ML19308C054
| ML19308C054 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 01/07/1980 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Demlow D MICHIGAN, STATE OF |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8001180365 | |
| Download: ML19308C054 (3) | |
Text
{{#Wiki_filter:\\ UNITED STATES 3 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 8 WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 %v,/ JM:
- 180 Mr. Daniel Demlow, Chairman Michigan Public Service Comission 6545 Mercantile Way Lansing, Michigan 48909
Dear Mr. Demlow:
Your letter of April 9, 1979 has been referred to me for reply. Your letter contained five specific requests for information on the March 28, 1979 accident at Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) relative to its' influence on nuclear power plants in Michigan. While replies from the NRC are generally more prompt, an earlier reply following the outset of our investigation would have been of little value, and I therefore elected to delay this reply until the results and impact of our investigation were better known. Then too, I am sure you understand that since the accident, staff resources have necessarily been directed first to actions relating to maintenance of Three Mile Island Unit 2 in safe conditions, and to actions assuring safe operation of plants licensed to operate. In addition, considerable staff efforts have been directed to reassessments of staff requirements for plants under construction and for pending construction permit applications. Your letter requested information on the cause and control of the accident. The result of an investigation by our Office of Inspection and Enforcement in this regard is reported in Enclosure 1, NUREG-0600 entitled, " Investigation into the March 28, 1979 Three Mile Island Accident by Office of Inspection and Enforcement," dated August 1979. I Following the Three Mile Island accident, the NRC staff has been conducting an intensive review of the design and operational aspects of nuclear power plants and the emergency procedures for coping with potential accidents. The purpose of these efforts was to identify measures that should be taken in the short term to reduce the likelihood of such accidents and to improve the emergency prepared-ness in responding to such events. To carry out this review, efforts within the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation were established in four areas: (a) licensee emergency preparedness, (b) operator licensing, (c) bulletins and orders followup (primarily in the areas of auxiliary feedwater systems reliability; loss of feedwater and small break loss-of-coolant accident analysis; emergency operating guidelines and procedures), and (d) short-term lessons learned. NRR's require-ments established to date as a result of these efforts were forwarded about mid-September 1979 to utilities with operating nuclear power plants (Enclosure 2) and about mid-October 1979 to utilities with plants under construction (Enclosure 3). is a copy of NUREG-0578 entitled, "TMI-2 Lessons Learned Task Force Status Report and Short-Term Recomendations," and Enclosure 5 provides the 18E Bulletins on TMI-2 referenced therein. In contrast to the short-term reconmendations in NUREG-0578 which are of a more narrow, specific, and urgent nature, a subsequent report, NUREG-0585 (Enclosure 6) entitled, "THI-2 Lessons 8001180 3&5!
~ Mr. Daniel Demlow JMi 7100 Learned Task Force Final Report," was issued October 1979 and deals with safety questions of a more fundamental policy nature regarding nuclear plant operations and design and the regulatory process. The staff is performing a generic review to determine if current B&W plants are overly responsive to feedwater transients. We have sent letters to all utilities holding construction permits for plants with B&W designs, and our letter (Enclosure 7) to Consumers Power Company for Midland Plant, Units 1 & 2, is typical in this regard. In addition to the above requirements, Cormiission review of the results of other investigations, including the Presidential Commission and the NRC's Special Inquiry Group, can be expected to lead to additional requirements. We are in the final stages of development of an Action Plan for implementing recommenda-tions of the President's Commission and other studies resulting from the TMI-2 accident. This plan is being developed with special emphasis on changes in requirements for operating reactors and on changes in NRC practices and proce-dures to diminish the risk of present operation. The plan also contains re-quirements for use in licensing reviews of new plants. I find the above documents, as supplemented by the following discussion, to be responsive to your requests for infornation on: 1. "Results of NRC activities in determining whether there is any significant potential for any such accident to occur in Michigan;" Our requirements to date and our continuing reviews are directed to assuring that no significant potential exists for any such accident to occur in any state, including Michigan. 2. "NRC actions that might affect availability of nuclear power plants presently operating in the state;" I&E Bulletins forwarded to operating plants after the TMI-2 accident defined the conditions to be met for continued operation. Our reviews of replies from Consumer Power Company for Palisades and Big Rock Point and from Indiana and Michigan Electric Company for D. C. Cook 1 & 2 are in final stages of completion. However, completion of our review is not presently preventing operation of any licensed nuclear plant in Michigan. 3. "NRC or other actions or plans that might affect the design or licensing ability of nuclear power plants presently under design or under construc-tion in this state;" As you will note from these docunents, many chan5es resulting from the TMI-2 accident have already been implemented and still others will undoubtedly be defined and impler.ented. However, the changes known or anticioated at this time appear to be achievable.
a 'j. I 7 350 Mr. Daniel Demlow _3 4. " Emergency activities surrounding the Three Mile Island incident that might be useful to our State during cur present re-examination of Michigan's nuclear emergency planning;" Our requirements for upgraded energency plans are discussed in a generic letter of October 10,1979 (enclosure 8) to all utilities currently holding operating licenses or for which an operating license is anticipated in the near-term. A more recent letter (enclosure 9) to applicants with plants expected to load fuel between 1983 and early 1983 also discusses proposed rule changes in this regard. These letters reference NUREG-0396, entitled " Planning 3 asis for the Development of State and Local Government Radiological Emergency Response Plans in Support of Light Water' Nuclear Power 31 ants," dated December 1978 (Enclosure 10). We anticipate further changes as a result of the recent recommendations of the Presicential Commission and findings as may result from other ongoirg groups investigating the Three Mile :sland accident. 5. " Calculations or estimates that you right have of the change in cost of electric power that any of the activities referenced above right have on in-State power plants." We have not performed any cost analyses for changes associated with the results of our investigation of the Three Mile Island accident. If we can be of further assistance in this matter, please contact us. Si ncerely, phf e Harold R. Denton, Directcr Office of Nuclear Reactor Regalation
Enclosures:
1. NUREG-0600 2. Followup letter to operating plants 3. Followup letter to plants under construction 4. NUREG-0578 5. I&E Bulletins on TMI 6. NUREG-0585 7. 10 CFR 50.54 Request on B&W NSSS 8. 10/10/79 letter to licensees 9. Upgraded Emergency Plan Letter dated 11/21/79 10. NUREG-0396 e
AA. & DISTRIBUTION - W/0 ENCLOSURES Central File NRC PDR Local PDR NSIC W EDO Reading NRR Reading LWR-4 File H. Denton E. Case D. Vassallo S. Varga L. Rubenstein D. Hood M. Service ELD G. Ertter M. Groff E. Hughes B. l4oore f.3LB IE(3) SECY (3) R. Vollmer S. Miner =}}