ML17083A268

Responds to Re Hazard of Locating Facility Near Earthquake Fault.Includes Comments of ASLB Re Seismic Design

ML17083A268
Person / Time
Site:	Diablo Canyon
Issue date:	02/21/1980
From:	Regan W Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Moody R AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
References
NUDOCS 8003060293
Download: ML17083A268 (12)

Text

FES 21 880 Docket Nos. 50-276 and 60-323 Mr. and Mrs.

Ron Hoody 224 Short Street Arroyo Grande, California 93420

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Moody:

DISTRIBUTION Docket File TERA NSIC NRC PDR Local PDR NRR Reading EP-1 Reading HDenton ECase HBerkow DVassallo DEisenhut FSchroeder RMattson RBallard WRegan DMuller AFerguson (NRR 3100)

MGroff(NRR 3100)

SKirslis EP-1 File Your letter of July 25, 1979, to Harold Denton of the NRC regarding the hazard of locating the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Generating Station (DCNGS) within about 3 miles of an earthquake fault has been referred to me for reply.

First let me apologize for our long delay in responding.

tie initially deferred our reply because we expected momentarily a decision from the sitting Atomic Safety and Licensing Board which had held extensive public hearings on the seismic issues beginning in December 1978 and finishing in February 1979.

The decision was actually handed down on September 27, 1979.

Unfortunately, by that time your letter was misplaced and only recently came to light.

The seismic issues were considered in exhaustive detail in the hearings and in the Partial Initial Decision (enclosed).

The final comments and conclusions of the NNP, were as follows:

"The Staff review of the seismic design of the Diablo Canyon plant was the most extensive ever undertaken by the Staff of the NRC.

(Knight Testimony at 64).

The Applicant's review was also extraordinarily thorough.

"The Board finds that the Applicant has demonstrated through appropriate analysis and tests that Category I structure,

systems, and components will perform as required during the seismic load of the safe shutdown earthquake.

"The Board finds that the Category I structures,

systems, and components will be adequate to assure (a) the integrity of the reactor coolant pressure

boundary, and (b) the capability to shut down the reactor and maintain it in a safe condition.

"The Board finds that the evidence demonstrates that all structures, systems.

and components of the Diablo plant necessary for continued operation without undue risk>to the health and safety of the public will remain functional and within applicable stress and deformation limits when subjected to the effects of the operating basis earthquake in combination with normal operating loads.

OFFICE/..

SURNAME/

~

DATE/..

NRC FORM 3)9 I9.7GI NRCV 92'9 i ~

~ (i a[i

~

~

~

',: I.S GOVERN~,ENT o~iNTING OFFICE.. 1979.289 3G9 800306 0++ A

~

~)/f I 5

'g I

g gsao g

)

"< Jj3f<'"hali Qg9i 1'P 1'

Hr. and ftrs. R. Hoody "The Board finds that the necessary safety functions u>ill be maintained during the safe shutdown ear thqualm where, in the safety-related structures, systems and components, the design for strain limits is in excess of the yield strain.'-'f you are interested in further details of the treatment of seismic issues, I refer you to Supplement No. 7 to the Safety Evaluation of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Station, issued by the NRC in Hay of 1978, and to the transcripts of the ASLB hearings.

These documents are available in the Documents and Maps Department of the California Polytechnic State University Library, San Luis Obispo, California.

Me appreciate your interest in this significant issue.

Sincerely, Gnynal signedby Vl H Re~an 3

Mn. H. Regan, Jr., Acting Assistant Director for Environmental Projects Division of Site Safety and Environmental Analysis OFFICE NIL'URNAME DATE$

...P E'-'t.........D.S:

s:e. " P.L..'al 2/19/80 2/&t/80

...DE'P

':!l5.:eg n 2/A)/80 NRC FORM'318 (9.76) NRCM 0240 4 4-S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1979 289.369'

lag g, II

/

'll i ~

II

gp,S RKQ'Ii

~c" 0

\\I 0

e"i -'

cF 4' *~+

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY I

1 UNITED STATES t NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSlON WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 February 13, 19SO Dir ctor Office of the Federal Register National Archives and Records Service Washington, D.C.

