ML17266A411

Urges Licensing Schedule Be Revised to Reflect Oct 1982 Completion Date,Not Dec 1983

ML17266A411
Person / Time
Site:	Saint Lucie, Turkey Point
Issue date:	03/03/1981
From:	Mcdonald M FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT CO.
To:	Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML17266A412	List: ML17266A411 ML17340A845
References
NUDOCS 8103180653
Download: ML17266A411 (5)

Text

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FLORIDA POVJER 8 LIGHT COlvfPANY MIAMI, FLORIDA h<~.RSHALL h{cDOYALD C'rL~B VAN 0.= THE BOARD March 3, 1981 Mr. Joseph M. Hend ie, Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission

'717 H Street, N. Y..

Washington, D. C. 20555 Dea= Mr. Chairman:

I wrote to your predecessor regarding the subject matter of this letter and, in view of your subsequent appoint-ment as Chairman of the NRC, I wish to address my concerns to you.

~ ~ I Florida Power S Light Company serves half the state of Florida and is a major nuclear utility which operates Turkey Point Units 43 and 44 and St. Lucie Unit Ol and has St. Lucie Unit 42 under construction. The construction of St. Lucie 02 has met virtually every major milestone on the critical path schedule established some four years ago. S . Lucie f2 is approximately 65% completed with construction at the present time and is scheduled for fuel load on October 29, 1982.

Ne cannot voluntarily accept the NRC schedule for licensing of this unit. The NRC staff, despite our protests to the contrary, insists on a licensing schedule assuming a completion date of December, 1983. It appears that the NRC schedule is predicated on average construction times of many plants over a number of years. This is very

'naccurate when used to predict the completion date of a specific plant which is meeting the schedule milestones shown on Attachment A. If that schedule is not changed by the NRC to reflect the date when we will complete the plant, the results will be as follows:

a) FPL will complete the unit in October, 1982.

The unit will be operative b' remain idle for lack of an operating license'for 13 months.

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Mr. Joseph 'M. Hendrie March 3, 1981 b) FPL will burn 9,750,000 barrels of foreign oil which would not otherwise be used but for the lack of an operating license.

c) That o'1 will cost FPL's 2,000,000 customers more tnan $ 300,000,000 over and above the nuclear fuel which would have been used in the 13 month period but for lack of an operating license.

d) The capital cost of the unit will increase by $ 164,000,000 because of the continued accrual of APUDC and site maintenance costs during the period between October, 1982, and December, 1983, thus causing $ 32,000,000 each year (at current rates of return) of unnecessary costs over the life of the unit.

These unnecessary costs would have to be paid by our customers. In addition, the unnece'ssary delay in getting St. Lucie Unit 02 on line would delay our ability to convert oil fired generation to coal fired generation.

In view of our nation's policy of reducing dependence on foreign oil, our Company s desire and obligation to maintain reliable service, and most importantly, our obligation to provide, and our customers'esire to receive, the most economically priced electric service possible, the foregoing sequence of events must not be permitted to happen. I ur e ou to instruct the NRC Staff to base the NRC licensin schedule for St. Lucie Unit 42 on an October 1982 comnletion date.

We are cognizant, of the, limited resources of the NRC and the backlog of licensing applications confronting your agency.. In view of that and in order to take every step possible to avoid the potentially scandalous and unnecessary results set forth above, Dr. Robert E. Uhrig, of our company, and Mr. Denton, of your staff, have been searching for a means to expedite the licensing procedure.

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Mr. Joseph Yi. Hendrie March 3, 1981 ~ ii~... "::

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Thev have arrived at an innovative, independent rev'ew process that can result in a very significant reduction in the review schedule, thereby expedit'ng the 'ssuance o the Safetv Evaluation Report. This independen" review is estimated to cost, Florida Power 6 Light Company about $ 3,000,000 and is undertaken with the expectation that the benefits will be commensurate with this cost and the very large extra effort on the part of our staff that is involved in this procedure. This independent review process is expected to very substantially reduce the NRC manpower requirements for the review. Indeed, it expected that the primary product of the independent is review will be a document that is essentially a draft safety evaluation report. We willingly undertake this additional burden in an effort to leave no stone unturned in an effort to keep St. Lucie f2 on its original schedule.

Acceptance of this independent design review approach will require NRC support at all levels.

We will willingly undertake the required expenditure of resources if the NRC will agree that its licensing will keep pace with our construction. schedule.

At this stage of the project, the necessary adjustments to the licensing schedule can still be made in order to avo'd tne virtually certain delay which will result the present NRC schedule is not changed. Once again, I if urge you to instruct the staff to revise the licensing schedule to reflect an October, 1982, completion date of. St. Lucie 42 nuclear unit.

Sincerely, MYicD:mg Attachment ~~~~ ~ ~~~ ~~ ~

CC: Florida Congressional'elegation

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O 1976 INDUSTRY AVERAGES 1S 1979 0

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~ I ST) LUCIE 2 CONSTRUCTION STATUS FEBRUARY 27, 1981 0.6 81 (TARGET) 10 . 20 ~ 30 40 60 60 70 80 100 PERCENT COMPLETE (AVERAGE FOA TIIE YEAR)

STo LUCIE UNIT 2 PROGRESS VS. INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE