ML20136G997

Forwards Suppl 5 to 970129 Amend Request Re Cooling Water Sys Emergency Intake Design Basis,In Response to Insp Repts 50-282/96-15 & 50-306/96-15

ML20136G997
Person / Time
Site:	Prairie Island
Issue date:	03/11/1997
From:	Sorensen J NORTHERN STATES POWER CO.
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
Shared Package
ML20136H000	List: ML20136G997 ML20136H004 ML20136H010
References
NUDOCS 9703190026
Download: ML20136G997 (3)

Text

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Northern states Power Company 1717 Wakonade Dr. E.

Welch. MN 55089 Telephone 612-388-1121 March 11,1997 10 CFR Part 50 Section 50.90 U S Nuclear Regulatory Commission Attn: Document Control Desk Washington, DC 20555 PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT Docket Nos. 50-282 License Nos. DPR-42 50-306 DPR-60 Supplement 5 to License Amendment Request Dated January 29,1997 Amendment of Coolina Water System Emeroency intake Deslan Bases Reference 1: NRC letter dated November 1,1996 to Mr. E. Watzl, Vice President, Nuclear Generation, from Geoffrey E. Grant, Division of Reactor Safety, entitled, "NRC SPECIAL INSPECTION REPORTS NO. 50-282/96015(DRS); 50-306/96015(DRS)."

This letter is submitted to supplement the subject license amendment request pursuant to discussions with the NRC Staff. In addition to providing supplemental information, this supplement to the subject license amendment request also proposes three license conditions. Based on the evaluations and discussions presented in the subject license amendment request and the subsequent j

supplements, including this supplement, NSP requests issuance of the subject

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license amendment with the proposed license conditions.

/ provides the description of the license conditions and the supporting safety evaluation and significant hazards considerations. Attachment 2 contains the hf draft plant earthquake procedure, revised to implement the license conditions proposed in this supplement.

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A revised SMWy Evaluation, Significant Hazards Determination and Environmental l

Assessment have been submitted in Attachment 1 since this supplement introduces new evaluations and license conditions which are not bounded by those

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USNRC 3/11/97 Paga 2 of 3

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evaluations, as originally presented in the January 29,1997 license amendment request submittal.

In Reference 1 the NRC identified unreviewed safety questions associated with post-seismic cooling water system operations. The NRC informed NSP in January 1997 that resolution of the unreviewed safety questions is required prior to resumption of power operations following a shutdown of either Prairie Island unit.

On January 25,1997 Unit 2 shutdown for refueling. Issuance of a license amendment is required to resolve the unreviewed safety question and allow resumption of Unit 2 power operations.

Since this license amendment request is required to allow Prairie Island Unit 2 to resume power, NSP requests handling of this supplement in accordance with the i

provisions of 10 CFR Part 50, Section 50.51(a)(6) where the Commission finds that an exigent situation exists.

Without issuance of this license amendment by the end of the Unit 2 outage, Prairie 1

Island will be prevented from resumption of plant operation at a cost in excess of

$135,000 per day for replacement power.

NSP has used its best efforts to make a timely submittal of this supplement to the subject license amendment request and has not intended to create an exigency to take advantage of the procedure for exigent handling.

The subject license amendment request, submitted on January 29,1997, included j

evaluations and discussions consistent with the plant licensing basis. The NRC, through a Request for Additional Information, requires additional evaluations to complete the review of the intake canal seismic stability discussed in the original submittal of the subject license amendment request. Responses to Questions 1,2,4 and 5 and part of the answer to Question 3 were presented to the NRC in meetings on February 24,1997. The dynamic finite element analyses requested in Question 3 are significantly more complex in nature and can not be prepared prior to the scheduled restart of Unit 2. However, the evaluations and license conditions proposed in this supplement are sufficient to provide the basis for interim operation.

Thus, this supplement proposes that the license amendment be issued with three license conditions which will assure that the plant will be operated in a manner which protects the health and safety of the public.

NSP could not have avoided this situation because the nature of this supplement was not understood until after the February 24 meeting with the NRC Staff. The meeting could not have been held sooner because the responses to the NRC Staff questions were not available sooner due to the time required for their preparation.

Thus NSP has acted with due expediency in submitting this supplement on this date when the requirements were understood after February 24,1997. Accordingly NSP

USNRC 3/11/97 Page 3 of 3 requests this submittal be treated as an exigency in accordance with 10 CFR Part 50, Section 50.91(a)(6).

If you have any questions related to this supplement to the subject license amendment request, please contact myself or Dale Vincent at 612-388-6758.

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A Joel P. Sorensen Plant Manager, Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant I

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Description of the Proposed Changes and the Supporting Safety Evaluation / Significant Hazards Determination

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AB-3, " Earthquakes", Revision 12 l

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Regional Administrator-lil, NRC NRR Project Manager, NRC Senior Resident inspector, NRC State of Minnesota Attn: Kris Sanda J E Silberg 1

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