ML20203H478

Responds to ,Which Provided Update on Restructuring Issues Re Plant.Nrc Will Continue to Monitor Effects of Industry Restructuring & Deregulation in Order to Ensure Safe Operation of NPPs

ML20203H478
Person / Time
Site:	San Onofre
Issue date:	02/17/1998
From:	Collins S NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:	Ray H SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON CO.
Shared Package
ML20203H482	List: ML20203H478 ML20203H505
References
NUDOCS 9803030241
Download: ML20203H478 (3)

Text

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n. Co-$6/$m ug p* 4 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WAsMINsfoN D.c. steeMeet 7ebruary 17, 1998 k*...+

Mr. Harold B. Ray Executive Vice President Southem Califomia Edison Company San Onofre Nuclect Generating Station P.O. Box 128 San Clemente, Califomia g2674 0128 Door Mr. Ray:

I am responding to your letter of December 12,1997, in which you provide an update on the restructuring issues as they affect the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), You state that on October 30,1997, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted a request to transfer operational control of the Califomia utilities' transmission facilities to the Independent L System Operator (ISO)in compliance with Califomia Public Utilities Commission orders and l

State law codified in Assembly Bill 1890. You further state that although the ISO will use different blackstart generating units for restoring offsite power to SONGS than for those facilities designated in the past, you will continue to meet your licensing basis requirements j- - through your contractual arrangements with the ISO.

On July 21,1988, NRC amended Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 50, adding a new Section 50.63, entitled ' Loss of All Ahomating Current [ac) Power,' which required that each light water-cooled nuclear power plant be able to withstand and recover from a station blackout (SBO) (i.e., loss of offsite and onsite emergency ac power sources) for a specified duration. Historical experience at that time indicated that for most nuclear power plants sites, the grid was stable and reliable. However, given that the offsite power system is the preferred source of power for nuclear power plants, the NRC has become concemed that the ongoing

- and future changes from electric industry restructuring and deregulation may impact grid reliability and thus, in tum, effect the ability of the offsite power system to supply the required voltage and frequency to nuclear power plants, in response to a Commission request, the NRC staff has initiated a broad generic review of both the economic impact of electric industry restructuring and the technical issaos surrounding bulk power or electric power grid reliability that may be effected by industry deregulation. This has included a number of staff and contractor visits to load dispatch centers across the country supported by representatives of nuclear licensee organizations and regional councils of the North American Reliability Council. Through these visits, which are to continue to the end of May, the staff is obtaining a better understanding of how the various dispatch centers expect to operate under the new environment of deregulation and how newly created ISOs will interact with nuclear licensees relative to offsite power supply and reliability. We plan to request your support for a staff visit to the dispatch conter for San Onofre in the near future and we will '

contact your licensing organtration soon to schedule such a meeting. During our visit we plan ,

to discuss the information provided in your December 12 letter. We expect to complete our j

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o n i Mr. Harold B. Ray -2 February 17, 1998 preliminary review of these issues and report to the Commission by the end of the calendar year.

As part of the NRC's mission to ensure public health and safety associated with the commercial use of nuclear power, the staff examines new issues for potentialimpact on overall plant safety.

We will continue to monitor the effects of industry restructuring and deregulation in order to -

ensure safe operation of nuclear power plants. As you know, licensees are ultimately responsible for the management and safe operation of their facilities irrespective of the contractual arrangements associated with the ISO for transmission operation services or blackstart generating cepability. We appreciate the information you have provided in your ,

December 12,1997, letter and look forward to working with your staff during our upcoming l visit to the load dispatch center /

Sincerely Oriainal, signoa ty l Prek J. Eiras11a i Samuel J. Collins, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 1

Docket Nos. 50-361

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NAME M ye dhSMn RSanders JCalvo TEssig DATE j2 ///)68 3 /10 /93 2/ 3 /98 2/4 /98- 2/ 5/98 OFC- PDIV-2/D PDIV 2/RM D 3(A) k M NAME dibn EAdh k" mBBoger k\hIbs DATE 1 /10 /98 - L 0/98 tllV/98 kJ/2/98 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY -

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, Mr. Harold B. Ray 3 February 17, 1998 cc:

Mr. R. W. Krieger, Vice President Resident inspector / San Onofre NPS Southem Califomia Edison Company clo U.S. Nuclear Regulatoy Commission San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Post Office Box 4329 P. O. Box 128 San Clemente California 92674 San Clemente Califomia 92674 0128 Mayor Chairman, Board of Supervisors City of San Clemente County of San Diego 100 Avenida Presidio 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 335 San Clemente, Califomia 92672 San Diego, Califomia 92101 Mr. Dwight E. Nunn, Vice President Alan R. Watts, Esq. Southem Califomia Edison Company Woodruff, Sprodlin & Smart San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station 701 S. Parker St. No. 7000 P.O. Box 128 Orange, Califomia 92668-4702 San Clemente, Califomia 92674-0128 Mr. Sherwin Harris Resource Project Manager Public Utilities Department City of Riverside 3900 Main Street Riverside, Califomia 92522 Regional Administrator, Region IV U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Harris Tower & Pavilion 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400 Arlington, Texas 76011 8064 Mr. Terry Winter Manager, Power Operations San Diego Gas & Electric Company P.O. Box 1831 San Diego, Califom16 92112-4150 Mr. Steve Hsu Radiologic Health Branch State Department of Health Services Post Office Bcx 942732 Sacramento, Califomia 94234

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