ML20198P380

Forwards SE Authorizing Licensee & Suppls & 1001,requesting NRC Approval of Alternative Reactor Vessel Weld Exam,Per Provisions of 10CFR50.55a(a)(3)(i) & 10CFR50.55a(g)(6)(ii)(A)(5) for Plant for Next 2 Cycles

ML20198P380
Person / Time
Site:	Hope Creek
Issue date:	10/31/1997
From:	Jaffe D NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:	Eliason L Public Service Enterprise Group
Shared Package
ML20198P384	List: ML20198P380 ML20198P386
References
TAC-M99478, NUDOCS 9711070132
Download: ML20198P380 (4)

Text

ftQ.- .364 y""% t g UNITED STATES

. g ,j NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, o.C. 30MH001

% .o!* October 31, 'i997 Mr. Leon Elip. son Chief Nuclear Of ficer & President-Nuclear Business Unit Public Service Electric & Gas Company f Post Office Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038

$UBJECT: RELIEF REQUEST FROM AVGMENTED INSPECTION OF REACTOR PRESSURE VESSEL CIRCUMFERENTIAL WELDS IN HOPE CREEK GENERATING STATION (TAC NO. M99478)

Dear Mr. Eliason:

By letter dated August 29, 1997, as supplemented by letters dated September 16 and October 1, 1997, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G or the licensee) requested NRC approval of an alternative reactor vessel weld examination pursuant to the provisions of 10 CFR 50.55a(a)(3)(1) and 10 CFR 50.55a(g)(6)(ii)(A)(5) for the Hope Creek Generating Station (HCGS) for the next two operating cycles. PSE&G has proposed inspections of essentially 100 percent of the longitudinal seam welds in the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) shell and essentially 0 percent of the RPV circumferential seam welds, which will result in partial examination (2-3 percent) of the circumferential welds at their points of intersection with the longitudinal wolds.

These inspections were proposed as an alternative to the augmented examinations specified in 10 CFR 50.55a(g)(6)(ii)(A)(2) for circumferential welds and as an alternative to the Inservice Inspection requirements for circumferential welds in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

Code,Section XI, 1983 Edition, through Summer 1983 Addenda, for circumferential welds.

In Information Notice the staff indicated tha(t it would consider such requests, when technicallyIN) 97-6 justified, from Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) licensees who are scheduled to j perform inspections of the BWR RPV circumferential welds during the fall 1997 or spring 1998 outage seasons. BWRVIP-05 provides BWR Owners Group //j

/

recommendations for RPV shell weld inspections. I The NRC staff has reviewed the licensu's request and concluded that the HCGS Ar RPV can be operated during the next two operating periods with an acceptable '//D level of quality and safety and the inspection of the circumferential welds /

can be delayed for two operating periods. Therefore, the propnsed alternative is authorized pursuant to 10 CFR 50.55a(a)(3)(i),

1 ".

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L. Eliason October-31, 1997 Further details regarding the staff's evaluation and conclusions are contained in the enclosed Safety Evaluation.

Sincerely,

/s/

David H. Jaffe, Senior Project Manager Project Directorate I-2 Division of Reactor Projects - I/II Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-354

Enclosure:

Safety Evaluation cc w/ enc 1: See next pge DISTRIB'JTLON

Docket: rite-PUBLIC PDI-2 Reading BBoger JStolz DJaffe M0'Brien OGC GHill(?)

ACRS THarris (E-Mail SE)

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4 L. Eliason October 31, 1997 Further details regarding the staff's evaluation and conclusions are contained in the enclosed Safety Evaluation.

Sincerely, 4/w 1 3w!

David H. Jaffe, $tnior Project Manager Project Directorate 1-2 Division of Reactor Projects - 1/!!

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-354

Enclosure:

Safety Evaluation cc v/ enc 1: See next page

~

l Mr. Leon R. Ellason Hope Creek Generating Station Public Service Electric & Gas Company 1

cc:

Jeffrie J. Keenan, Esquire Manager - Joint Generation Nuclear Business Unit - N21 Atlantic Energy '

P.O. Box 236 6801 Black Horse Pike Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Egg Harbor Twp., NJ 08234-4130 Hope Creek Resident inspector Richard Hartung U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Electric Service Evaluation Drawer 0509 Board of Regulatory Comissioners Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 2 Gateway Center. Tenth floor Newark, NJ 07102 Mr. Louis Storz 3r Vice President - Nuclear Operations Lower A110 ways Creek Township Nuclear Dep0rtment c/o Mary O. Henderson, Clerk P.O. Box 236 Munici)al Building, P.O. Box 157 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Hancoc(s Bridge, NJ 08038 General Manager - Hope Creek Operations Mr. Elbert Simpson Hope Creek Generating Station Senior Vice President-P.O. Box 236 Nuclear Engineering Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Nuclear Department P.O. Box 236 Hanager - Licensing and Regulation Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Huclear Business Unit - N21 P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Regional Administrator, Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 Dr. Jill Lipoti, Asst. Director Radiation Protection Programs NJ Department of Environmental Protection and Energy CN 415 Trenton, NJ 08625-0415

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