ML20149H181
| ML20149H181 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hatch  |
| Issue date: | 07/15/1997 |
| From: | Berkow H NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned) |
| To: | Sumner H SOUTHERN NUCLEAR OPERATING CO. |
| References | |
| TAC-M98795, TAC-M98796, NUDOCS 9707240265 | |
| Download: ML20149H181 (4) | |
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1 UNITED STATES
[
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 2
WASHINGTON, D.C. 3000640M
' k.w. t. -/
July 15,1997 Jp-3.2 If3fo6
.Mr. H. L. Sumner, Jr..
Vice President - Hatch Project L
. Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
l-Post Office Box 1295 i
. Birmingham,-Alabama 35201-1295 i
SUBJECT:
SCHEDULE FOR EXTENDED POWER UPRATE REVIEW - EDWIN I. HATCH NUCLEAR
{
PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 (TAC NOS. M98795 AND M98796)
Dear Mr. Sumner:
By letter dated April 25, 1997, the Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
-(SNC), informed the staff of its intent to pursue license amendments for the Hatch Nuclear Plant, Units 1.and 2, to allow operation at a new licensed thermal power level of 2763 MWt..This proposed thermal power level represents an increase of 8 percent over the presently licensed 2558 MWt level and follows the 5 percent " stretch power" uprate that was previously authorized on August 31, 1995.
In its April 25 letter, SNC also:
(1) provided a proposed j
scope of activities and related schedular milestones for.the extended power uprate implementation, which included a request for the staff's approval prior to the Hatch Unit 2 outage in the fall of 1998 (i.e., about September 6, 1998), (2) proposed to subnit the license amendment request by August 15, 1997, and (3) stated that the submittal will-follow the guidelines of
-General Electric's (GE's) generic topical report NEDC-32424P.
a Based on our review of the scope of your proposed submittal, the status of concurrent staff review efforts and our work priorities, we cannot, at this time, commit to complete the required review of your application within your requested schedule of less than 13 months.
This determination is based on the following considerations:
1 1.
The staff position paper on extended power uprates estimates that an
. extended uprate review will take about 18 months.
The. proposed Hatch g-[M revin4 schedule is less than 13 months.
2.
The staff's review of the GE generic bounding analyses (i.e., GE's
)t P generic topical report NEDC-32523P) has not yet been completed. Staff
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completion of this review-is currently estimated to be around December
- 1997.
3.
The staff's review of the lead plant extended power uprate review has not been completed. -NRC approval of the lead plant application is a prerequisite to approval of any similar Hatch application.
Staff completion fnthe lead plant review is currently estimated to be around June 1,998Q J 9707240265 970715 PDR ADOCK O 31 p
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m' Mr. ' H. L. Sumner,- Jr. July 15,1997
)
i 4.
The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) will review at least the first extended power uprate, which is a prerequisite to completion of the Hatch review. Additionally, the ACRS review process normally j
includes a public presentation, and will involve participation from l
vendors, other involved licensees, the public, and the NRC staff.
Resolution of public comments and comments from the ACRS can be time consuming and ACRS meeting schedules are;somewhat uncertain.
5.
The staff has not yet determined whether the implementation of a Staff Action Plan resulting from the Independeat Safety Assessment of the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station will impact the currently anticipated review schedule for boiling water reactor extended power uprates.
6.
Staff experience with three completed GE stretch power uprate reviews shows that the back end of the uprate review (from completion of the i
1 technical review to completion of the licensing action) took an average of 215 days and the entire review span averaged 665 days. There is less staff experience with extended power uprate reviews and they are i
potentially more complex than stretch power uprate reviews.
7.
Power uprate reviews are not the highest priority licensing actions.
Based on the foregoing considerations, we cannot commit to complete our review of your proposed application within your requested time frame. We will, however, apply the staff's best efforts to review your application as expeditiously as possible, but our best estimate at this time is an 18-month review schedule, assuming a complete and technically adequate application with respect to both safety and environmental information.
j If you have any questions about the above matter, please contact me at 301-415-1485, or Mr. Tommy Le, the Hatch Project Manager, at 301-415-1458.
