ML19350E303

Requests Congressional Assistance to Require NRC to Expedite Licensing of Nuclear Power Plants.Facility Fuel Load Delays Discussed.Aif Ltr Dtd 810217 Forwarded

ML19350E303
Person / Time
Site:	Wolf Creek
Issue date:	03/20/1981
From:	Doyle A KANSAS CITY POWER & LIGHT CO.
To:	Jeffries J HOUSE OF REP.
References
NUDOCS 8106170282
Download: ML19350E303 (2)

Text

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Honorable James E. Jeffries \

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House of Representatives \,-h, y, ' ' " -: M " '

424 Cannon House Office Building Y,4 ' ,7-Washington, D.C. 20515 N.

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Dear Mr. Jeffries:

About a year ago we brought to your attention the potential delay by the NRC in processing an Operating License for our Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Unit. Since then, due in part to our perceived NRC delay and in part to construction delays, the scheduled fuel load dare for Wolf Creek has been deferred six months to April 1983 and the commercial date of operation has been deferred 12 months to April 1984.

As indicated by the attached letter d'ated February 17, 1981, from the Chairman of the Atomic Industrial Forum to the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it appears that our concern about the potential NRC delay was and is warranted. We are now concerned that the impact of the current NRC backlog in processing operating licenses will trigger delays in the 1983-84 period unless significant changes are made promptly in NRC procedures and caseload assignments. It is our understanding that the NRC's license review program is now bogged down, under-staffed and will result in completed plants costint some $2 billion each to remain idle pending N R C's Staff reviews. This is a disservice to the public, for each year of delay adds some $250 million of carrying charges to the completed cost of each plant. Those additional costs must be borne by electric ratepayers. During the delay, required electric energy must be generated, in part, by our scarce fossil fuels--oil and natural gas.

On behalf of the public w.e serve, I ask your help, as a member of Congress, to require NRC to expedite its licensing of nuclear power plants, particularly the operating licenses for completed plants, so that our Missouri and Kansas clistomers wiiFnor-have to pay a dear price for any NRC delay in icensing Wolf Creek for the 1983-84 startup .

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EEasfjington, B.C. 20515 May 21, 1981 The Honorable Jack Daly x Assistant Secretary .

Congressional, Intergovernmental and Public Affairs .-

Department of Energy James Forrestal Building 1000 Independence Avenue Southwest Washington, D.C. 20585 Dear Mr. Daly; _

Enclosed please find a a.,py of a letter I received from Mr. Arthur Doyle, President of Kansas City Power and Light Company regarding the licensing of nuclear power plants. I would appreciate your comments on this situ-ation and whether the new Administration is making any attempts to expedite this process.

Thank you for your attention to this request.

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The Honorable John ahearne , '.\ N d

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The Executive Committee of t1e :om c Industrial Forum is deeply distressed over the th..d monthly NRR status report

-. - recently submiteed to Congress. The nport identifies newly

. acknowledged delays in Nk-'s licensi.g. process which will result in substantial slippages in the i.ssuance of operating licenses for 11 plants previously. expected to begin commercial operatio.n in 1981 and 1982.

These 11 plants will have concleted all construction and be poised to contribute to the safe and economical generation of electricity in many parts of the country. Instead, they will collectively stand idle for some 80 months- waiting for admin-istrative procedures to conclude and for operating licenses to be issued unless procedures available to you are invoked.

Thdre is no safety risk in your applying these procedures.

Estimated costs to the oublic for the idling or~ such facilities approximate one million' dollars per day for each. Thus, NRC's present course cari contribute to an additional and unnecessary cost to the public of 2.4 billion dollars. In our judgmen:,

this enormous waste argues for drastic remedial steps. We believe, among many remedies which may be effective, tha: the

- NRC~should commence promptly to:

a Repeal sucpension of the immediate effectiveness rule.

In 1979, the NRC.suscended 10 CFR 2.751 and instituted a procedure which delays issuance of the operating

- license in : contested cases until the' Atomic Safety and Licensing Appeals Board has ruled on the effectiveness i l 90 s

"[,', The Honorable John Ahearne February 17, 1921 of the LiceInting Board decision, and the Nuclear Regu- r latory Commission has itself had an opportunity to cass on issuance of the Operating License. " This or'ocedure allows the ASLA3 at least 60 days to render its deci-sion and the NRC at least 20 additional days. During these 80 days, the 11 currently affected completed plants will stand idle at a cost of more than 800 million dollars. This change in procedure was never warranted and should be rescinded immediately. In addition, the Commission should consider exercising the powers available to it under 10 CFR 2.760 (b)(2) to

. issue licenses itself when there are compelling public interests.

a Utili:e generic proceedings more effectively.

NRC should support and enforce the policy that any matter currently being, or scheduled to be considered in a rulemaking .hould not be subject to litigation in individual licensing proceedings. Such matters are generic in nature and any determinations of how indivi-i dual plants should address these issues should be held l in abeyance until the conclusion of the rulemakings.

For example, issues related to degraded core condi-tions, especially the hydrogen issue, can be eliminated in individual proceedings by publishing the Interim Rule along with a clear policy statement on its intended use.

o. Increase Licensi.7g 3'eard and NRC , Staff discipline.

NRC should issue instructions to Licensing 3 cards te make aggressive efforts to shorten hearing schedules, and NRC should allocate increased resources to these Licensing Boards to facilitate such schedule short-

-' ening . In addition, the NRC staff should be given instructions to ensure prompt readiness for hearings, and. sufficient NRC staff resources should be applied to I hearings. Fi'nally, th,e Commission should actively monitor the orogress being made by both Licensing Boards and .the NRC staff in bringing hearing processes to expediti~ous conclusions and, on a case by c:sa basis as necessary, issue appropriate guidance to ensure such expeditious conclusions.

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the Hon: able Jchn Ahearne February 1 , 1981 Increase NRC Staff suppor: to FEMA.

NRC should provide increased staff s'upport to FEMA to expedite review and a.pproval of state and local emer-gency plans. The capability to carry out emergency plans effectively can adequately be judged without full examination of the entire spec: rum of minute de: ails

, associated with emergency planning. In particular, low

, power operating licenses should be allowed prior :o final review of emergency plans.

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In closing, it is worth noting that the delays affecting these 11 plants represent only the tip of the iceberg ~o: a more unca-

. mental problem. The lack of NRC Staff commi:ted to crocessing licenses will present a ripple effect of delays on the re-maining plants undar construction that will result in billions scre dollars in unnecessary costs to consumers. It is thus crucial that the NRC focus its available staff and Licensing 3 card resources on casework and intensify its effor to bring acou: necessary procedural reforms. Frojects not directed toward this goal and not of fundamental safety importance shou'.d be given a lower priority.

h*e shall continue our search for additional measures tha: would eliminate licensing delays which are unrelated to public health and :afety. Meanwhile, we would be pleased to discuss with you any of our suggestions in greater detail.

Sincerely,

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