ML19305A917

Discusses 800116 Public Meeting in Omaha,Ne Re Issues Raised by Util Application for Amend to OL to Increase Power Level from 1,420 Mwt to 1,500 Mwt,To Switch Over to Exxon Fuel Rods & to Use Exxon Analytical Techniques.Article Encl

ML19305A917
Person / Time
Site:	Fort Calhoun
Issue date:	02/06/1980
From:	Kirshen A METROPOLITAN AREA PLANNING AGENCY, OMAHA, NE
To:	Lobel R Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NUDOCS 8003180578
Download: ML19305A917 (3)

Text

._-. . -_

t mapa citizens CGadviso 03 3/30 .

February 6, 1980 Mr. Richard Lobel Operating Reactors Branch #4 Division of Operating Reactors U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555

Dear Mr. Lobel:

Enclosed please find a letter addressed to the Omaha Public Power District regarding the public meeting held in Omaha on January 16, 1980 to consider the issues raised by OPPD's Application to NRC for Amendment to its Facility Operating License to increase the licensed power level from 1420 MWT to 1500 MWT, to switch over to fuel rods manufactured by Exxon Nuclear Corp, and to use Exxon analytical techniques. While our Committee, which is an officially constituted working committee serving in an official, but independent advisory capacity to the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency on matters of concern to the Omaha region, sufficiently resolved its desire for a public forum to permit withdrawl of its earlier formal request for a public NRC hearing, and sufficiently resolved its environmental concerns to permit it to withhold unfavorable comment on the facility's pollution discharge permit, you may note with some interest that the Committee has recommended to the OPPD Board of Directors that, notwithstanding license modification to permit operation at 1500 MWT, Fort Calhoun should continue to be operated at 1420 MWT, its presently licensed capacity, in order both to prolong the fuel cycle and to avoid lingering questions of safety and risk which cannot apparently be resolved until NRC develops risk factor analysis regulations some time in the future. The Committee has come to this conclusion in the belief that OPPD has failed to establish a demonstrated need for additional generating capacity, except on a contingency basis since power demand has been just about constant and well below forecasts. Since this is not a factor which the NRC considers in license modification proceedings, the Committee has addressed its recommendation to the OPPD Board and not NRC.

In going over its lessons learned, however, the Committee was most concerned about the machinations required to obtain a public forum at which ratepayers and other interested parties would have the opportunity to receiva information, pose questions, obtain answers and make comments whenever a license modification proceeding is pending before the NRC. Because of this concern, the Natural

, Resources Committee and its parent, the Citizens Advisory Board, $dEO3 i

has resolved that it submit to the NRC a Petition for Rule Making S requesting that the NRC 1) promulgate rules to require an informal l

Omaha. Council Bluffs. Metropolitan Area Planning Agency / 7000 West Center Rood, Suite 200, Omaha, Nebraska 68106 / 402/444 6866 8003180 43-}713

i os/g/8o l l

Mr. Richard Lobel l February 6, 1980 Page 2 public meeting in each instance of license issuance, amendment, or modification such hearing to be substantially similar to the one we had here in Omaha; 2) promulgate rules to permit in all cases, -

informal participation by interested parties throughout a proceeding for license issuance, amendment of modification, as delineated by 10 C.F.R. 52.715; and 3) promulgate rules to clarify that a request for a formal hearing can be made independent of intervention.

On behalf of the Committee, and the Citizens Advisory Board, I I want to express my thanks and appreciation for your participation in the January 16th meeting, for the time and effort that you took in preparing for the public meeting, for your willingness to subject yourselves to the numerous questions that were asked, and for the spirit of cooperation and public responsiveness which you evidenced.

In addition, for myself I wish to add my thanks for your several courtesies and for the assistance in facilitating my attendance at technical meetings. As I stated publicly earlier, public meetings can only go so far in resolving individual concerns about nuclear energy, and ultimately we layment must place our trust in those in your position to ensure that everything is done by the numbers. To the extent, however, that you have helped to resolve a multitude of questions on behalf of myself and numerous others, we were certainly glad that you were able to attend.