1 Sincerely, Original signed by Herbert N. Berkow, Director Project Directorate II-2
-Division of Reactor Projects - I/II Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-321 and 50-366 l
cc: See next page Distribution:
Docket File OGC B. Sheron M. Case PUBLIC ACRS M. Slosson T. Cerovski i
PD'II-2 Rdg.
JJohnson, RII G. Holahan T. Mendiola 1
BBoger PSkinner, RII P. Cota C. lhomas
- See previous concurrence To r:ceive a copy of this document, indicate in the box:
"C" = Copy without attachment / enclosure "E" = Copy with attachment /enclosuttp "N" - No copy 0FFICE PM:PDII-2r LA:PDII-2,;
LPM l
D:PDlW27 I
NAME NBle:cnfldo LBerry WO TJKim*
H8eMM DATE
<\\ / 0 /97
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6 /37 7/ 10 /97
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/97 J0CUMENT NAME:
G:\\ HATCH \\ HAT _PWR.UPR OFFICIAL REC 0ED COPY
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I Mr. H. L. Sumner, Jr. L I
i 4.
The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) will review at least i
L
-the first extended power uprate, which is a prerequisite to completion 1
of the Hatch review. Additionally, the ACRS review process normally
)
includes a public presentation, and will involve participation from L
vendors, other-involved licensees, the public, and the NRC staff.
Resolution of public comments and comments from the ACRS.can be time i
consuming and ACRS meeting schedules are somewhat uncertain.
5.
The staff has not yet-determined whether the implementation of a
~
~
Staff Action Plan resulting from the Independent Safety Assessment of l
the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station.will impact the currently-j anticipated review schedule for boiling water reactor extended. power uprates.
6.
Staff experience with three completed GE stretch power uprate reviews j
~
shows that the back end of the uprate review (from completion of the i
tc ica'i review to completion of the licensingJaction) took an average 1
<tays and the entire review span averaged 665 days.
There is less n.u, o perience with extended power uprate reviews and they are potentially more' complex than stretch power uprate reviews.
-7.
Power uprate reviews are not the highest' priority licensing. actions.
BasedLon the foregoing considerations, we cannot commit to complete our review of your proposed application.within your requested time frame.
We will, however, apply the staff's best' efforts to review your application as-1 expeditiously as possible, but our best estimate at this time is an 18-month
~
review' schedule, assuming a complete and technically adequate application with respect to both safety and~ environmental information.
If you have any questions about the above matter, please contact me at 1
.301-415-1485, or Mr. Tommy Le, the Hatch Project Manager, at 301-415-1458.
-Sincertly, l
L' H rbert N. Berkow, Director Project-Directorate II-2 Division of Reactor Projects - I/II i
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-321 and 50-366 b
cc:
See next page-l-
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p.
Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear. Plant
~ Units.1 and 2
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l-Mr. Ernest L. Blake,-Jr.
Charles A. Patrizia, Esquire L
Shaw, Pittman, Potts and Trowbridge Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker l
2300 N Street, NW.
10th Floor Washington, DC 20037 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20004-9500 Mr. D. M. Crowe
' Manager, Licensing Chairman-Southern Nuclear Operating Appling County Commissioners Company, Inc.-
County Courthouse
'P. O. Box 1295 Baxley, Georgia 31513 Birmingham,~ Alabama 35201-1295 Mr. W. G. Harriston, III Resident. Inspector President and Chief Executive-U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Officer 11030 Hatch Parkway North Southern Nuclear Operating Baxley, Georgia 31513 Company, Inc.
P. 0. Box 1295 l
Regional Administrator, Region II Birmingham, Alabama 35201-1295 U.S.' Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atlanta Federal Center Mr. J. D. Woodard
.61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Suite 23T85 Executive Vice President Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
Mr. Charles H. Badger _
P. 0. Box 1295 Office of =Pir.nning and Budget Birmingham, Alabama 35201-1295 Room 610 270 Washington Street, SW.
Mr. P. W. Wells Atlanta, _ Georgia ~ 30334 General Manager, Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant Harold Reheis, Director Southern Nuclear Operating Department of Natural Resources Company, Inc.
205 Butler Street, SE., Suite 1252 P. O. Box 439 Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Baxley, Georgia 31513
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Steven M. Jackson Senior Engineer - Power Supply Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia 1470 Riveredge Parkway, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30328-4684 l^
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