ML15173A114

Letter for Individual Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendment to Facility Operating License and Opportunity for Hearing

ML15173A114
Person / Time
Site:	Watts Bar
Issue date:	06/26/2015
From:	Dion J Watts Bar Special Projects Branch
To:	James Shea Tennessee Valley Authority
Dion J, NRR/DORL/LPLWB, 415-1349
References
TAC MF6050
Download: ML15173A114 (13)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 June 26, 2015 Mr. Joseph W. Shea Corporate Vice President, Nuclear Licensing Tennessee Valley Authority 1101 Market Street, LP 3R-C Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801

SUBJECT:

WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT 1 - INDIVIDUAL NOTICE OF CONSIDERATION OF ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE AND OPPORTUNITY FOR HEARING (TAC NO.

MF6050)

Dear Mr. Shea:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has forwarded the enclosed Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendment to Facility Operating License and Opportunity for a Hearing to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

This notice relates to your application dated March 31, 2015 as supplemented by letters dated May 27 and June 15, 2015, in which you request a change to Technical Specification (TS) 4.2.1 "Fuel Assemblies" to increase the number of tritium-producing burnable absorber rods. The requested action also proposes changes to TS 3.5.1, "Accumulators," Surveillance Requirement (SR) 3.5.1.4; TS 3.5.4, "Refueling Water Storage Tank, and SR 3.5.4.3, to delete outdated information related to the tritium production program at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1.

If you have any questions, please contact me at 301-415-1349.

Sincerely,

, (y! I

/ , x*/zr'j ~-\r r Jea~ne~. Di n: Project Manager Watts Bar Special Projects Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-390

Enclosure:

Notice of Consideration cc w/encl: Distribution via Listserv

ENCLOSURE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE

[7590-01-P]

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-390; NRC-2015-XXXX]

Tennessee Valley Authority Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1 AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: License amendment application; opportunity to request a hearing and to petition for leave to intervene.

SUMMARY

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received an application from Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), for amendment of Facility Operating License No. NPF-90, issued for the operation of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, located in Rhea County, Tennessee.

The proposed amendment would allow a change to the Technical Specifications (TSs) to revise the number of tritium producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) in the core.

DATES: A request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene must be filed by [INSERT DATE 60 DAYS FROM DATE OF PUBLICATION].

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.requlations.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 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: Jeanne Dion, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC 20555-001, telephone 301-415-1349, email: Jeannie.Dion@gmail.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction.

The NRC is considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No.

NPF-90, issued to the TVA, for operation of the WBN, Unit 1, located in Rhea County, Tennessee.

The NRC has received an application from the TVA for amendment of Facility Operating License No. NFP-90, which authorizes the operation of WBN, Unit 1. The amendment would allow a change to the WBN, Unit 1 Technical Specification (TS) 4.2.1, "Fuel Assemblies," to revise the maximum number of tritium producing burnable absorber rods {TPBARs) in the core.

The proposed amendment would also revise TS 3.5.1, "Accumulators," Surveillance Requirement (SR) 3.5.1.4 and TS 3.5A, "Refueling Water Storage Tank (RWST)," SR 3.5.4.3 to delete outdated information related to the tritium production program. These proposed changes will support a planned increase in the TPBAR inventory in the WBN, Unit 1 reactor core to support national security needs.

Before issuance of the proposed license amendment, the Commission will have made findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commission's regulations.

The amendment will not be issued prior to a hearing unless the staff makes a determination that the amendment involves no significant hazards considerations. If a request for a hearing is received, the Commission's staff may issue the amendment after it completes its technical review and prior to the completion of any required hearing if it publishes a further notice for public comment of its proposed finding of no significant hazards consideration in accordance with 10 CFR 50.91 and 10 CFR 50.92.

II. Opportunity to Request a Hearing and Petition for Leave to Intervene

Within 60 days after the date of publication of this Federal Register notice, any persons whose interest may be affected by this proceeding and who desires to participate as a party in the proceeding must file a written request for a hearing or a petition for leave to intervene specifying the contentions which the person seeks to have litigated in the hearing with respect to the license amendment request. Requests for a hearing and petitions for leave to intervene shall be filed in accordance with the NRC's "Agency Rules of Practice and Procedure", in 10 CFR Part 2. Interested person(s) should consult a current copy of 10 CFR 2.309, which is available at the NRC's PDR. The NRC regulations are accessible electronically from the NRC Library on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/.

As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a request for hearing or petition for leave to intervene must set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner in the proceeding and how that interest may be affected by the results of the proceeding. The hearing request or petition must specifically explain the reasons why intervention should be permitted, with particular reference to the following general requirements: (1) the name, address, and telephone number of the requestor or petitioner; (2) the nature of the requestor's/petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party to the proceeding; (3) the nature and extent of the requestor's/petitioner's property, financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (4) the possible effect of any decision or order which may be entered in the proceeding on the requester's/petitioner's interest. The hearing request or petition must also include the specific contentions that the requester/petitioner seeks to have litigated at the proceeding.

