ML19312E887

Forwards ACRS to Chairman Ahearne Re near-term CP Applications

ML19312E887
Person / Time
Site:	Allens Creek File:Houston Lighting and Power Company icon.png
Issue date:	05/28/1980
From:	Youngblood B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Eric Turner HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO.
References
NUDOCS 8006180086
Download: ML19312E887 (3)

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION j

WASHINGTUN, D. C. 20555

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50-466 Mr. E. A. Turner Vice President Houston Lighting & Power Company P. O. Box 1700 Houston, Texas 77001

SUBJECT:

ACRS LETTER CONCERNING NEAR-TERM CONSTRUCTION PERMIT APPLICATIONS A copy of a letter, dated May 6,1980, addressed to John F. Ahearne, Chairman, Nuclear Regulatory Comissior from Milton S. Plesset, Chainnan, Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, concerning Near-Term Construction Permit Applications is enclosed for your information and use.

Sincerely, B. J. Youngblood, Chief Licensing Branch No. 1 Division of Licensing

Enclosure:

As Stated i

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2-Houston Lighting a Power Company cc:

R. Gordon Gooch, Esq.

Baker & Botts 1701 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W.

Washington, D. C.

20006 J. Gregory Copeland, Esq.

Baker & Botts One Shell Plaza Houston, Texas 77002 Jact R. Newman, Esq.

Lowenstein, Newman, Reis & Axelrad 1025 Connecticut Avenue, N. W.

Washington, D. C.

20036 Mr. P. A. Horn Project Manager, ACNGS Houston Lighting & Power Company P. O. Box 1700 Houston, Texas 77001 Mr. Ray Matzelle Project Manager, ACNGS Ebasco Services, Inc.

19 Rector Street New York, New York 10005 Mr. Ray Lebre Project Manager, ACNGS General Electric 175 Kurtner Avenue San Jose, California 95125 Richard Lowerre, Esq.

Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas Environmental Protection Division P. 0. Box 12548 Capitol Station Austin, Texas 78711 M MO a

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Ms. Carro Hinderstein 8739 Link Terrace Houston, Texas 77025 James Scott, Jr., Esq.

Texas Public Interest Research Group, Inc.

Box 237 UC University of Houston 4

Houston, Texas 7/004 Ms. Erenda A. McCorkle 6140 Darnell Houston, Texas 77074 Mr. John F. Doherty 4327 Alconbury Street Houston, Texas 77021 Sheldon J. Wolfe, Esq.

Atomic Safety & Licensing Board Panel U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C. 20555 Dr. E. Leonard Cheatum Route 3, Box 350A Watkinsville, Georgia 30677 Mr. Gustave A. Linenberger Atomic Safety & Licensing Board Panel U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comnission Washington, D. C. 20555 4*'4 4

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'8 May 6, 1950 Honorable John F. Ahearne Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comnission Washington, DC 20555 SU3 JECT: NEAR-TERM CONSTRUCTION PERMIT APPLICATIONS

Dear Dr. Ahearne:

During its 241st meeting, May 1-3, 1980, the ACRS reviewed the status of applications for near-term construction permits (NICPs).

In its review the Committee had the benefit.of discussions with the NP.C Staff and with repre-sentatives of the applicants for the NTCPs. A subcommittee meeting on this subject was held on April 9, 1980.

The six NTCP applicants and the reactor types involved are as follows:

Black Fox Station, Units 1 and 2, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, General Electric BUR /6, Mark III pressure suppres-sion containment Skagit Nuclear Power Project, Units 1 and 2, Puget Sound Power

& Light Company, General Electric BWR/6, Mark !!! pressure suppression containment Pilgrim Station, Unit 2, Boston Edison Company, Co?.bustion Engineering custom NSSS, large dry containment Perkins Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2 and 3, Duke Power Company, Combustion Engineering CESSAR System 80 NSSS, large dry con-tainment Allens Creek Nuclear Generating Station, Houston Lighting &

Power Company, General Electric B'iR/6, Mark III pressure sup-pression containment Pebble Springs Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, Portland General Electric Company, Babcock and Wilcox custom NSSS, large dry containment The NRC Staff has approached this matter primarily by examining the Action Plan and judging the applicability and scheduling of each item to an NTCP.

This procedure has resulted in placing many important items in a catego~y wherein the NRC has yet to develop criteria applicable to construction per-i mit applicants. Action Plan item II.A on siting introduces questions whose resolution must be achieved prior to issuance of a construction permit.

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".S Honorable John F. Ahearne May 6, 1980 Item II.B on degraded or melted cores bears directly on containnent design, as well as other safety features.

Item !!.C on reliability engineering and risk assessment could bear significantly on the design requirenents for many important plant systems. There are many other items in the Action Plan and in the ACRS report of April 17, 1980 which also might impact directly on im-portant design aspects of these plants.

Mr. Harold Denton advised the Committee that he envisaged permitting con-struction to proceed if there are no obvious site-related questions in terms of the Report of the Siting Policy Task Force ('nREG-0625) and if the contain-ment design pressure were such as to withstand hydrogen combustion, on the assumption that other design aspects could be changed later if so required.

The utility representatives advised the ACRS that, in their opinion, there was a need for the resolution of several policy questions which relate to how and whether construction permit applications will be processed in the near term. The utilities identified the following six policy issues as being in most urgent need of resolution:

1.

Siting 2.

Emergency planning 3.

Degraded core conditions 4.

Control room design 5.

Management for design and construction 6.

Reliability and risk assessment The utility representatives recommended that a concerted effort be under-

.taken to develop an acceptable interim approach to resolution by the Concis-sion of such issues in the next few months.

The ACRS supports this recom-mendation and urges that appropriate Staff resources be made available for this purpose. An ACRS Subcommittee plans to work actively with the Staff on the topic with the anticipation that the ful' Committee would review the NTCP matter within a few months.

Sincerely, Milton S. Plesset Chairman

References:

1.

Memorandum from D. F. Ross, NRC, to R. F. Fraley, ACRS

Subject:

Trans-mittal of NTCP Requirements list, dated April 22, 1980.

2.

Memorandum from William F. Kane, NRC, to Addressees,

Subject:

Request for Review of Proposed THI-2-Related Requirements for NTCP Applicants, dated April 4, 1980.

3.

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "NRC Action Plans Developed as a Result of the TMI-2 Accident," USNRC Report NUREG-0660 Draft 3, dated March 5, 1980.

4.

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, " Report of the $tting Policy Task Force," USNRC Report NUREG-0625, dated August, 3/9.

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