ML20127P582

Application for Amend to Licenses DPR-24 & DPR-27,extending Duration of Licenses to 40 Yrs from Date of Issuance of Full Power License.Fee Paid

ML20127P582
Person / Time
Site:	Point Beach
Issue date:	06/28/1985
From:	Fay C WISCONSIN ELECTRIC POWER CO.
To:	Butcher E, Harold Denton, Denton H L Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
NRC-85-6, VPNPD-85-29, NUDOCS 8507020460
Download: ML20127P582 (4)

Text

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I Wisconsin Electnc eaara coupaur 231 W. MICHIGAN, P.O. BOX 2046. MILWAUKEE, WI 53201 June 28, 1985 VPNPD-85-29 NRC 85-6 Mr. H. R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Washington, D. C. 20555 Attention: Mr. Edward Butcher, Acting Chief Operator Reactor Branch No. 3 Gentlemen:

DOCKET NOS. 50-266 AND 50-301 LICENSE AMENDMENTS APPLICATION NO. 107 EXTENSION OF LICENSE DURATION POINT BEACH NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 In accordance with the provisions of 10 CRF 50.90, Wisconsin Electric Power Company (Licensee) hereby requests amendments to Facility Operating Licenses DPR-24 and DPR-27 for the Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units'l and 2, respectively. The purpose of these license amendments would be to extend the duration of both licenses to forty (40) years from the date of issuance of the full-power license. A license term of 40 years from the date of issuance of the full-power license is permitted by the NRC regulations at 10 CFR 50.51. Commission approval of this amendments application would be consistent with recent actions taken in several other NRC dockets.

The Point Beach Nuclear Plant is currently licensed for plant operation for 40 years commencing with issuance of the construction permits. The' Unit 1 license expires on July 19, 2007 (Provisional Construction Permit No. CPPR-32 was issued July 19, 1967) and the Unit 2 license expires on July 25, 2008 (Provisional Construction Permit No. CPPR-47 was issued July 25, 1968). It is requested by_this license amendments application that these license expiration dates be changed to October 5, 2010 for Point Beach Unit 1 (DPR-24 issued October 5, 1970) and to March 8, 2013 for Point Beach Unit 2 (DPR-27 issued March 8, 1973).

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Mr. H. R. Denton June 28, 1985 The Point Beach Nuclear Plant was designed and constructed, as discussed at various places in the Point Beach Final Safety Analysis Report (FS AR) , for 40 years of operation. This design life presumed operation at a thermal power level of 1518 Mwt with a cumulative lifetime capacity factor of 80%. Reactor vessel material analyses have shown that the expected cumulative neutron fluence for this service life will not be a limiting consideration.

Analyses of surveillance capsules placed inside the reactor vessel have provided a means to monitor the cumulative effects of the neutron exposure and have confirmed the predictions used in the analytical techniques. The 40-year service life design criteria do not imply that some equipment and components will not wear out or require replacement during the plant lifetime; therefore, other design features were included in the construction of Point Beach which maximize the ability to test, inspect, and perform preventative and corrective maintenance on the plant structures, systems, and components. Periodic inservice inspection and testing requirements have been incorporated into the plant Technical Specifications and procedures to provide further assurance that any unanticipated degradation in systems or equipment will be identified and corrected in a timely manner.

Environmental qualification of plant safety-related electrical equipment in accordance with 10 CFR 50.49 have identified qualified lifetimes for this equipment. These lifetimes have been incorporated into the Point Beach maintenance and replacement policies to ensure that safety-related electrical equipmant will remain functional throughout the plant lifetime. We conclude that an extension of the operating licenses to 40 years from the date of issue will have no significant impact on information presented in the FSAR as evaluated in the staff's Safety Evaluation Report.

We have reviewed " Applicant's Environmental Report-Operating Licenne Stage" dated September 1970, the " Supplement to Applicant's Environmental Report Operating License Stage" dated November 1971, and the " Environmental Statement Related to Operation of Point Beach Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2" dated May 1972 to determine if this license expiration extension would involve any previously unconsidered environmental impacts. Since the environmental reports were written presuming a 40-year plant life, we have identified no additional environmental impacts associated with plant operation for a 40-year operating license period. Although the population in the vicinity of the plant in the year 2013, as compared to 2008, could be slightly greater, we note that the population distributions used in the assessment of the environmental impacts of plant operations utilized L

Mr. H. R. Denton June 28, 1985 population estimates for the year 1985 and, thus, would be essentially unaffected by plant operating license expiration in 2013. Actual population distributions for 1985 are less than that projected for these analyses. There have not been and are not expected to be any significant changes in population characteristics in the vicinity of the plant. Similarly, there are no changes likely in the site boundary, low population zone, or population center distances.

We have also considered the impact of Point Beach operation for the additional years of operation from 2008 to 2013 on occupational exposures. It is anticipated that such an extension will result in no more than eight additional refueling and plant maintenance outages. Based on the annual radiation exposures as reported in the " Annual Results and Data Report",

for the years 1971 to 1982, Point Beach Nuclear Plant had an average exposure for both units of 484 person-rem per year, exclusive of steam generator sleeving and replacement projects.

A similar average, perhaps slightly increased due to additional plant age and increases in staff size, would be expected for the years 2008 to 2013. This average is below the current operating PWR average and represents no undue risk to the plant staff.

Operation of Point Beach Nuclear Plant beyond its current operating license period will be both practicable and economical. With both units in operation, the Point Beach Nuclear Plant presently provides approximately 40% of the total electrical power generated on the Wisconsin Electric system.

Except for a minor amount of hydroelectric generation, the electricity generated at Point Beach is the least expensive power available on our system. The low operating costs and the outstanding operating record of the Point Beach units have contributed to three rate reductions for our castomers in the past 18 months. The resulting electrical rates are the eighth lowest of the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the United States.

Operation of the Point Beach Nuclear Plant for the additional years contemplated by this application would also defer the need to design and construct replacement power generating facilities and the significant capital costs and environmental impacts associated with such construction.

Mr. H. R. Denton June 28, 1985 As required by 10 CFR 50.91, we have evaluated this license amendments request to determine whether these changes constitute a significant hazards consideration using the standards in 10 CFR 50.92. We have concluded that, since this license amendments request does not involve any changes in the format or restraints on plant operations and only contemplates a change to the expiration date of the current license that is within the range permissible by the Commission's regulations, this amendment does not involve a significant hazards consideration.

As required by NRC regulations, we are providing three signed originals and, under separate cover, 40 copies of this license amendments application. Enclosed is a check payable to the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the amount of

$150 for the amendment approval application fee specified in 10 CFR 170.21. Please contact us if you have any questions concerning this application.

Very truly yours,

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Vice Presi ent-Nuclear Power C. W. Fay Enclosure (Check No. 853989)

Copies to NRC Resident Inspector R. S. Cullen, PSCW Subscribed and sworn to before me this x t tA- day of June 1985.

);tisty Q blo m +cAJ Notary Public, State of Wisconsin My Commission expires Gnu n >9 tP.

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