ML20101A465
| ML20101A465 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Oyster Creek |
| Issue date: | 04/10/1992 |
| From: | Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | GENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES CORP. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20101A469 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9204220173 | |
| Download: ML20101A465 (4) | |
Text
_____ _ _____ _ _ _ _ _ ______ - _ _ __ _ _. _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ -
r WHITED STATES,0f AMERICA ffpCLEAR REGULATORY COMMLi1L0fi in the Matter of
)
)
GPU NUCLEAR CORPORATION AND
)
Docket No.
50-219 JERSEY CENTRAL POWER & LIGHT
)
COMPANY
)
)
(Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating
)
Station)
)
EXEMPTION 1.
The GPU Nuclear Corporation and Jersey Central Power & Light Company i
(GPUN/the licensee) are the holders of facility Operating License No.
DPR-16, which authorizes operation of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Staties (the facility) at steady state reactor core power levels not in excess of 1930 megawatts thermal.
This facility is a boiling water reactor located in Ocean County, New Jersey. The license provides, among othe.-
things, that Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station is subject to all rulet, regulations, and Orders of the Comission now or hereaf ter in ef fect.
The revision to 10 CFR part 55, " Operators' Licenses," which became effective on May 26, 1987, establishad requirements for the administration of operating tests on nuclear power plant simulators.
These regulations, in conjunctionwiYh10CFR50.54(1-1), require the use of simulation facilities when administering operating tests for initial licensing and requalification.
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These regulations further require that a simulation facility used to l
l 9204220173 920410 PDR ADDCK 95000219 P
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1 i adcinister operating tests after May 26, 1991, be certified or NRC-approved.
By letters dated September 5, 1990, and December 6, }991, GPUN requested exemptions concerning the schedule requirements for certification and use of a plant-referenced simulator.
II.
Section 55.45(b)(2)(iii) of 10 CFR Part 55 requires that facility licensees submit a certification for use of a simulation facility consisting solely of a plant-referenced simulator no later than 46 nonths after the effective dati of this rule, that is, by March 26, 1991, by filing NRC form-474, " Simulation facility Certiffcation." On September 5, 1990, GPUN requested an exemption from the filing requirements of 10 CFR 55.45(b)(2)(iii) to allow for the abmittal of NRC form-474 after March 26, 1991, but no later 1
than December 31, 1991.
In addition, GPVN requested an exemption from the requirement of 10 CFR 55.45(b)(2)(iv) to allow the facility to continue to administer the simulation facility portion of the operating tests on the Nine Mile Point Unit 1 (NMP-1) simulator until the new Oyster Creek plant-referenced simulator is certified.
By letter dated February 6, 1991, GPUN prcvided additional information in support of these requests.
On March 25, 1991, the exemptions were granted until December 31, 1991. On December 6,19il,GPUNrequestedexemptionsofthesamerequirementsuntil December 31, 1992.
The licensee intends to comply with 10 CFR 55.45(5)(1) by certifying a plant-referenced simulator.
GPUN proposes to submit NRC Form-474 no later w
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' than December 31, 1992, following completion of acceptance testing and to use the NMP-1 simulator for operator training and examination until the facility's plant-referenced simulator is certified.
The licensee entered into a contract for construction of a plant-referenced simulator in January 1988.
The simulator was originally scheduled to be ready for training by October 17, 1990.
Due to technical difficulties encountered in modeling the facility's nuclear steam supply system (NSSS), the vendor previously prujected that the simulator would not be ready for training until December 15, 1991.
The initial exemptions eure requested because the simulator would not be ready for certification by March 26, 1991.
The exemption herein was requested due to the vendor's inability to overcoma the technica difficulties in modeling the facility's N5SS in sufficient time to submit NRC Fori;:-a74 by December 31, 1991.
111.
The Commission has determined that pursuant to 10 CFR 55.11, the exemptions to 10 CFR 55.45(b)(2)(iii) and 10 CFR 55.45(b)(2)(iv).ce authorized by law and will not endanger life or property and are otherwise in the public interest.
Furthermere, the Commission has determined, rursuar.t to 10 CFR 50.12(a), that special circumstances of 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(v) are applicable in that these exemptions will provide only temporary relief from the applicablegregulation and the licensee has made good faith efforts to comply with the regulations.
These exemptions grant a 12-month extension of the exemptions previously granted on March 25, 1991, for submittal of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station simclation facility certification.
Good faith efforts to comply with 10 CFR 55.45(b)(2)(iii) and 10 CFR 55.45(b)(2)(iv) were made as follows:
(1)
On May 20, 1987, GPUN finalized a simulator specification.
(2)
In January 1988 GFUN entered into contract with c vendor for
)
i construction of a plant-referenced simulator.
' (3)
In March 1988 GPUN organized a simulator management department in recognition of the effort required to acquire, modify, operate, maintain and effectively use the simulator.
(4)
The contract schedule called for the simulator to be ready for training by October 17, 1990.
(5)
The contract included a penalty to provide incentive for the vendor to meet the schedule and this penalty was effected.
(6)
GPUN asked the vendor to hire an outside consultant to evaluate the NSSS model and recommend corrections.
(7)
GPUN asked the vendor to pursue the purchase and development of a proven NSSS model as a contingency.
(8)
GPUN is conducting factory acceptance testing of the simulator in parallel with continued NSSS model development.
(9)
Certification testing will be completed at the vendor's site as part of the factory acceptance testing, rather than at the facility after delivery.
(10) GPUN compressed the development schedule by modifying the factory acceptance testing program, including GPUN undertaking a portion of the vendor's test program.
(11) By letter dated March 2, 1992, GPUN notified the NRC that the veedor had signed a letter of intent with a third party to provide airovenNSSSmodel.
(12) GPUNimplementedcontrolroomoperatortrainingactivities designed to compensate for the lack of a plant specific si.nulator.
A special safety inspection was conducted by the NRC from January 27 to January 30, 1992, and this compensatory training was found to be adequate,
5-l IV.
The Commission hereby grants an exemption from the schedular requirements of 10 CfR 55.45(b)(2)(lii) for submittal of HRC form-474, " Simulation f acility Certification." furthermore, the Commission hereby grants an exemption from the requirement of 10 CIR 55.45(b)(2)(iv) for the administration of the simulation facility portion of operating tests only on certified or approved simulation facilities after May 26, 1991, to allow GPUN to use the Nine Mlle Point-Unit I simulator for the 1992 annual licensed operator requalification I
operating tests.
These exemptions are effective until December 31, 1992.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the granting l
of this Exemption will have no significant Impact on the quality of the human environment-(57 FR 12349).
i This exemption is effective upon issuance, FOR lHE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
/s/
Steven A. Varga, Director Division of Reactor Projects - 1/11 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation i
Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 10' -
day of April 1992
- Concurred on letter & Exemption
- Concurred on letter 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY.
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