ML17100A128

Supplemental Information Needed for Acceptance of Requested Licensing Action Amendment of Inter Unit Transfer of Spent Fuel

ML17100A128
Person / Time
Site:	Indian Point
Issue date:	04/11/2017
From:	Pickett D Plant Licensing Branch 1
To:	Entergy Nuclear Operations
Pickett D, NRR/DORL/LPL1, 415-1364
References
CAC MF8991, CAC MF8992
Download: ML17100A128 (4)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001

.\.pril 11, 2017 Vice President, Operations Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Indian Point Energy Center 450 Broadway, GSB P.O. Box 249 Buchanan, NY 10511 0249

SUBJECT:

INDIAN POINT NUCLEAR GENERATING UNIT NOS. 2 AND 3 -

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION NEEDED FOR ACCEPTANCE OF REQUESTED LICENSING ACTION RE: AMENDMENT OF INTER-UNIT TRANSFER OF SPENT FUEL (CAC NOS. MF8991 AND MF8992)

Dear Sir or Madam:

By letter dated December 14, 2016 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Package Accession No. ML16355A066), Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (the licensee) submitted a license amendment request for Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit Nos. 2 and 3.

The proposed amendment would revise the technical specifications to relax existing restrictions involving the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) previous approval for the inter-unit transfer of spent fuel assemblies from the Unit No. 3 to the Unit No. 2 spent fuel pool. The purpose of this letter is to provide the results of the NRC staff's acceptance review of this amendment request. The acceptance review was performed to determine if there is sufficient technical information in scope and depth to allow the staff to complete its detailed technical review. The acceptance review is also intended to identify whether the application has any readily apparent information insufficiencies in its characterization of the regulatory requirements or the licensing basis of the plant.

Consistent with Section 50.90 of Title 1O of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), an amendment to the license (including the technical specifications) must fully describe the changes requested, and following, as far as applicable, the form prescribed for original applications. Section 50.34 of 10 CFR addresses the content of technical information required.

This section stipulates that the submittal address the design and operating characteristics, unusual or novel design features, and principal safety considerations.

The NRC staff has reviewed your application and concluded that the information delineated in the enclosure to this letter is necessary to enable the staff to make an independent assessment regarding the acceptability of the proposed amendment request in terms of regulatory requirements and the protection of public health and safety and the environment.

In order to make the application complete, the NRC staff requests that the licensee supplement the application to address the information requested in the enclosure by April 26, 2017. This will enable the NRC staff to begin its detailed technical review. If the information responsive to the NRC staff's request is not received by the above date, the application will not be accepted for review pursuant to 10 CFR 2.101, and the NRC will cease its review activities associated with the application. If the application is subsequently accepted for review, you will be advised of

any further information needed to support the staff's detailed technical review by separate correspondence.

The information requested and associated time frame in this letter were discussed with Mr. Robert Walpole of your staff on April 7, 2017.

If you have any questions, please contact me at (301) 415-1364 or by e-mail to Douglas.Pickett@nrc.gov.

Sincerely,

~I Douglas V. Pickett, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch I Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-24 7 and 50-286 cc: Distribution via Listserv

Enclosure:

Request for Supplemental Information

REQUEST FOR SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST REGARDING INTER-UNIT TRANSFER OF SPENT FUEL ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS. INC.

INDIAN POINT NUCLEAR GENERATING UNIT NO. 2 INDIAN POINT NUCLEAR GENERATING UNIT NO. 3 DOCKET NOS. 50 247 AND 50 286 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclar Reactor Regulation (NRR),

staff has completed its acceptance review of Entergy Nuclear Operations, lnc.'s license amendment request (LAR) dated December 14, 2016 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Package Accession No. ML16355A066), that would relax restrictions related to the inter-unit transfer of spent fuel assemblies between Indian Point Nuclear Generating (Indian Point) Unit No. 2 and Unit No. 3 spent fuel pools. In accordance with NRR Office Instruction LIC 109, "Acceptance Review Procedures," the staff has found the application to be unacceptable, with the opportunity to supplement. This is primarily due to unresolved non-conservatisms related to the Unit No. 2 spent fuel pool technical specifications. In order to proceed with the NRC staff's review, the following deficiencies will need to be addressed:

(1) The shielded transfer canister (STC) LAR provides inadequate justification for loading spent nuclear fuel from Indian Point Unit No. 3 into the STC because it does not consider the effect of fuel assembly grid spacer expansion as a physical change to the fuel during irradiation.

(2) The STC LAR provides no justification for loading fresh unpoisoned fuel with a maximum 5.0 weight percent (wt%) enrichment of U23 5 into the Indian Point Unit No. 2 spent fuel pool (SFP) Region 1-2, as it does not address the current Indian Point Unit No. 2 Technical Specification 3.7.13 limitation on loading fresh unirradiated fuel into the Indian Point Unit No. 2 SFP Region 1-2, nor does it consider the effect on the interface with Indian Point Unit No. 2 SFP Regions 1-1, 2-1, and 2-2.

(3) The STC LAR provides no justification that misleading one or more fresh unpoisoned fuel assemblies with a maximum 5.0 wt% enrichment of U2 35 into the Indian Point Unit No. 2 SFP Regions 1-1, 2-1, and 2-2 would meet Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Section 50.68 regulatory requirements for subcriticality margin.

Enclosure

ML17100A128 OFFICE DORL/LPL 1/PM DORL/LPL 1/LA DSS/SNPB/BC DORL/LPL 1/BC DORL/LPL 1/PM NAME DPickett LRonewicz RLukes JDanna DPickett (RGuzman for) (RGuzman for)

DATE 04/10/2017 04/10/2017 04/10/2017 04/10/2017 04/11/2017