ML20195C385

Affidavit of Chales M. Trammel,Iii.* Staff Concluded That an Amendment Authorizing Operation of Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Pending Upgrading of Seismic Capability of Control Bldg Walls Would Constitute a Decrease in Safety Margin

ML20195C385
Person / Time
Site:	Trojan File:Portland General Electric icon.png
Issue date:	06/29/1978
From:	Trammell C Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML20195C358	List: ML20195C351 ML20195C385 ML20195C400
References
TAC-07551, TAC-11299, TAC-7551, NUDOCS 8811030057
Download: ML20195C385 (4)

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY C0tVl!SSION BEFORE THE C0fVilSSION In the Matter of )

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PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC C0llPAllY ) Docket No.,50-344 .

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et al. )

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(Trojan lluclear Plant) )

AFFIDAVIT OF CHARLES M. TRA!UtELL, III STATE OF ltARYLAND ) SS COUNTY OF MONTG0MERY)

I, Charles M. Trammell, III, being duly sworn, depose and state:

I am a Senior Project Manager in Operating Reactors Branch #1, Division of Operating Reactors, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comrrission, Washington, D.C. 20555.

-# As the assigned NRC Project Manager for the Trojan Nuclear Plant, I .

have prepared the following statement regarding the NRC's Order for Modification of License dated !!ay 26, 1978, as it relates to whether or not this licensing action involves a significant hazards considera-tion.

8811030057 700629 PDR ADOCK 05000344 P PDR

BACKGROUND By letter dated April 28, 1978, Portland General Electric Company (PGE) notified the NRC that the Control Building for the Trojan Nuclear Plant does not fully meet the seismic criteria' stated in the Trojan FSAR (and which is referenced in the Technical Specifi- ,

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. cations for the facility). The NRC staff met with PGE on fiay 1,1978, to discuss the exact nature of the Control Building non-conformances, and the seismic capability of the "as-built" structure.

Following this meeting, by letter dated liay 2,1978, PGE was requested to document the circumstances surrounding the non-conformances in a' Licensee Event Report (LER) and to submit a re'quest for license amendment since the Control Building is not in conformance with Technical l Specification 5.7.1.

By letter dated liay 5, 1978, PGE submitted the requested LER (No. 78-13),

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• but stated that the occurrence of the Control Building design errors did .

not constitute an unreviewed safety question nor require any license amendment, and therefore none was requested.

The Trojan Control Building The Trojan Control Building contains the Control Room, the cable spreading .

room. both safety-related battery rooms, and some safety-related switch-gear and other safety-related equirment.

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The building is constructed of steel beams and columns, with concrete shear walls for seismic restraint. The walls of concern consist of an inner core of reinforced concrete, sandwiched between reinforced concrete block. .

The consequences of gross failure of the Trojan Control Building resulting from a severe earthquake would be ve'ry difficult to predict, and even harder to quantify. The licensee has not provided a safety analysis of such an occurrence. Even though the plant is designed to be brought to hot shutdown from outside the control room itself under emergency conditions, this capability places reliance on the seismic integrity of the Control Building under severe earthquake conditions since it houses essential equipment (and personnel) necessary for this function. Thus, Control Building integrity is a vital aspect of the overall safety of the Trojan Nuclear Plant.

Significant Hazards Consideration

,The "as-built" Control Building has approximately one-half of the seismic capacity originally intended and approved (see the -

affidavit of L. Shao dated June 27, 1978). This reduction in safety margin is significant. One of the criteria routinely employedt by the

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t See letter Skovholt to.Roisman dated April 9, 1974; 00R !!emorandum No. 5, March 9,1977. See also standard paragraph contained in Safety Evaluation Reports for amendments determined to involve "no significant hazards consideration", for example: Florida Power and Light Company, Docket No. 50-250, Amendment No. 36 to License No. OPR-31, June 2.1978 (43 FR 25886, June 15,1978);

et al . , Docket No. 50-344, Portland Amendment No. 29 to License No. NPF !T,~ Bay 15, 1978 (43 FR 24391, General Electric Company, June 5, 1978).

staff to determine whether an amendment involves a significant hazards consideration is whether a significant reduction in safety margin is involved. Insofar as this amendmerit would authorize interim operation of the plant pending upgrading of the' seismic capability of the Control Building walls (subject to certain conditions),

= 1 it is the staff's conclusion that such constitutes a significant decrease in safety margin and, accordingly, involves a significant hazards consideration.

!IM:/rdawl' Charles M. Trammell,111 Subscribed and sworn to before ne this 2 P, day of C w 1978 ,

• O n ,f>_ 1 h % .',

Notary Public .

W1 commh@ e'sp'res JJr 1,1978.

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