Ver uly yours,

< L A nrTI.C- Kirshen As:sociate Professor of Law and Chairman, Natural Resources Committee AHK/cgf Enclosure cc: Joseph R. Gray, Esq.

Betty Peake Kenneth J. Morris MAP.S. In view of recent events abroad, does NRC consider a scenario

' wherein 20 or so armed terrorists forcibly take over a nuclear facility and threaten to run the reactor to a Stage 8 condition by manually overriding automatic safety systems? If not, this concern could be averted by manual control, incapable of override, that would auto-matically bring the reactor to cold shutdown and from which reacti-vation could only take place by installation of a " key", electronic or mechanical, the only copy of which would be kept by NRC in Washington and whic would have to be physically transported to the site for reactivation of the facility. This would block out coercoin of reactor personnel, since the lockout would make this pointless.

Perhaps I have been rending too many Iranian novels, but I think this

, would be a good idea to keep a reactor from being used as a terrorist

" hostage".

l

Eust6merEffortsto Lse Less '

~

[fouldIncreaseOPPDRatesi 6

• .BY JohnTaYlor noMo mnserve by the consumer, said. "We are required by law haswouldbe

" Petersen to besold. made hours the dis'nct had forecast

$18MillionOff Jt,was at least the second .7 b

.J

's, Nv. : . c.

l .'"** **"* Omaha (to serw customer demand). If straight year that energy sales n- -

Bei MM

• Custusrs of the we don't do it, we are in default had fallen below what OPPD1:. / .E J_. zh "4 er lPuTIIEEer Distnct may f ace of our basic laws that brought hadprojected.

'Si ~

.a rate merease (nis veaT5e. public power and OPPD into In 1978 OPPD forecast of . . .- .c '

una .cause mey are usmg less eiecibemg." energysaleswas 1.4 percent off ....' 9h .!! "

f ric ay inWhev h a yew a F Tess PromoteWinterUse the mark. As a result of the 1979 #~

n

. . . . ."~ ltmmonany OPPDis a summer-peak util-' energy sales, OPPD fosmd that rn :2 ...._...u.......

2 n 3:n Ean OPPD managers had pre- ity. De largest demand on its actual revenues ran $18 million ' cfiir" 1h ~,",~ ""

Shctes. system occurs during a one- behind projections, according ' .9

'The situation is due to a com- hour period in the summer to distnct figures. A compen- E._ .

boatictiof factors, OPPD offi. when air conditioners are run- saung factor is that fuel costs

• clafs'said, including relatively ningfull-blast. d ..l..,

"r .mildweather.aslowdownin the Itmustfindwaystoservethat jecuans because of the decime economy and energy conserva. load and one way has been to wereabout$3millionbelow pro- ((pi "

build expensive power plants. in demand. -

tion. OPPD enters 1980looking for L~

OPPD's problem, called Muchof its generatmgcapacity ways to improve its cash flow.

"short-term" by district offi- is . m w G.a DoMhriaf a Eldon C. Pape, an OPPD as-cials,'is that sales of energy 'sistant general manager, said m rs nave copart of inmar.retersen said he OPPD and otherismanagers con . will be

.u.~ d,u,rmgW laneo benmd w + hat the 1 ~ ct sidennge romotingMTec- talking to the distnct's boardin m=,

fraa proiected. and actuaLm- tMUN.unng the wmter. the first quarter, outlining the

~

crass nm grown atx;gw TUPPD could increase its problem and explaining the op-WFD attributes most of revenues during the winter tionsopentothedistrict.

ryatne slowdown to the weather, months tohelp pay forits equip- "The slow amount of growth f 5

but officials said conservation ment, it would help every- imm1778to1979weattnbuteto k; 92T 2!:" may play a pa t in lower-than. body," he said. "We're looking "E/:' the very mild summer weather T antic >pateduse. at the possibility of going out we experienced, as well as the

. OPPD'sOptions

. and trymg to promote some off- very mild early winter weath- . .e

~

isi

'" Tha resultine slow crowth peak of load. There is a way to dothat and do it in conjunction revenues is iuremg UPPD to er," Pape said. "In addition toweather, we feel the C3 9

25!. cc u r - mens to with energy conservation, and Impact from conservation on wrl'

~

thatiswiththeheatpump. our customers' part. We don't c@ecn uo. In orcar m eity, "If a new home is built out in

,.seNe axcas ca~=cittto West Omaha,it is gomg to have haveaway to measurethat.

