ML20207J479

Environ Assessment & Finding of No Significant Impact Re Exemption from Requirements of 10CFR55

ML20207J479
Person / Time
Site:	Three Mile Island
Issue date:	09/20/1988
From:	Stolz J Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
Shared Package
ML20207J477	List: ML20207J474 ML20207J479
References
NUDOCS 8809270154
Download: ML20207J479 (5)

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7590-01 I

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMIS$10N GPU NUCLEAR CORPORATION DOCKET N0. 50-320 ENVIRONMENTAL ASS!SSMENT AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Connission) is considering issuance of an exeteption from the requirevnents of 10 CFR 55. Operators' Licenses, relative to facility Operating License No. DPR-73, issued to GPU NuclearCorporation(thelicensee),fortheThreeMileIslandNuclearStation Unit 2(THI-2),locatedinLondonderryTownship,DauphinCounty, Pennsylvania.

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By Order for Modification of License, dated July 20, 1979, the licensee's authority to operate the facility was suspended and the licensee's authority j

l was limited to maintenance of the facility in the present shutdown cooling node (44FR45271). By further Order of the Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, dated February 11, 1980, a new set of fonnal license requirements j

was imposed to reflect the post-accident condition of the facility and to assure the continued maintenance of the current safe, stable, long-tenn cooling condition of the facility (45 FR 11292). The license provides, among other

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things, that it is subject to all rules, regulations and Orders of the f

i Consission now or hereafter in effect.

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ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Identification of proposed Action:

The actions being considered by the Commission are exemptions from 10 CFR part 55 pertaining to the requirement to administer operating tests for operators and senior operators in a simulation facility and an exemption from the hourly watchstanding iequirements to maintain an operator's license.

Exemption from the requireu nt to administer operating test: for operators and senior operators in a simulation facility would eliminate the licensee's need for an NRC approved or certified simulation facility. Exemptions would be granted with regard to simulator requirements to sections 10 CFR 55.45(b),

Implementation - (1) Adninistration,10 CFR 55.45(b)(2) Schedule for facility licenstes,10 CFR 55.45(b)(4) Application for and approval of simulation facilities, 10 CFR 55.45(b)(5) Certification of sirulation facilities, and 10 CFR 55.59(a)(2)

Requalification requirerents.

A reduction in the ho9rly watchstanding requirerents to maintain an operating license also requires an exemption since the regulations specify the nurber of hours required.

The exenption wculd allow the licensee to reduce the hourly watchstanding requirement for maintenance of an operator's license fron seven 8-hour shifts or five 12-hour shifts to four 8-hour shifts per quarter.

The exerption would also permit the licensee to reduce from 40 hours4.62963e-4 days <br />0.0111 hours <br />6.613757e-5 weeks <br />1.522e-5 months <br /> to two 8-hour shifts the watchstanding requirenents necessary tf reinstate a licensed operator who fails to meet the quarterly watchstanding requirement.

Exemptions would be granted, conditioned on the revised hourly watchstanding requirements, to sections 10 CFR 55,53(e) and 10 CFR 55.53(f).

• O 3-The Ne_ed_for__the_ Proposed Action:

TM!-2 is currently in a post-accident, cold shutdown, long term recovery rode, with sufficient decay heat reroval assured by direct heat loss from the reactor coolant system to the reactor building atnesphere.

The licensee has requested exeeptions to the requirements that licensed crerators ut11tze a sir.ulation facility when taking an operating test. Due to the unique cold shutdown, partially defueling condition of TM!-2, there is no f.

l plant-refreenced sinolater or sinolation facility that reflects the current condition of TMI-2. The tine to design, procure, install, and begin to operate a sinulation facility would exceed the period of time in which Ilcensed operators would be required at the facility.

Furthertore, due to the changing nature of the cleanur effort, any design of a siinulator would be quickly outdated.

The use of the facility as a strulation facility is not practical since this would require facility ranipulations not authorized by the facility license.

Derptien will be granted to 10 CFR 55.45(b)(1),10 CFR 55.45(b)(2),

10CFR55.45(b)(4),10CFR55.45(b)(5)and10CFR55.59(a)(2)totheextent that the regulations require a sinula' tion facility or the use of a sfrulation facility to grant or r.41ntain operator's licenses.

The licensee also has requested a reduction in the hourly watchstanding requirenents to raintain an operator's license. This reqvested reduction also requires an exerption. Curient requireeents specify the number of hour; 4 Itcensed operator rost actively perform the functions of an operator or senior

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operator in a calendar quarter. These requirements were based on the assumption that the operators would be controlling an operating facility which is not the case at THI-2.

The TN!-2 operators function largely to prevent a criticality in a reactor in which the potential for a criticality is greatly reduced from f

operating facilities, furthermore, the potential for recriticality at TMI-2 decreases on an almost daily basis as defueling progrn s a.

In contrast to operating facilities TMI 2 is essentially in a static oc with little change l

from day to day. The principal operator activity is monitoring various plant I

parameters to assure the continued safe shutdown of the facility and assist the ongoing decontamination and defueling activities. The NRC staff recognizes tht j

a reduction in the hourly watchstanding requirerents is warranted.

Based on a review of the operator licensing requirements the NRC staff finds that reducing the hourly watchstanding requirements for maintenance of i

en operators licerse to four 8-hour shifts per quarter appropriate.

Further the staff finds that if a licensed operator fails to meet the quarterly L

i requirement, then before resunption of functions authorized by a license the

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i licensee must coeplete a minioun of two 8-Kr shifts.

Therefore an exemption would be granted to the requirements of 10 CFR 55.53(e)and10CFR55.53(f)totheextentthatitreducesthehourly f

watchstanding requirements to the hours specified above.

i Environmental Impact of the Proposed Action:

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The staff has evaluated the proposed exemptions and concludes that in light of f

l the current and future condition of the facility described above, there are no j

significant radiological or nonradiological impacts to the environment as a result of this action. The exemptions remove the specific training requirements which are no longer applicable to the TMI-2 configuration, t

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.i Alternative Use of Resources:

This action does not involve the use of resources not previously considered in connection with the Final Progrannatic Environmental Impact Statement for TM!-2, dated March 1981.

Agencies and Persons Consulted The NRC staff reviewed the licensee's request.

No other agencies or l

persons were consulted.

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The Comission has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed exeeption.

Based upon the forego'ag environmental assesswit, we conclude that this action will not have a significant effect A

on the (uality of the hunan environment.

For further details with respect to this action, see the letter from CPUN dated Decenter 28, 1987 which is available for pubite inspection at the Connission's Public Docament Room,1717 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., and the State t ibrary of Pennsylvar.ta, Governunt Publications Section, Education Building,WalnutStreetandCorronwe)1thAvenue,Hariisburg,Penrisylvania17105.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 20th day of september 1988.

n FOR THE NUCLEAR REG LATORY C09941SS10N f /4 o e ". Stol, Direc t

Pr jtet Directorate 1-4 ivision of Reactor Projects 1/11 V

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