ML20005A986
| ML20005A986 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | McGuire  |
| Issue date: | 06/24/1981 |
| From: | Thies A DUKE POWER CO. |
| To: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8107060169 | |
| Download: ML20005A986 (2) | |
Text
()- 3(A DUKE POWER COMPANY CH ARLOTTE, N. C. 28242 A. C. THIES June 24, 1981 (7o4) 37s-4a49 SENIOR VICE PntsIDENT PWioDucTeoN AND TRANSMISSION Mr. Harold F Denton, Director Office of Nu lear Reactor Regulation U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D. C.
20555
Dear Mr. Denton:
On January 23, 1981, McGuire Nuclear Station Unit 1 was issued an operating license authorizing fuel loading and zero powcr physics testing. Fuel load-ing commenced on January 28, 1981 and was cc:apleted on February 3,1981. At that time the establishment of initial criticality was scheduled for April 10, 1981. The two month interim period was necessary to prepare the unit for initial criticality.
Initial criticality is now scheduled for July 5, 1981.
The additional three month delay resulted primarily from the following major factors:
1.
Replace a leaking flange gasket on D reactor coolant pump aad assure the leak integrity of the remaining pumps.
2.
Replace blocked in-core instrument tubes.
3.
Replace leaking reactor vessel 0-ring.
4.
Replace seal on A reactor coolant pump.
5.
Repair check valves not meeting revised Technical Specifica-tion requirements.
Although these problems were unexpected, they are typical of the types of problems encountered in starting up a technical facility of the complexity of
. a nuclear power plant.
It is important to realize that the above problems arose during the process of preparing the unit for initial criticality. They were not evident at the time of licensing. The unit was in fact ready to load fuel at-that time and indeed fuel loading was initiated shortly after receipt of the license.
Failure to receive a full power operating license in January has not, to date, delayed the company on its path to commercial operation on an absolute basis.
However, one can speculate that had we had a full power license in January, we might have made up some of this time since much of the uncertainty of licensing 8107060169 810 l
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w Mr. Harold R. Denton, Director June 24,-1981 Page Two would have been removed from the minds of station personnel and testing could have proceeded in a more orderly way. We have spent hundreds of hours of lawyer's, engineer's and management's time involved in the cumbersome contested licensing process and fallout therefrom. It would have been more productive to apply this time to preparing the facility for operation.
Unit 2 at McGuire is approximately 90% complete and commercial operation is scheduled for early 1983.
There seems to be a growing belief that an operating license should not be issued to a nuclear power plant until it is absolutely necessary for the next days work to proceed. This belief is both unwise and unfounded. I have already discussed some of the effects of needless delay but one further point needs emphasizing. This belief implies that both the nuclear industry and the NRC Staff are not capable of resolving new technical or safety questions that arise after issuance of an operating license. This implication is not true as evidenced by the successful resolution of many such questions during the past 20 years of safe nuclear power operation. What is urgently needed is for the rules to be established such that the NRC can issue full power licenses as early as ;-ssible so that the applicants won't be faced with schedule uncertainties, diversion of manpower, possible startup delay with the resultant costly replacement power,. increased plant capital cost, and possible ratcheting of NRC requirements. This last item can impose on a plant of one era of design, new criteria that it was never intended to meet, with potential huge costs and delays in operation.
The NRC, backed by the U. S. Congress through appropriate legislation, must develop an attitude that reflects the belief that, consistent with safety cri-teria, the nuclear plants of this nation should receive their operating licenses as early as possible, instead of the present approach of saying "how long can we wait before we interfere with their operation?"
As an industry we need stability in these matters for many reasons, not the least of which is the viability of the nuclear option. I urge the Commission to change to a philosophy of licensing as early as possible instead of as late as possible. Then its up to the utilities to get the units into operation under close NRC-I&E surveillance.
Very truly yours,
- . #f Y&lk A. C. Thies ACT:scs
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