WeatherBigFactor oW5shes a heating and cooling system "If theweatherwasthedomi-

1 ,

r-Iter %e u!eQ2.IM.g;gs. andwewanttheheatingsystem nant factor in 1979, a return to entOPPD market. tobeelectric." , _

t Until recent years, OPPD's normal Nebraska weather J "7GiiiEiB3fkexpenses. ~

would then bnng sales, as well r:: ~

4mcnem2 rm. peak demand - the maximum as revenue, back into the range '

^

"[heTi~are complex reasons amount of electricity used in a we anticipated."

for'the situation. Some mem- one hour period - grew at a However, Pape said, if t!ie i.

i bers of the OPPD board and of somewhat predictable annualrate, generally 7 percent. Total . slo j the:dtstnct's management say  ;

. ' onereasonisthattheoublicJp- energy sales - total kilowatt more than two or three yearsJ"OPPD wou cc.c

~

I ma6ded more and inure energy es hours sold to customers dunng tional revenue to finance the oser me i, ears, an a - ms- the year - also rose at about a 7 high level of fixed costs', .

which ad led wre m"'~'n percentrate. include interest payments on f tha d. Forecasts 0ff  ? ~p' ".

emand slowed. they As the energy crunch hit, the borrowedmoney.

nen Pape said selling excessr -

7- mn Wth economy slowed and conserva-say menemant that "* W m be tion took hold, the rate of power to difficult, because OPPD is not [;

b other utilities "- may be ff pa; dor. .

growth slowed. Ppk demand in alone in expenencmg lower :.

EnergyConservation 102 and 197$ 4r m ample, demand; other utihties in the p.i Some OPPD cntics have grew at rm M'm 1 mnt; pointed to OPPD's advertising energy salesslow growth growth.

also has regionalsoare feelingeffects slogan, "Use electncity for a11 been running below the 7 per- Unless the district can it's worth, but use it wisely," centtraditional' rate. u.- ..

.=n excarfRTrwent e m&Qa , a vu add the dtstnct's use of a de.During the last few years, cUi"T5sts ww aming block rate structure OPPDforecastsof future power mav te m the pos_jte nf Hvmg bised on"the moreyou use, the uswm om se d k.

' draper it gets," as evidence a amu kiioww cerW nt 'he

~Ihe iatest hgures underscore Umenmeitis nerewngrmag

t':at the distnct emphasizes the trend, especially those consumptionoverconservation. dealing with total energy sales, yg ua*, * ;

COPPD spokesmen disagree andhaveset0PPDmanagers to MID~

, hth the entics. "The largest thinking of ways to make up smgleexpenditureinour adver- rewnue they had expected the i Gsmg budget is energy conser- district roget.but didn't.

ration," said Fred Petersen, In 1979, OPPD sold 5,015,4H. if ~ ~-

, division manager for pubite re- 300 kilowatt hours of energy. L lations. Thatrepresentedasix-tenthsof I- R.

Dec! ming block rates, he 1 percent increase over sales of siid, aren't to encourage usage 4.W0,930,500 kilowatt hours in ..

but "are designed so that each 1978. F f customer pays what it costs The actual energy sales last t!! , ~ ~ ~ ~ ,

', DPPDtoprovideservicetothat yearcontamedwere 4.5 percent H

' ~~. . classof customer, oelow the 5,251,669,000 kilowatt rw ,Wwon of whether or - w ,au t i