ML20140F077
| ML20140F077 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Perry  |
| Issue date: | 03/25/1986 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Piteo C AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20140F081 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8603310038 | |
| Download: ML20140F077 (7) | |
Text
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'o UNITED STATES I,%
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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Ms. Connie Piteo 18235 Quinn Road Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022 Jh
Dear Ms. Piteo:
This is in response to your letter to Chairman Palladino of the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), dated robruary 1A, 1986, which has been referred to me for reply.
In your letter, you asked several questions as to whether the Pyry AMclear Power Plan + (Derry) could be operated safely in light of the January 31, 1986 earthquake; and whether the plant could survive a similar future earthquake.
I believe that the discussion which follows is responsive to all of your questions.
It provides the chronological sequence in which the original seismic design eval-uations were performed by the NRC Staff prior to Perry construction, the staff's review of the plant's seismic design relative to the CEI application for an operating license for Perry, and of the staff's reevaluation of the seismic design as a result of the January 31, 1986 earthquake.
The NRC regulations require nuclear power plants to be designed and built to withstand the earthquakes likely to occur in the plant area.
The intensity and magnitude of the January 31, 1986 earthquake, and its proximity to the Perry plant have been found by the NRC Staff to be consistent with its observations of historical seismicity for the Central Stable Region, where the Perry plant is located.
The NRC Staff had initially reviewed the geology and seismology of that Region prior to plant construction and found the seismic design basis upon which the plant was to be built to be acceptable.
The NRC Staff's findings were published in a Safety Evaluation Report (SER) issued in July 1974, and in Supple-ment No. 3 to that SER, dated November 1975.
The NRC Staff reaffirmed its earlier (1974-75) findings relative to the seismic design bases during the operating license review stage for the Perry plant.
These findings are reported in the Safety Evaluation Report (NUREG-0887) related to the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company's (CEI's) application for an Operating License for Perry, which was issued in May 1982.
In NUREG-0887, the NRC Staff reported that the Perry plant had been adequately designed to withstand earthquakes having the intensity and magnitude of the earthquake which occurred on January 31, 1986.
If an earthquake of similar intensity were to occur in the future, there exists a high degree of confidence, and therefore a reasonable as-surance, that no significant damage would be experienced by the Perry plant's structures and equipment.
This means that there is reasonable assurance that future earthquakes will not cause a meltdown accident resulting from the inability of the plant operators to safely shutdown the reactor.
The NRC Staff more recently conducted a re-review of the Perry plant's seismic design bases and performed a thorough investigation of the January 31, 1986 earth-quake and it's aftershocks (the plant was not licensed to operate or load fuel at -
the time the earthquake occurred).
In addition, the NRC Staff conducted extensive reviews of the seismic data recorded from instruments installed in the plant which measured the earthquake motions imparted to the plant's structure, and took 0603310038 860325 DR ADOCM 050004 0
. appropriate actions to ensure that all data connected with the earthquake were preserved so as to permit sucn a thorough and complete investigation. On February 11, 1986, the NRC Staff met with CEI and its consultants at the plant site to discuss the results of CEI's review of the earthquake, and the plant's response to that earthquake.
On February 12, 1986, CEI published a written report of its earthquake eval-uation findings. Supplements to that report were submitted to the NRC Staff on February 28, March 3, and March 11, 1986. The NRC Staff carefully reviewed the information contained in CEI's report (and report supplements) and performed its own in-depth assessment of the earthquake event. The results of the NRC Staff's evaluation are documented in Supplement No. 9 to the Perry SER (NUREG-0887) which was issued on March 5, 1986.
(A copy of SER Supplement No. 9 is enclosed). Those results concluded that:
(1) the event was a magnitude 5.0 earthquake of short duration (less than 1 second) and contained some high frequency elements; (2) there was no observable significant damage to the plant attributable to the earthquake; (3) the design of the plant's structures and equipment has substantial margins of safety relative to the loads and stresses induced by the earthquake; (4) there is no basis at this time to revise the seismic design bases for the plant; and (5) there are a number of matters (identified in Section 1.2 of the enclosed SER Supplement No. 9) that need to be confirmed by further analyses and reviews by CEI and the NRC Staff.
It was concluded by the NRC Staff that the licensing of the plant could proceed while the confirmatory work continued, because it is unlikely that any require-ments will develop from this confirmatory work which would specifically and significantly change the design of the Perry plant's structure or its equipment.
The NRC Staff discussed its findings and conclusion's with the Advisory Committee or Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) on March 12-13,1986.
In a report to the Chair-man of the NRC dated March 17, 1986, the ACRS expressed its agreement with the NRC Staff's findings on the January 31, 1986 earthquake, and with the confirma-tory work to be undertaken by CEI, the NRC and other governmental agencies, the completion of which will be necessary for authorizing Perry operations above 5%
of rated thermal power.
CEI was issued a low power operating license on March 18, 1986 for Perry, Unit 1.
This license permits CEI to load fuel in the reactor and to operate the plant at power levels not to exceed 5% of rated thermal power (approximately 178 MW thermal).
In sumary, the NRC Staff has reaffirmed the adequacy of the Perry plant's seismic design.
Perry, Unit I was licensed to operate on March 18, 1986, since plant operation up to 5% of rated thermal power poses no undue risk to the health and safety of the public. However, the confirnatory work noted above will have to be sufficiently completed before the plant will be licensed to operate at levels above 5% of rated thermal power.
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I trust that this response answers your quest' ions satisfactorily and your concern relative to the ability of the Perry plant to operate safely.
Please contact the Perry Project Manager, John J. Stefanc, should you desire further information on this matter. Mr. Stefano may be reached by telephone or in writing as noted in the enclosed Perry SER Supplement No. 9.
Sincerely,.
AlLLe
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arold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
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.. I trust that this response answers your questions satisfactorily and alleys your concern relative to the ability of the Perry plant _to operate' safely. Please contact the Perry Project Manager, John J. Stefano,'should you desire further information on this matter. Mr. Stefano may be reached by telephone or in writing as noted in the enclosed Perry SER Supplement No. 9.
i Sincerely, Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
Enclosure:
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FROM:
DUF: 03/24/86 EDO CONTROL: 001497 DOC DT: 02/18/86 CONNIE PITEO FINAL REPLY:
k _* / _ f ((
CHAGRIN FALLS, OHIO 2 4' h
.TOs CHAIRMAN PALLADINO FOR SIGNATURE OF:
GREEN SFCY NO:.86-214 DENTON DESC:
ROUTING:
CONCERNS RF SAFETY OF PERRY PLANT KEPPLER TAYl.nR GCijNNINGHAM DATE: 03/07/86 DFNTON ASSIGNED TO: NRR CONTACT:
.SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:
NRR RE'CEIVED: 03/09/86 ACTION:
i NRR ROUTING:
DENTON/EISENHUT PPAS MOSSBURG/ TOMS
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f OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCB CONTROL TICKET PAPER-NUMBER:
CRC-86-0214 LOGGING DATE: Mar 5 86 ACTION OFFICE:
EDO AUTHOR:
C.
Piteo AFFILIATION:
OHIO LETTER DATE:
Feb 18 86 FILE CODE: ID&R-5 Perry
SUBJECT:
Ques re the 1-31-86 earthquake in Ohio and what effects it had or could have had in re to the safety of the Perry plant ACTION:
Direct Reply DISTRIBUTION:
SPECIAL HANDLING: None NOTES:
DATE DUE:
Mar 14 86 SIGNATURE:
DATE SIGNED:
AFFILIATION:
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