ML20154P800

Informs That NRC Expects to Complete Review & Respond to 981007 Petition,Which Contained Approx 366 Signatures Re Request That NRC Inspect Core Shroud at Plant for Crack Growth in mid-cycle

ML20154P800
Person / Time
Site:	Nine Mile Point
Issue date:	10/21/1998
From:	Hood D NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:	Morrin S AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
Shared Package
ML20154P785	List: ML20154P780 ML20154P800
References
TAC-MA3782, NUDOCS 9810230081
Download: ML20154P800 (3)

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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINcToN, D.C. 3000H001 October 21, 1998 Mr. Simon Morrin Syracuse Anti Nuclear Effort Syracuse Peace Council 924 Bumet Avenue Syracuse, NY 13203 Dear Mr. Monin.

1 Your letter, dated October 7,1998, forwarded a petition containing approximately 366 signatures collected over the previous 2 months, concoming the core shroud at Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (NMP1). The petition requester' that the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) (1) enforce the commitment by Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation (NMPC) to inspect the core shroud at NMP1 for crack growth in mid cycle, (2) make public all the water chemistry records at NMP1 since July 1997, and (3) hold a public meeting in Oswego County in September 1998 on the mid-cycle inspection and the water chemistry records.

As you know, the NRC held two back-to-back meetings on September 24,1998-first a public meeting with NMPC to review technical aspects of NMPC's request that the reinspection of vertical welds in the NMP1 core shroud be deferred from 10,600 to 14,500 hours0.00579 days <br />0.139 hours <br />8.267196e-4 weeks <br />1.9025e-4 months <br /> of hot operation so as to permit completion of the normal fuel cycle, and the second meeting to allow the NRC to hear from the public regarding that request. The meetings, held on the campus of State University of New York at Oswego, were well attended by the public, local officials, and various organizations, including members of the Syracuse Peace Council and yourself. The numerous comments and questions during the second meeting were helpful to the NRC in understanding the public's expressed preference that the reinspection be performed once the 10,600 hours0.00694 days <br />0.167 hours <br />9.920635e-4 weeks <br />2.283e-4 months <br /> are reached and their desire for the strongest possible oversight of nuclear reactors by the NRC. As these are the centralissues of your petition, I trust that our discussion of these matters during the meetings have been responsive to these concems. Your petition and comments received during the meeting are being considered by the NRC staff during its continuing review of NMPC's request. We expect to complete this review and respond to Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation by letter before the 10,600 hours0.00694 days <br />0.167 hours <br />9.920635e-4 weeks <br />2.283e-4 months <br /> are reached. Once issued, our letter will be publicly available and announced to local news media.

With respect to the request in the petition that all NMP1 water chemistry records since July 1997 be made publicly available, these records are part of the plant operating records maintained by, and under the control of, the licensee at the plant site, Although such records are available for NRC audits at the plant, the NRC staff does not possess copies of such records and they are not public records. You will recall from the meeting on September 24,1998, NMPC stated that, during the current and last several operating cycles, NMP1 has operated well below the water chemistry guidelines recommended by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). NRC inspectors have audited NMPC's monitoring of NMP1 opeIating chemistry and their findings confirm NMPC's statement. Therefore, the NRC is satisfied that water chemistry at NMP1 has been and is being maintained consistent with the assumptions used to predict bounding crack growth behavior in the structural analysis of the NMP1 core shroud for the existing operating

. cycle.

i 9810230001 981007 PDR ADOCK 05000220 P.

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S.Momn '.

Thank you for sending the petition to the NRC. I trust this reply and our discussions during the meetings on September 24,1998, have been responsive to the requests and concems expressed in the petition.

Sincerely, D A Hrr-(

Darl S. Hood, Senior Project Manager Project Directorate 1-1 Division of Reactor Projects - 1/II Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation i

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S.Momn October 21, 1998 Thank you for sending the petition to the NRC. I trust this reply and our discussions during the meetings on September 24,1998, have been responsive to the requests and concems expressed in the petition.

Sincerely, ORIGINAL SIGNED BY:

Darl S. Hood, Senior Project Manager Project Directorate I-1 Division of Reactor Projects - 1/II Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation DISTRIBUTION:

Docket File PUBLIC PD l 1 R/F J. Zwolinski S. Bajwa S. Little D. Hood OGC ACRS C. Hehl, Region l D. Screnci, Region I

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8. Norris, Region i DOCUMENT NAME: G:\\NMPi\\MORRIN.LTR To receive a copy of this document, Indicate in the box: "C" = Copy "E" = Copy "N" = No copy 0FFICE PM:P01 1 lE) LAtPol 1 (l{/

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SBajwa )b M y/f A JgW DATE 10/ tt/98 10/2098 10/2) /98 10/fd798

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Official Record Copy