ML20035C543
| ML20035C543 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palisades, 07201007  |
| Issue date: | 04/01/1993 |
| From: | Taylor J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Levin C SENATE |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20035C544 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9304080093 | |
| Download: ML20035C543 (3) | |
Text
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?~t UNITED STATES j
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION fl' V C' j
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WASHINGTON. D.C. 200E0001 1
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April 1, 1993 i
The Honorable Carl Levin
(
United States Senate Washington, DC 20510
]
Dear Senator Levin:
I am responding to your letter of March 18, 1993, to Chairman Selin, in which l
you raised questions about Consumers Power Company's status in developing the necessary surveillance programs, response plans, and operating procedures for i
its proposed storage of spent nuclear fuel in concrete casks at the Palisades nuclear power plant.
l By way of context for responding to your questions, the Comission's regulations require certified cask users to, among other things, review, modify as necessary, and obtain the necessary approvals of the reactor l
physical security organization and program, emergency plan, quality assurance program, training program, and radiation protection program. The regulations also require that activities related to cask storage be conducted in accordance with written procedures. The Certificate of Compliance, with which the cask user must also comply, identifies specific procedures for that cask.
l The necessary programs, plans and procedures for cask storage must be in place l
before spent fuel is loaded into a cask for storage under the general license j
l provision of Part 72. The Certificate of Compliance requires the successful l
completion of a dry run training exercise prior to loading fuel. Training l
programs and operating procedures are developed before this exercise, and then l
are appropriately modified as a result.
l Any preliminary changes Consumers Power Company has made to the Palisades j
surveillance programs, response plans, and operating procedures to accommodate the use of the VSC-24 spent fuel storage cask are based on a draft Certificate of Compliance and would be subject to a final review to accommodate any changes to the certificate in response to public comments. Records of these changes must be available to the Comission for inspection. A final Certificate of Compliance for the VSC-24 cask would not be issued until the cask is approved in a final rulemaking action which would be published in the Federal Reaister. Consumers Power Company could not use the cask until the final rule change becomes effective, 30 days after publication.
I anticipate that the rulemaking action will be published in the Federal Reaister in the near future.
With respect to your three questions, we are providing the following responses below.
It should be noted that the Commission's regulations allow Consumers Power Company to make changes to existing plans and programs that do not decrease their effectiveness without prior Nuclear Regulatory Commission approvals. NRC's role would be to inspect and audit the records of any changes to determine compliance.
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The Honorable Carl Levin April 1, 1993 j
l 1.
Consumers Power Company has reviewed its environmental and radiation surveillance programs. The Company has determined that a
the existing environmental surveillance program for the Palisades nuclear power plant adequately envelops cask storage operations.
l Changes have been made to the radiation surveillance program to 3
add procedures to check cask dose rates as required by d
the Certificate of Compliance, and to add radiation detectors to measure radiation levels at the storage facility.
4 2.
Consumers Power Company is in the process of reviewing the Palisades emergency response plan. The emergency plan i
implementing procedures are being updated to accommodate potential i
1 events involving cask storage.
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- i 3.
Consumers Power Company has made preliminary changes to its Palisades radiation protection program, training program, and operating procedures in order to conduct dry run training i
.l exercises as required by the Certificate of Compliance. The l
Palisades security plan has not changed; however, modifications are planned to the security implementing procedures to include the i
cask storage facilities.
As noted above, these changes to the existing Palisades nuclear power plant surveillance programs, emergency plans, and operating procedures for cask storage must be in place before spent fuel is loaded into a cask for storage.
i Records of these changes would be subject to NRC review through our inspection and audit programs.
If this cask or any other storage cask is used at Palisades or at any other site, we will, through our inspection programs, maintain our regulatory oversight of reactor site operations, including spent j
fuel storage, to ensure compliance with the regulations and to protect public health and safety.
i I trust that this reply answers your questions.
l i
Sincereb2 nal sl9nedby 1
i i
dames M.Jagygpd i
Executive Director for Operations j
- see previous concurrences G:\\ LEVIN 2.FCS OFC IMIF*
IMIF*
SCDB*
N OGC*
NAME FSturz/tk FLBrown CJHaughney llReamer 4
DATE 3/30/93 3/30/93 3/30/93 3/30/93 0FC D:IMNS*
NRR*
DD:NMSS*
D:NMSS*
NAME RECunningham Virgilio/JRoe GArlotto RBernero DATE 03/30/93 03/30/93 03/30/93 03/30 /93
_EDh Cd F W A:-
OFC DEDS. /
'HThohon Mhor
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NAME DATE 04/l
/93 04kh /93 04/ /
/93 C = COVER E = COVER & ENCLOSURE N = NO COPY Distribution: EDO #8713 Docket 72-1007 PDR #50-255
l The Honorable Carl Levin 4
Distribution: EDO #8713 Docket 72-1007 PDR #50-255 IMNS Central Files HMSS r/f IMSB r/f IMlf r/f EDO r/f NMSS Director Off r/f DMorris, EDO CEstep CPoland JTaylor H. Thompson (CRC #93-0103)
CHaughney FBrown CA H. Denton A. Masciantonio SCDB r/f JSniezek JBlai,a JKnubel TMurley ADavis, RIII NRC File Center FSturz SECY GPA CHaughney KStablein
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