ML17095A328
| ML17095A328 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Seabrook  |
| Issue date: | 04/06/2017 |
| From: | Justin Poole Plant Licensing Branch 1 |
| To: | Nazar M Nextera Energy |
| Poole J, NRR/DORL/LPLI, 415-2048 | |
| References | |
| CAC MF9549 | |
| Download: ML17095A328 (3) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 Mr. Mano Nazar President and Chief Nuclear Officer Nuclear Division NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC 15430 Endeavor Drive Mailstop: NT3/JW Jupiter, FL 33478 April 6, 2017
SUBJECT:
SEABROOK STATION, UNIT NO. 1 - PUBLIC NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AMENDMENT TO FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE (CAC NO. MF9549)
Dear Mr. Nazar:
The enclosed announcement was forwarded to the Portsmouth Herald and the Boston Globe for publication. This announcement relates to your application dated April 4, 2017, for amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-86. The proposed amendment would credit functionality of the service water system during the period that the service water cooling tower is unavailable while in Modes 5 and 6 during the current refueling outage. The allowance will satisfy the definition of operability for supported systems to permit necessary maintenance that will require removing both trains of the service water cooling tower from service.
Docket No. 50-443
Enclosure:
Public Notice cc w/encl: Distribution via Listserv Si~.re!y~
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Justin C. Poole, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch I Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
ENCLOSURE PUBLIC NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICE NRC STAFF PROPOSES TO AMEND OPERATING LICENSE AT THE SEABROOK STATION, UNIT NO. 1 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) staff has received an application dated April 4, 2017 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML17094A764}, from NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC (NextEra, the licensee), for an exigent amendment to the operating license for the Seabrook Station, Unit No.
1 (Seabrook}, located in Rockingham County, New Hampshire.
The proposed change will allow NextEra to credit functionality of the service water (SW) system during the period that the SW cooling tower is unavailable whfle in Modes 5 and 6 during the current refueling outage. The allowance will satisfy the definition of operability for supported systems to permit necessary maintenance that will require removing both trains of the SW cooling tower from service. During the period of preventative maintenance, the ocean-supplied portion of the SW system would provide cooling, and administrative controls will provide for restoration of the cooling tower in the event of a loss of the ocean-supplied SW system.
NextEra stated that it needs to perform preventative maintenance on the cooling tower during the current refueling outage to ensure its continued reliability. This activity includes removing accumulated sediment from the cooling tower basin. NextEra had expected to be able to perform the work with the plant in a mode where the technical specifications' requirements for the SW cooling tower are not applicable. However, the exigent situation, which could not have been foreseen, only became apparent when the NRC recently communicated its stance that without the cooling tower, the SW system could not be considered functional. NextEra has stated that this change is requested on an exigent basis because a failure to obtain the requested amendment will prevent performing the cooling tower maintenance in any plant mode of operation.
Pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.91 (a)(6}, for amendments to be granted under exigent circumstances, the NRC has made a proposed determination that the license amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration. The Commission's regulation at 10 CFR 50.91 (a)(1) requires that, at the time a licensee requests an amendment, the licensee must provide to the Commission the licensee's analysis about the issue of no significant hazards consideration using the standards in Section 50.92, which concern whether the proposed amendment (1) involves a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated; or (2) creates the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated; or (3) involves a significant reduction in a margin of safety. Accordingly, the licensee provided the following information in its letter dated April 4, 2017.
- 1.
Does the proposed amendment involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated?
Response: No.
The proposed change neither involves any physical changes to plant equipment or systems nor does it alter the assumptions of any accident analyses. The proposed change does not adversely affect accident initiators or precursors, and it does not alter design assumptions, plant configuration, or the manner in which the plant is operated and maintained. The proposed change does not adversely affect the ability of structures, systems, or components (SSCs) to perform their intended safety functions in mitigating the consequences of an initiating event within the assumed acceptance limits.
Therefore, the proposed changes do not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.
- 2.
Does the proposed amendment create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated?
Response: No.
No new accident scenarios, failure mechanisms, or limiting single failures are introduced because of the proposed change. The change does not challenge the integrity or performance of any safety-related systems. No plant equipment is installed or removed, and the change does not alter the design, physical configuration, or method of operation of any plant SSC. No physical changes are made to the plant, so no new causal mechanisms are introduced.
Therefore, the proposed changes do not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated.
- 3.
Does the proposed amendment involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety?
Response: No.
Margin of safety is associated with the ability of the fission product barriers (i.e., fuel cladding, reactor coolant system pressure boundary, and containment structure) to limit the level of radiation dose to the public. The proposed change does not affect operation of the plant and no accident analyses are affected by the proposed changes. The proposed change does not adversely affect systems that maintain the plant in a safe shutdown condition.
The proposed change would allow the service water (SW) system to remain functional in Modes 5 and 6 to support operability of the required emergency diesel generator and residual heat removal system while the SW cooling tower is unavailable. Administrative controls will provide for restoration of the cooling tower in the event of a loss of the ocean supplied SW system.
Therefore, the proposed changes do not involve a significant reduction in the margin of safety.
The NRC staff reviewed the licensee's analysis and, based on this review, it appears that the three standards of 10 CFR 50.92(c) are satisfied. Therefore, the NRC staff proposes to determine that the amendment requests involve no significant hazards consideration.
The NRC is seeking public comments on this proposed determination that the license amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration. All comments received by Wednesday, April 12, 2017, will be considered in reaching a final determination. The Commission may issue the amendment prior to the expiration of the comment period should circumstances change such that failure to act in a timely way would result, for example, in resuming operation. Should the Commission take action prior to the expiration of the comment period, it will publish in the Federal Register a notice of issuance. Before any issuance of the proposed license amendment, the NRC will need to make the findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and NRC's regulations.
If the NRC staff decides in its final determination that the amendment does involve a significant hazards consideration, a notice of opportunity for a prior hearing will be published in the Federal Register and, if a hearing is granted, it will be held before the amendment is issued.
Comments on the proposed determination of no significant hazards consideration may be (1) telephoned to James Danna, Chief, Plant Licensing Branch I, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, by collect call to 301-415-7422, or by facsimile to 301-415-2102; (2) e-mailed to James.Danna@nrc.gov; or (3) submitted in writing to the Chief, Rules, Announcements, and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mail Stop: OWFN-12-HOB, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. All comments received by close of business on April 12, 2017, (i.e., 7:00 p.m.
EDT) will be considered in reaching a final determination.
The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact information in comment submissions that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov, as well as enter the comment submissions into ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove identifying or contact information.
If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove such information before making the comment submissions available to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.
A copy of the application may be examined electronically through the NRC's ADAMS in the NRC Library at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, and at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public File Area 01 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4 737, or by e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
Letter ML17095A328 Public Notice ML17095A338 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL 1/PM NRR/DORL/LPL 1/LA OGC-NLO NAME JPoole LRonewicz BHarris DATE 4/05/2017 4/05/2017 4/06/2017 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL 1 /BC NRR/DORL/LPL 1/PM NAME JDanna JPoole DATE 4/06/2017 4/06/2017