For each contention, the requestor/petitioner must provide a specific statement of the issue of law or fact to be raised or controverted, as well as a brief explanation of the basis for the contention. Additionally, the requester/petitioner must demonstrate that the issue raised by each contention is within the scope of the proceeding and is material to the findings that the

NRC must make to support the granting of a license amendment in response to the application.

The hearing request or petition must also include a concise statement of the alleged facts or expert opinion that support the contention and on which the requestor/petitioner intends to rely at the hearing, together with references to those specific sources and documents. The hearing request or petition must provide sufficient information to show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant on a material issue of law or fact, including references to specific portions of the application for amendment that the petitioner disputes and the supporting reasons for each dispute. If the requestor/petitioner believes that the application for amendment fails to contain information on a relevant matter as required by law, the requestor/petitioner must identify each failure and the supporting reasons for the requester's/petitioner's belief. Each contention must be one which, if proven, would entitle the requestor/petitioner to relief. A requester/petitioner who does not satisfy these requirements for at least one contention will not be permitted to participate as a party.

Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding, subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene, and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the hearing with respect to resolution of that person's admitted contentions, including the opportunity to present evidence and to submit a cross-examination plan for cross-examination of witnesses, consistent with NRC regulations, policies, and procedures. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will set the time and place for any prehearing conferences and evidentiary hearings, and the appropriate notices will be provided.

Hearing requests or petitions for leave to intervene must be filed no later than 60 days from the date of publication of this notice.

If a hearing is requested, the Commission will make a final determination on the issue of no significant hazards consideration. The final determination will serve to decide when the

hearing is held. If the final determination is that the amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration, the Commission may issue the amendment and make it immediately effective, notwithstanding the request for a hearing. Any hearing held would take place after issuance of the amendment. If the final determination is that the amendment request involves a significant hazards consideration, then any hearing held would take place before the issuance of any amendment unless the Commission finds an imminent danger to the health or safety of the public, in which case it will issue an appropriate order or rule under 10 CFR Part 2.

Ill. Electronic Submissions (E-Filing).

All documents filed in NRG adjudicatory proceedings, including a request for hearing, a petition for leave to intervene, any motion or other document filed in the proceeding prior to the submission of a request for hearing or petition to intervene, and documents filed by interested governmental entities participating under 10 CFR 2.31 S(c), must be filed in accordance with the NRC's E-Filing rule (72 FR 49139; August 28, 2007). The E-Filing process requires participants to submit and serve all adjudicatory documents over the internet, or in some cases to mail copies on electronic storage media. Participants may not submit paper copies of their filings unless they seek an exemption in accordance with the procedures described below.

To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least ten 10 days prior to the filing deadline, the participant should contact the Office of the Secretary by e-mail at hearinq.docket@nrc.gov, or by telephone at 301-415-1677, to request (1) a digital identification (ID) certificate, which allows the participant (or its counsel or representative) to digitally sign documents and access the E-Submittal server for any proceeding in which it is participating; and (2) advise the Secretary that the participant will be submitting a request or petition for hearing (even in instances in which the participant, or its counsel or representative, already holds an

NRG-issued digital ID certificate). Based upon this information, the Secretary will establish an electronic docket for the hearing in this proceeding if the Secretary has not already established an electronic docket.

Information about applying for a digital ID certificate is available on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-he/ple-submittals/qettinq-started.html. System requirements for accessing the E-Submittal server are detailed in the NRC's "Guidance for Electronic Submission," which is available on the agency's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-he/ple-submittals.html. Participants may attempt to use other software not listed on the Web site, but should note that the NRC's E-Filing system does not support unlisted software, and the NRC Meta System Help Desk will not be able to offer assistance in using unlisted software.

If a participant is electronically submitting a document to the NRC in accordance with the E-Filing rule, the participant must file the document using the NRC's online, Web-based submission form. In order to serve documents through the Electronic Information Exchange System, users will be required to install a Web browser plug-in from the NRC's Web site.

Further information on the Web-based submission form, including the installation of the Web browser plug-in, is available on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.qov/site-he/ple-submittals. html.

Once a participant has obtained a digital ID certificate and a docket has been created, the participant can then submit a request for hearing or petition for leave to intervene.