204Q3 Dear Sir.

Enclosed for publication in the Federal Register are an original and two certified copies of a document entitled:

PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY I

~

~ e Docket Nos. 50-275/323' P

ORDER EXTENDING CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION DATES

~

H I

Publication of the above document at the earliest possible date would be appreciated.

This material is to be charged to requisition number F-131.

Si e rely, e

I I

Samuel J. Chilk Secretary of'he Commissioh I

Enclosures:

Original 8 2 certified copies bcc:

c '1 it Branch

-Office of Public Af airs Executive Legal Director Office of Congressional Affiars Office of the General Counsel SECY -

CER Branch

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY DIA8LO CANYON NUCLEAR POWER PLANT UNITS 1

AND 2 DOCKET NOS.

50-275 AND 50-323 ORDER EXTENDING CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION DATES Pacific Gas and Electric Company is the holder of Construction Permit Nos.

CPPR-39 and CPPR-69 issued by the Atomic Energy Commission* on April 23, 1968 and December 9,

1970, respectively, for construction of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1

and 2, presently under construction at the Company's site in San Luis Obispo County, California.

On November 26, 1979, Pacific Gas and Electric Company filed a request for extensions of the completion dates for Units 1

and 2 based on the time needed to comfortably accommodate the Comoission's announcement of a pause in issuing operating licenses to the spring of 1980.

As a result of the accident at the Three Mile Island, Unit 2 Nuclear Power Plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) conducted an extensive investiga-tion of potential design deficiencies in the plant, plant operator response to the accident, operator errors and/or misinterpretation of plant instrumentation, and all other aspects of the accident which might lead to information that would improve the safety of nuclear power plants.

The findings of this investigation and from the comprehensive study of the President's Commission showed that certain plant modifications and improvements in utility organizational structure were

• Effective January 20, 1975, the Atomic Energy Commission became the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Permits in effect on that day were continued under the authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Coranission.

c<'.

~ q

required to improve the safety of nuclear power plant operation and to upgrade the capability of utilities to cope with a severe accident.

At this time the NRC staff is preparing an Action Plan for Cormission review and approval that will include new or improved safety objectives, the detailed criteria for their implementation and the various implementation deadlines.

The goal is to have the Action Plan available for Commission review and approval by mid-February 1980.

When the Comnission approves the Action Plan, the requirements will be submitted to the utilities for implementation.

In order to accommodate a reasonable schedule needed to complete the safety evaluation regarding the applicant's response to the Action Plan requirements and the subsequent licensing actions related to these new safety, requirements, the Nuclear Regulatory Comoission staff concluded that the requested completion dates of construction for Unit 1

and for Unit 2 should be extended to September 30, 1980 and March 31, 1981, respectively.

This action involves no significant hazards consideration; good cause has been shown for the delays; an environmental statement, negative declaration or environmental impact appraisal need not be prepared in connection with the extension; and the requested extension is for a reasonable period, the bases for which are set forth in a staff evaluation of request for extension.

For further details with respect to this action, see

( 1) the applicant's request for extension of the construction permit completion date for Diablo Canyon, Units 1 and 2 dated November 26,

1979, and (2) the staff' related evaluation, all of which are available for public inspection at the Comnission' Public Document

Room, 1717 H Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. 20555 and at the Local Public Document Room located at the California Polytechnic State University Library, Document and Maps Department, San Luis Obispo, California 93407.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the latest completion date for CPPR-39 is extended from December 31, 1979 to September 30, 1980 for Unit 1

and the latest completion date for CPPR-69 is extended from February '29, 1980 to March 31, 1981 for Unit 2.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Date of Issuance:

""8 0 8 1980

-.Qc" D.

ss, r., Acting D rector Division of Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

~t