ML19338C271
| ML19338C271 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 08/11/1980 |
| From: | Case E Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | METROPOLITAN EDISON CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19331C208 | List: |
| References | |
| ISSUANCES-OLA, NUDOCS 8008140332 | |
| Download: ML19338C271 (7) | |
Text
.
O 1
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the Matter of
)
METROPOLITAN EDISON COMPANY, et al.
Docket No. 50-320 OLA (Three Mile Island Nuclear Station,.
)
Unit 2)
)
MODIFICATION OF ORDER I.
Metropolitan Edison Company, Jersey Central Power and Light Company and Pennsylvania Electric Company (collectively, the Licensee) are the holders of Facility Operating License No. DPR-73, which had authorized operation of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 2 (TMI-2) at power levels up to 2772 megawatts thermal.
The facility, which is located in Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, is a pressured water reactor pre-viously used for the commercial generation of electricity.
By Order for Modification of License, dated July 20, 1979, the Licensee's authority to operate the facility was suspended and the Licensee's authority was limited to maintenance of the facility in the present shutdown cooling mode (44 F.R. 45271).
By further Order of the Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, dated February 11, 1980, a new set of fonnal license requirements were imposed to reflect the post-accident condition of the 8 0 08140 $N
f acility and to assure the continued maintenance of the current safe, stable, long-tenn cooling condition of the facility (45 F.R.11282).
These require-ments, in the fonn of proposed Technical Specifications, would modify the
~
facility operating license so as to:
(1) define operating parameters for the current safe, stable, long-tenn cooling mode for the facility (defined as the recovery mode), and delete all other pennissible operating modes so as to assure that operation of the facility in other than the stable shutdown condition of the recovery mode is precluded; (2) impose functional, operability, redundancy and surveillance requirements as well as safety limits and limiting conditions with regard to those structures, systems, equipment and components necessary to maintain the facility in the current safe, stable shutdown condition and to cope with foreseeable off-normal conditions; (3) prohibit venting or purging or other treatment of [the approxi-mately 57,000 curies of krypton-85 in] the reactor building atmospher.;, the discharge of water decontaminated by EPICOR-II system, and the treatment and disposal of high-level radio-actively contaminated water in the reactor building, ugil each of these activities has been approved by the NRC,-
consistent with the Commission's Statement of Policy and Notice of Intent to Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (44 F.R. 67738).
On the basis of the public health, safety, and interest, the requirements of the proposed Technical Specifications, attached to the February 11, 1980 Order, were made effective immediately. Under the tenns of the Order, the proposed formal license amendment incorporating these proposed Technical Specifica-tions will become effective on the expiration of the period specified in the y
By Memorandum and Order, dated June 12, 1980, the Commission gave the approval contemplated by this restriction insofar as necessary for the License 6 to cor. duct a purging of the TMI-2 containment in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC.
CLI-80-25. This activity was completed on July 11, 1980.
w-
.c
.e
Order, during which the Licensee or any other person whose interest may be affected may request a hearing or, in the event a hearing is requested and granted, on the date specified in an order made following the hearing or other disposition of such proceeding.
Several requests for a hearing have been filed in connection with the Order.
These requests are pending before an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board established to rule on such requests and to preside over the proceeding in the event that a hearing is ordered.
It is expected that, during the pendency of this matter, a number of changes in the proposed Technical Specifications may become necessary as the plant status continues to evolve as a result of ongoing decontamination and maintenance efforts. This Modification of Order
, addresses the first such change as discussed below.
II.
i l
Following the March 28, 1979 accident at TMI-2, it became apparent that the preferred cooling modes for the reactor included the use of a significant amount of plant equipment (e.g. condensate booster pumps and circulating water pumps) that did not have access to back-up power supplies. This was also true for the plant modifications proposed to provide alternate method,s of core cooling. Therefore, in order to provide back-up power capability to these core cooling systems, two additional balance-of-plant (BOP) diesel generators and a separate external 13.2 kv transmission line were installed at the site. These provided sources of power in addition to the 230 kv i
lines and the onsite emergency diesels which were available before the March 28,1979 accident. Operability requirements for these additional B0P.
diesel generators and the 13.2 kv transmission line were included in para-i graph 3.8.1.1 of the proposed Technical Specifications which were imposed pursuant to the Director's Order of February 11, 1980.
