ML16288A753

Licensing Board Notification Regarding Status of Hot Cell Testing

ML16288A753
Person / Time
Site:	Indian Point
Issue date:	10/14/2016
From:	Bessette P Entergy Nuclear Operations, Morgan, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP
To:	Kennedy M, Lawrence Mcdade, Richard Wardwell Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
SECY RAS
References
07-858-03-LR-BD01, 50-247-LR, 50-286-LR, RAS 51383
Download: ML16288A753 (3)

Text

1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004

+ United States

+1.202.739.3000

+1.202.739.3001 Kathryn M. Sutton Partner

+1.202.739.5738 kathryn.sutton@morganlewis.com Paul M. Bessette Partner

+1.202.739.5796 paul.bessette@morganlewis.com October 14, 2016 Lawrence G. McDade, Chairman Dr. Michael F. Kennedy Dr. Richard E. Wardwell Atomic Safety and Licensing Board U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 Docket: Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Indian Point Nuclear Generating Units 2 and 3), Docket Nos. 50-247-LR and 50-286-LR Re: Licensing Board Notification Regarding Status of Hot Cell Testing of Indian Point Unit 2 Baffle-Former Bolts

Dear Administrative Judges:

In accordance with its obligation to inform the Licensing Board of relevant developments in a timely fashion, Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Entergy) hereby notifies the Board of recent developments relevant to Contentions NYS-25 and NYS-38/RK-TC-5. On June 28, 2016, the parties filed a Third Joint Status Report, in which they proposed a schedule for further evidentiary proceedings on the Track 2 contentions. As noted in the Boards July 13, 2016 Scheduling Order, in that report, Entergy stated its plans to: (1) send 32 of the cracked baffle-former bolts removed from Indian Point Unit 2 (IP2) following the March 2016 outage inspections of the reactor vessel internals (which included the baffle-former assembly) to a hot lab facility for testing; and (2) sponsor the analysis of three of those bolts, with the results of the Entergy-funded analyses expected to be available in October 2016. Entergy further noted its expectation that some portion of the remaining bolts would be used in industry-funded analyses performed over a longer time frame that will extend into 2017.

The hot cell testing of the aforementioned three IP2 bolts has been conducted, but Entergyworking with industry expertshas decided to test five additional bolts from different locations in the baffle-former assembly structure to help better understand how the location of the bolt, relative to a cluster of failed bolts, impacts the contribution of irradiation and load on that bolt. That additional testing is currently underway. Due to the expansion of the testing sample, a consolidated report documenting the hot cell analyses of all eight bolts is not expected until late-November 2016.

Lawrence G. McDade, Chairman Dr. Michael F. Kennedy Dr. Richard E. Wardwell March 29, 2016 Page 2 In recognition of the pending Track 2 schedule deadlines, however, Entergy today has disclosed to the other parties preliminary, interim testing results for the three initial bolts, and other documents related to the expanded hot cell testing. Entergy has informed the other parties that, in doing so, it is not waiving any portion of the Parties January 13, 2009 written agreement, including the provision stating that the Parties need not include draft or preliminary documents in their mandatory disclosures.

Entergy plans to inform the Board and other parties of new relevant and material information on this topic as it becomes available.

Respectfully submitted, Executed in accord with 10 C.F.R. § 2.304(d)

Paul M. Bessette, Esq.

MORGAN, LEWIS & BOCKIUS LLP 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20004 Phone: (202) 739-5796 Fax: (202) 739-3001 E-mail: paul.bessette@morganlewis.com Counsel for Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEFORE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD

)

In the Matter of ) Docket Nos. 50-247-LR and

) 50-286-LR ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC. )

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(Indian Point Nuclear Generating Units 2 and 3) ) October 14, 2016

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE Pursuant to 10 C.F.R. § 2.305 (as revised), I hereby certify that, on this date, copies of Entergys Licensing Board Notification Regarding Status of Hot Cell Testing of Indian Point Unit 2 Baffle-Former Bolts were served upon the Electronic Information Exchange (the NRCs E-Filing System), in the above-captioned proceeding.

Signed (electronically) by Martin J. ONeill Martin J. ONeill, Esq.

MORGAN, LEWIS & BOCKIUS LLP 1000 Louisiana Street, Suite 4000 Houston, TX 77002 Phone: (713) 890-5710 Fax: (713) 890-5001 E-mail: martin.oneill@morganlewis.com Counsel for Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

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