ML20035B766

Discusses Notice of Enforcement Discretion for Facility.On 930226 Request for Enforcement Discretion Reviewed & Approved

ML20035B766
Person / Time
Site:	South Texas
Issue date:	03/30/1993
From:	Milhoan J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV)
To:	Hall D HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER CO.
References
NUDOCS 9304050086
Download: ML20035B766 (5)

Text

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' [pffc' k NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION UNITED STATES oq

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j REGION IV

'8 611 RYAN PLAZA DRIVE, SUITE 400 o5, 8

AR LINGTON, TEXAS 760118064 PAR 301583 Docket:

50-498 50-499 License: NPF-76 NPF-80 Houston Lighting & Power Company ATTN: Donald P. Hall, Group Vice President Nuclear P.O. Box 1700 Houston, Texas 77251

SUBJECT:

NOTICE OF ENFORCEMENT DISCRETION FOR HOUSTON LIGHTING & POWER REGARDING SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT (STP), UNIT 1 By letter dated March 29, 1993, you requested relief from the required actions in Technical Specification (TS) 3.1.3.3.

Your staff informed the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that, in order to complete testing on the digital rod position indication system and the rod control system, it would be necessary to close the reactor trip breakers and withdraw control rods, which ir not in accordance with the requirements of the action of TS 3.1.3.3.

The pla.it is presently in cold shutdown (Mode 5).

Your staff provided justification for your action on March 29, 1993, during a conference call between Region IV staff, STP, and members of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR).

During that call you categorized the nature of the request for enforcement discretion and the circumstances surrounding the need for prompt action, compensatory measures to be taken during the rod withdrawal evolution, evaluations of the safety significance, and the justification for the duration of the request.

Prior to the discussions with NRC, during the afternoon of March 26, 1993, STP's Plant Operations Review Committee reviewed and approved the request for enforcement discretion.

The compensatory measures taken by your staff included maintaining all channels of source range instrumentation operable, restoring both channels of the extended range neutron flux detection system prior to shutting the reactor trip breakers, and maintaining the reactor coolant system baron concentration at a level such the shutdown margin requirements of TS 3.1.1.2 are met with all rods withdrawn. Although your request for enforcement discretion states that the reactor will remain in Mode 3 or below, it is our understanding, based on the conference call and the discussion in the compensatory actions paragraph of your request, that throughout the testing evolutions boron concentration will remain at the refueling boron concentration, where it is currently being maintained in excess of 2500 parts per million.

Further, it is understood that all of these measures are to remain in place until resolution of the digital rod position indication system and rod control J#,

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system testing is completed, not to exceed the time period you requested j

(9 a.m., March 30 until 8:59 a.m., April 6, 1993).

i Based on our review of your justification for testing the digital rod position indication and the rod control systems, including the compensatory measures identified above, we have concluded that plant safety will not be unduly l

compromised and we are satisfied that such action is in the best interest of i

the public health and safety. Therefore, it is our intention to exercise discretion not to enforce compliance with the requirements of TS 3.1.1.3, for the period from 9 a.m. March 30 and not to exceed 8:59 a.m., April 6,1993.

This decision does not preclude the NRC from considering enforcement action i

for the conditions that led to the need for this Notice of Enforcement Discretion.

Please notify me immediately if your understanding differs from that set forth above.

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N L. Milh an Regional Administrator cc:

Houston' Lighting & Power Company ATTN: William J. Jump, Manager Nuclear Licensing P.O. Box 289 Wadsworth, Texas 77483 City of Austin i

Electric Utility Department ATTN:

J. C. Lanier/M. B. Lee P.O. Box 1088 Austin, Texas 78767 City Public Service Board i

ATTN:

R. J. Costello/M. T. Hardt P.O. Box 1771 San Antonio, Texas 78296 Newman & Holtzinger, P. C.

.ATTH: Jack R. Newman, Esq.

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1615 L Street, NW Washington, D.C.

20036 i

Central Power and Light Company j

ATTN:

D. E. Ward /T. M. Puckett P.O. Box 2121 Corpus Christi, Texas 78403

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l Houston Lighting & Power Company ;

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i INPO l

Records Center i

1100 circle 75 Parkway j

Atlanta, Georgia 30339-3064 i

i Mr. Joseph M. Hendrie 50 Bellport Lane Bellport, New York 11713

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i Bureau of Radiation Control State of Texas 1101 West 49th Street Austin, Texas 78756 i

Judge, Matagorda County

'i Matagorda County Courthouse l

1700 Seventh Street

't Bay City, Texas 77414

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Licensing Representative Houston Lighting & Power Company Suite 610

-Three Metro Center Bethesda, Marylasd 20814 Houston Lighting & Power Company j

ATTN:

Rufus S. Scott, Associate General Counsel P.O. Box 61867 Houston, Texas 77208

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J. L. Milhoan Resident Inspector DRP Section Chief (DRP/D)

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