Submissions should be in Portable Document Format (PDF) in accordance with NRC guidance available on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.qov/site-he/ple-submittals.html. A filing is considered complete at the time the documents are submitted through the NRC's E-Filing system. To be timely, an electronic filing must be submitted to the E-Filing system no later than 11 :59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. Upon receipt of a transmission, the

E-Filing system time-stamps the document and sends the submitter an e-mail notice confirming receipt of the document. The E-Filing system also distributes an e-mail notice that provides access to the document to the NRC's Office of the General Counsel and any others who have advised the Office of the Secretary that they wish to participate in the proceeding, so that the filer need not serve the documents on those participants separately. Therefore, applicants and other participants (or their counsel or representative) must apply for and receive a digital ID certificate before a hearing request/petition to intervene is filed so that they can obtain access to the document via the E-Filing system.

A person filing electronically using the NRC's adjudicatory E-Filing system may seek assistance by contacting the NRC Meta System Help Desk through the "Contact Us" link located on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-he/ple-submittals.html, by e-mail to MSHD.Resource@nrc.gov, or by a toll-free call at 1-866-672-7640. The NRC Meta System Help Desk is available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding government holidays.

Participants who believe that they have a good cause for not submitting documents electronically must file an exemption request, in accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g), with their initial paper filing requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in paper format.

Such filings must be submitted by: (1) first class mail addressed to the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff; or (2) courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service to the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff.

Participants filing a document in this manner are responsible for serving the document on all other participants. Filing is considered complete by first-class mail as of the time of deposit in

the mail, or by courier, express mail, or expedited delivery service upon depositing the document with the provider of the service. A presiding officer, having granted an exemption request from using E-Filing, may require a participant or party to use E-Filing if the presiding officer subsequently determines that the reason for granting the exemption from use of E-Filing no longer exists.

Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in the NRC's electronic hearing docket which is available to the public at http://ehd1.nrc.gov/ehdl, unless excluded pursuant to an order of the Commission, or the presiding officer. Participants are requested not to include personal privacy information, such as social security numbers, home addresses, or home phone numbers in their filings, unless an NRC regulation or other law requires submission of such information. However, in some instances, a request to intervene will require including information on local residence in order to demonstrate a proximity assertion of interest in the proceeding. With respect to copyrighted works, except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of the adjudicatory filings and would constitute a Fair Use application, participants are requested not to include copyrighted materials in their submission.

Petitions for leave to intervene must be filed no later than 60 days from the date of publication of this notice. Requests for hearing, petitions for leave to intervene, and motions for leave to file new or amended contentions that are filed after the 60-day deadline will not be entertained absent a determination by the presiding officer that the filing demonstrates good cause by satisfying the following three factors in 10 CFR 2.309(c)(1 )(i)-(iii).

For further details with respect to this action, see the application for license amendment dated March 31, 2015, as supplemented on May 27 and June 15, 2015 (available in ADAMS under Accession Nos. ML15098A446, ML15147A611, and ML15167A359, respectively).

Attorney for licensee: General Counsel, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, ET 11A, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902.

NRG Branch Chief: Jessie Quichocho.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 261h day of June 2015.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Robert F. Kuntz, ior Project Manager Watts Bar Special Projects Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

June 26, 2015 Mr. Joseph W. Shea Corporate Vice President, Nuclear Licensing Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street, LP 3R-C Chattanooga, TN 37 402-2801

SUBJECT:

WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, UNIT 1 - INDIVIDUAL NOTICE OF CONSIDERATION OF ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE AND OPPORTUNITY FOR HEARING (TAC NO.

MF6050)

Dear Mr. Shea:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has forwarded the enclosed Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendment to Facility Operating License and Opportunity for a Hearing to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

This notice relates to your application dated March 31, 2015 as supplemented by letters dated May 27 and June 15, 2015, in which you request a change to Technical Specification (TS) 4.2.1 "Fuel Assemblies" to increase the number of tritium-producing burnable absorber rods. The requested action also proposes changes to TS 3.5.1, "Accumulators," Surveillance Requirement (SR) 3.5.1.4; TS 3.5.4, "Refueling Water Storage Tank," and SR 3.5.4.3, to delete outdated information related to the tritium production program at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 1.

If you have any questions, please contact me at 301-415-1349.

Sincerely, IRA by RKuntz for/

Jeanne A. Dion, Project Manager Watts Bar Special Projects Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-390

Enclosure:

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

PUBLIC RidsNrrLABClaytonResource LPWB Reading RidsNrrPMWattsBar1 Resource RidsACRS_MailCTR Resource RidsRgn2MailCenter Resource RidsNrrDorllpwb Resource RidsNrrDorlDpr Resource ADAMS Accession Nos.: LTR ML15173A114 FRN ML15173A116 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPWB/PM NRR/DORL/LPWB/LA NRR/DORL/LPWB/BC NRR/DORL/LPWB/PM NAME JDion (RKuntz for) BClayton JQuichocho JDion (RKuntz for)

DATE 6/25/15 6/24/15 6/26/15 6/26/15 OFFICIAL AGENCY RECORD