By letter, dated April 28, 1980, the Licensee requested NRC approval of proposed design changes which would allow the removal of the two B0P diesel generators and the 13.2 kv transmission line. The proposed changes would utilize the same combustion turbines, located in the proximity of Three Mile I
Island, that now provide the back-up power source via the 13.2 kv line.
Under this proposal, the 230 kv grid system would be utilized instead of the 13.2 kv line (via the 115 kv grid system). This new configuration means re-energizing a portion of the 230 kv grid system (that which normally feeds offsite power to T!!I) by use of the combustion turbines. This eliminates the need to switch to other sources and can be accomplished well before any need for restoration of motive power would exist. The onsite emergency diesels, which could, if necessary,' provide an adequate source of power, will continue to be available.
It has been detennined that the Licensee's proposal would provide an overall upgrade in loss-of-offsite-power protection as compared to that afforded by the approved existing system. This upgrade is realized in the following ways:
(1) unlimited versus limited capacity; (2) operator action consists of coordination with system dispatcher only versus also dispatching operators to man the BOP diesels; (3) proven reliability of the 230 kv grid and its l
l L
components versus the unproven non-Class IE diesel generators; and (4) famil-iarity with existing equipment versus new equipment never tested / operated in i
the actual mode required given loss of offsite power.
(This is due to the
~
fact that no testing is allowed which could even possibly provide a perturba-tion in the core cooling function.) As a consequence, the immediate need for the two B0P diesel generators and the 13.2 kv transmission lines found present in the Director's February 11, 1980 Order has been eliminated. The i
Staff's safety assessment of this matter is set forth in the concurrently issued Safety Evaluation.
This evaluation concluded, in material part, that the modification does not involve a significant hazards consideration and that there is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the modified manner.
It was further determined that the modification does not authorize a change in effluent types or total amounts nor an increase in power level and will not result in any significant environmental impact.
In light of this de-termination, it was concluded that'the instant action is insignificant from the standpoint of environmental impact and, pursuant to 10 C.F.R. 6 51.5(d)(4),
that an environmental impact statement or environmental impact appraisal need not be prepared herewith.
III.
Accordingly, pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, IT IS ORDERED THAT:
(1) Effectively immediately, the requirements imposed by the Director's Order of february 11, 1980 are modified by revision of paragraph 3.8.1.1 of the proposed Technical Specifications attached thereto to delete subparcs (c) '
and (d) and to make corresponding revisions in explanatory portions of that paragraph as set forth in Attachment A hereto.
The formal license amendment incorporating the proposed Technical Specifica-tions, as modified, must await the outcome of the prospective hearing requested pursuant to the February 11, 1980 Order or other disposition of that matter.
For further details with respect to this action, see (1) Letter to B. J.
Snyder, NRC, from R. C. Arnold, Met.Ed/GUP, " Technical Specification Change Request No. 22," dated April 28, 1980; (2) Letter to J. T. Collins, NRC,
. from R. F. Wilson, Met. Ed/GUP, requesting removal of the two B0P diesel generators, dated March 4,1980; (3) Letter to R. C. Arnold, Met. Ed, from J. T. Collins, NRC, granting approval of the concept for removal of the BOP diesel generators, dated March 28, 1980; (4) Letter to J. T. Collins, NRC, from R. F. Wilson, Met. Ed/GUP, requesting removal of 13.2 kv power line, dated March 28, 1980; and (5) the Director's Order of February 11, 1980.
All of the above documents are available for inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, 1717 H Street, N. W., Washington, D. C., and at the Commission's Local Public Document Rooms at the State Library of Pennsylvania, Goverrinent Publications Section, Education Building, Commonwealth and Walnut
_ Streets, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17126 and of the York College of Pennsylvania, Country Club Road. York, Pennsylvania.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Edson G. Case, Deputy Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Dated at Bethesda, Maryland AUG 111580 i
6 h*