL2-2 301-415-1447
References
TAC MF3124, TAC MF3125, TAC MF3126
Download: ML15161A344 (7)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 Mr. Joseph W. Shea Vice President, Nuclear Licensing Tennessee Valley Authority 1101 Market Street, LP 3R-C Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801 June 16, 2015

SUBJECT:

BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT NOS. 1, 2, AND 3 - WITHDRAWAL OF AN AMENDMENT REQUEST (TAC NOS. MF3124, MF3125, AND MF3126)

Dear Mr. Shea:

By letter dated November 22, 2013 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML14015A403), as supplemented by letters dated April 4, August 15, September 30, 2014, and January 29, 2015 (ADAMS Accession Nos.

ML14100A143, ML14230A827, ML14275A247, and ML15030A499, respectively), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, the licensee) submitted a license amendment request (LAR) to the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3 (Browns Ferry), Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-33, DPR-52, and DPR-68, respectively. The licensee proposed making the primary alternate leakage (ALT) pathway become the secondary pathway and the secondary pathway would become credited primary ALT pathway. The proposed change would have modified the facility Technical Specification 3.6.1.3, "Primary Containment Isolation Valves (PCIVs)," to reduce the individual and total leakage rate through the Main Steam Isolation Valves (MSIVs).

The licensee submitted the LAR to resolve the existing nonconforming/degraded condition, as committed by TVA in its letter dated August 30, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML13268A421),

titled as: "Updated Reply to Notice of Violation; EA-11-252; and follow-up to 10 CFR [Title 10 of Code of Federal Regulations] 50.9, 'Completeness and accuracy of information,' Notification."

On March 18, 2015, a closed meeting (meeting summary in ADAMS under Accession No. ML15092A702) was held between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and representatives of TVA to discuss an NRC staff's draft follow-up request for additional information (RAI) regarding the methodology that was used by the licensee to model deposition in the flow path to the MSIV and the reasons why the proposed methodology is appropriate for Browns Ferry. The NRC staff's formal RAI was issued by letter dated April 8, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15091A684). Subsequently, by letter dated May 29, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15159B009), TVA withdrew the LAR.

The licensee. in its letter dated May 29, 2015, stated that to resolve the existing nonconforming/degraded condition, TVA intends to perform facility and licensing basis modifications under the 10 CFR 50.59 process such that the current licensing dose calculations would remain valid. Further, the licensee stated that it will revise its reply to the Notice of Violation to detail these modifications and include a schedule for when the plant will be in conformance with its licensing basis.

The licensee, in its letter dated May 29, 2015, made the following regulatory commitments:

1. TVA will revise the reply to the Notice of Violation (Letter from TVA to NRC, "Updated Reply to Notice of Violation; EA-11-252; and Follow-up to 10 CFR 50.9, 'Completeness and accuracy of information,' Notification," dated August 30, 2013) to detail the facility modifications such that the licensing basis dose calculations would remain valid and include a schedule for when the plant will be in conformance with its licensing basis.

Due date - July 15, 2015.

2. TVA will provide an annual status letter to update the NRC on progress of facility modifications until all modifications are complete. First due date - May 29, 2016.

The NRC grants the request of the licensee to withdraw its LAR dated November 22, 2013. As a result, NRC staff ceased work activities on the requested amendments, which were tracked by Technical Assignment Control Nos. MF3124, MF3125, and MF3126.

The NRC has filed the enclosed Notice of Withdrawal of Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License with the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-144 7 or via e-mail at farideh.saba@nrc.gov.

Docket Nos. 50-259, 50-260, and 50-296

Enclosure:

Notice of Withdrawal cc w/encl: 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

ENCLOSURE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Docket Nos. 50-250, 50-260, and 50-296; NRC-20YY-XXXX BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT NOS. 1, 2, AND 3 AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: License amendm~nt application; withdrawal by applicant.

[7590-01-P]

SUMMARY

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted the request of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, the licensee) to withdraw its application dated November 22, 2013, as supplemented by letters dated April 4, August 15, September 30, 2014, and January 29, 2015, for a proposed amendment to Renewed Facility Operating License (RFOL) Nos. DPR-33, DPR-52, and DPR-68, for the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3 (Browns Ferry).

