ML16340B231
| ML16340B231 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Diablo Canyon  |
| Issue date: | 10/20/1980 |
| From: | Miraglia F Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Baumgartner J, Baumgartner S AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML16340B232 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8011190643 | |
| Download: ML16340B231 (4) | |
Text
MIL@~IIl~OX<mTI15 ml OCT 2O i980 t',essrs.
Jerome and Spdney Baumgartner 311 Vesa Lane Santa Barbara, California 93109 Dear tfessrs.
Baumgartner:
Your June 1,
1980 letters to President Carter, regarding the Diablo Canyon nuclear
- plant, have been referred to the NRC for reply-I am pleased to make this response.
In your letters you expressed concern over the potential for construction deficiencies at this nuc'lear plant as well as concern over recent earthquake activity in the area.
Pith respect to construction quality for systems and structures important to
- safety, our regulations require that the plant be designed and constructed to high standards and have adequate safety margins.
The plant design was subjected to our review before construction was authorized'lso our Office of Inspection and Enforcement inspects the construction activities.-
Enclosure 1 provides addi-tional information on HRC's role in assuring that nuclear plants are designed and built to comply with our requirements for high quality and that the plants are capable of safely withstanding design basis accidents.
You mentioned a recent earthquake in the area of this plant.
On May 28, 1980 a
moderate earthquake of Richter magnitude 4.6 occurred about 18 miles from the plant.
It was felt at the plant site but no damage or movement of objects were reported.
Earthquakes of this magnitude are not. uncommon in this vicinity.
For example there was a magnitude 4.5 earthquake in February 1962 and a 3.4 earthquake in Yay of 1954.
The Diablo Canyon plant, however, has been designed to withstand much larger magnitude earthquakes as explained in Enclosure 2 to this letter.
With respect to earthquakes, the ability of the Diablo Canyon plant to withstand safely any earthquake that can reasonably be anticipated in its vicinity was extensively reviewed by the HRC and affirmed by an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) in September l979.
Following the Fall 19?9 major earthquake in Ca'lifornia's Imperial Valley, the ASLB decision was appealed by intervenors in the proceeding and an Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeal Board granted a motion to reopen the hearing record.
The Appeal Board will conduct a reopened eviden-tiary hearing which is scheduled for the week of October 20, 1980.
The purpose of this hearing is to take the new seismic information generated by the Imperial Yalley event into consideration.
Vritten testimony submitted to the Appeal Board by the HRC staff and its consultants indicates that the data qenerated from the Imperial Yalley earthquake of 1979 does not adversely affect the adequacy of the seismic design criteria used for the Diablo Canyon plant.
However, it will be up to the Appeal Board to decide whether any additional.seismic re-analysis or redesP ui11 be required.
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NRC FORM 318 (9.76) NRCM 0240 O'U.S, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1979 289 369
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Yessrs.
Jerome and Sydney Baumgartner A copy of documents related to our licensing review of the Diablo Canyon plant can be found in the Local Public Document Room (LPDR).
This LPDR is located at the California Polytechnic State University Library, Documents and f/Iaps Depart-
- ment, San Luis Obispo, California 93407.
I trust that this information is responsive to your request.
Sincerely,
Enclosures:
1.
Inspection of nuclear po<<er plant construction 2.
Proximity of the Hosgri Fault to Diablo Canyon
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Fr anl: 0. f<iraglia, Acting Chief Licensing Branch No' Division of Licensing
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