ML20035E627
| ML20035E627 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Trojan File:Portland General Electric icon.png |
| Issue date: | 04/12/1993 |
| From: | Grimes B Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20035E602 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9304190040 | |
| Download: ML20035E627 (3) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA j
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION In the matter of
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PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
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Docket No. 50-344
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(Trojan Nuclear Plant)
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EXEMPTION l
I.
l The Portland General Electric Company (PGE or the licensee), is the holder of Facility Operating License No. NPF-1 which authorizes possession, operation, and maintenance of the Trojan Nuclear Plant (facility or plant).
The licensee provides, among other things, that the plant is subject to all i
rules, regulations, and orders of the Commission now or hereafter in effect.
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'The facility is a pressurized water reactor, currently in the process of I
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l being decommissioned, ano is located in Columbia County, Oregon, on the l
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l Columbia River. The plant is shut down and the reactor is defueled.
l II.
In a letter dated January 27, 1993, the licensee informed the NRC staff
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l of the PGE decisior to permanently cease operations at the Trojan Nuclear Plant. By letter dated February 2, 1993, from the licensee, the NRC staff was informed that PGE had permanently removed the reactor fuel from the reactor vessel at Trojan and placed the fuel in the spent fuel pool. By letter dated February 16, 1993, the licensee requested an exemption to the containment leak testing requirements of 10 CFR 50.54(o) in accordance with 10 CFR 50.14.
The l
specific leak test requirements of 10 CFR 50.54(o) are contained in Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50. These leak tests are required to demonstrate the leak tight integrity of the reactor containment.
9304190040 930412 PDR ADOCK 05000344 P
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- l. f III.
In the licensee letter of February 16, 1993, the justification presented for the exemption was that the reactor had been d, fueled and the fuel had been
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removed from the containment to the spent fuel pool. On March 24, 1993, the NRC staff issued an order confirming the commitment by the licensee, as stated l
in a letter dated February 17, 1993, not to move fuel back into the i
containment building at Trojan without prior NRC approval. Therefore, PGE compliance with 10 CFR 50.45(o) is no longer necessary.
The Commission will not consider granting an exemption unless special circumstances are present.
In the licensee letter of February 16, 1993, these special considerations are addressed as follows:
10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii)
" Application of the regulation in the f
particular circumstances would not serve the underlying purpose of the rule i
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Licensee response: The testing specified by Appendix J to 10 CFR 50 serves to assure that:
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Leakage through the primary reactor containment and systems and components penetrating primary containment shall not exceed allowable leakage rate values as specified in the Technical i
Specifications or associated bases, and 2.
Periodic surveillance of the reactor containment penetrations and isolation valves is performed so that proper maintenance and repairs are made during the service life of the containment, and systems and l
components penetrating primary containment.
The reactor containment and associated systems are provided to establish an essentially leak-tight barrier against the uncontrolled release of
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radioactivity to the environment as a result of design basis accidents associated with reactor operations.
Remeval of the fuel from the containment eliminated the significant source of radioactivity l
potentially available for release from the containment and the primary i
i source of energy for creating a differential pressure to cause leakage across the containment barrier.
PGE has concluded that there-are no longer any credible design basis conditions that require the containment I
to perform as an essentially leak-tight barrier. Therefore, further i
periodic verification by tests of the leak-tight integrity of the primary reactor containment and systems and components which penetrate i
containment would not serve the underlying purpose of the rule.
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IV.
The staff agrees with the licensee analyses as presented in Section III above and concludes that sufficient bases have been presented for our approval of the exemption request. Accordingly, the staff finds that there are special circumstances presented that satisfy the requirements of 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii).
V.
Based on the above evaluation, the Commission has determined that pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(1), this exemption is authorized by law, will not l
present an undue risk to the public health and safety and is consistent with the common defence and security.
i Accordingly, the Commission hereby grants an exemption to all '
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requirements contained within 10 CFR 50.54(o) and 10 CFR 50, Appendix J for t
the Trojan Nuclear Plant, provided, however, that.this exemption will terminate in the event that the licensee seeks to resume operation of the facility.
- Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the granting of this exemption will not have a significant effect on the quality i
of the human environment (58 FR 19142 - April 12,1993),
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATOR OMMISSION i
Brian K. Grimes, Director l
Division of Operating Reactor Support Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation j
l Dated at Rockville, Maryland i
this 12th day of April 1993 j
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