The proposed amendment would have revised the Browns Ferry Technical Specifications to decrease the allowable leakage rate criteria for the Main Steam Isolation Valves (MSIVs).

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID <INSERT: NRC-20YY-XXXX> when contacting the NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You may obtain publicly-available information related to this document using any of the following methods:

Federal Rulemaking Web Site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID <INSERT: NRC-20YY-XXXX>. Address questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-3463; e-mail: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the individual(s) listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.

NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS):

You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select "ADAMS Public Documents" and then select "Begin Web-based ADAMS Search." For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number for each document referenced in this document (if that document is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that a document is referenced NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public documents at the NRC's PDR, Room 01-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Farideh Saba, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301-415-1447, e-mail: farideh.saba@nrc.gov; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC 20555-0001 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The NRC has granted the request of the TVA to withdraw its November 22, 2013, application for the proposed amendment to RFOLs for Browns Ferry, located in Limestone County, AL.

By letter dated November 22, 2013 (ADAMS Accession No. ML14015A403), as supplemented by letters dated April 4, August 15, September 30, 2014, and January 29, 2015 (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML14100A143, ML14230A827, ML14275A247, and ML15030A499, respectively), TVA proposed changing Browns Ferry Technical Specification 3.6.1.3, "Primary Containment Isolation Valves (PCIVs)," to reduce the individual and total leakage rate through the MSIVs. In the TVA letter dated August 30, 2013, "Updated Reply to Notice of Violation; EA-11-252," the Alternative Leakage Treatment (ALT) Pathway was identified as being in a nonconforming/degraded condition. The corrective actions that were outlined to change the ALT Pathway included modification of licensing documents to show lower individual and total leakage rates through the MSIVs. The proposed change would have made the current passive secondary ALT Pathway the primary pathway and decreased the leakage rates from 100 standard cubic feet per hour (scfh) per valve to 60 scfh for individual MS IVs and the combined leakage rates for all four main steam lines from 150 scfh to 85 scfh.

The NRC published a Biweekly Notice in the Federal Register on April 8, 2014 (79 FR 19401 ), that gave notice that this proposed amendment was under consideration by the NRC. However, by letter dated May 29, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No ML15159B009), the licensee requested to withdraw the proposed amendment.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day of June 2015.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

(~r1~~ C;:,

5e~.._

Farideh E. Saba, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 11-2, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

The licensee, in its letter dated May 29, 2015, made the following regulatory commitments:

1. TVA will revise the reply to the Notice of Violation (Letter from TVA to NRC, "Updated Reply to Notice of Violation; EA-11-252; and Follow-up to 10 CFR 50. 9, 'Completeness and accuracy of information,' Notification," dated August 30, 2013) to detail the facility modifications such that the licensing basis dose calculations would remain valid and include a schedule for when the plant will be in conformance with its licensing basis.

Due date - July 15, 2015.

2. TVA will provide an annual status letter to update the NRC on progress of facility modifications until all modifications are complete. First due date - May 29, 2016.

The NRC grants the request of the licensee to withdraw its LAR dated November 22, 2013. As a result, NRC staff ceased work activities on the requested amendments, which were tracked by Technical Assignment Control Nos. MF3124, MF3125, and MF3126.

The NRC has filed the enclosed Notice of Withdrawal of Application for Amendment to Facility Operating License with the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-1447 or via e-mail at farideh.saba@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, IRA/

Farideh E. Saba, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch 11-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-259, 50-260, and 50-296

Enclosure:

Notice of Withdrawal cc w/encl: Distribution via Listserv DISTRIBUTION:

PUBLIC LPL2-2 R/F RidsACRS_MailCTR Resource RidsNrrDorllpl2-2 Resource RidsNrrPMBrownsFerry Resource MBlumberg, NRR CGratton, NRR RidsNrrDorlDpr Resource RidsNrrLABClayton Resource RidsRgn2MailCenter Resource ADAMS Accession Nos.: LTR ML15161A344 FRN ML15161A354 OFFICE DORL/LPL2-2/PM DORL/LPL2-2/LA DORL/LPL2-2/BC Shelton NAME CG rattan BClayton (BBeasley for)

DATE 6/12/15 6/12/15 6/16/15 OFFICIAL AGENCY RECORD DORL/LPL2-2/PM FSaba 6/16/15