ML20216B085
| ML20216B085 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vogtle  |
| Issue date: | 03/05/1998 |
| From: | NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned) |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20216B078 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9803120409 | |
| Download: ML20216B085 (2) | |
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UNITED STATES g
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION t
WASHINGTON, D.c. 30806 4001
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SAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCI FAR REAC TOR REGULATION EXEMPTION FROM THE REQUIREMENTS OF 10 CFR 50.71(e)(4)
UPDATES TO THE FINAL SAFETY NALYSIS REPORT SOUTHERN NUCI FAR OPERATING COMPANY. INC.. F,I.AL VOGTLE Ft FCTRIC GENERATING PLANT. UNITS 1 AND 2 DOCKET NOS. 50-424 AND 50-425
1.0 INTRODUCTION
By letter dated January 23,1998, Southem Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., et al. (the licensee) submitted a request for an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(e)(4),
" Maintenance of records, making reports." Section 50.71(e)(4) requires, in part, that
" Subsequent revisions [to the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR)] must be filed annually or 6 months after each refueling outage provided the interval between successive updates [to the FSAR) does not exceed 24 months." The two Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) units share a common FSAR; therefore, this rule requires, literally, that the licensee update VEGP's FSAR within 6 months after a refueling outage for either unit.
2.0 EVALUATION Section 50.71(e)(4) ensures that all licensees update their FSARs at least every refueling outage and no less frequently than every 2 years. When two units share a common FSAR, the rule has the effect of making the licensee update the FSAR roughly every 12 to 18 months.
The current rule, as revised on August 31,1992 (57 FR 39358), was intended to provide some reduction in regulatory burden by limiting the frequency of required updates. The burden reduction, however, can only be realized by single-unit facilities or multiple-unit facilities that maintain separate FSARs for each unit. For multiple-unit facilities with a common FSAR, the "each refueling outage" phrase increases rather than decreases the regulatory burden. To address this concem for multiunit plants, the authors of the revised rule stated, in response to a comment on the draft revision, that "[w]ith respect to [the] concem about multiple facilities sharing a common [U]FSAR, licensees will have maximum flexibility for scheduling updates on a case-by-case basis."
The licensee's requested exemption would permit periodic FSAR updates within 6 months of VEGP's Unit 2 refueling outage, but not to exceed 24 months from the last revision. Thus, the requirement that an update be submitted within 6 months of an outage of each unit is no longer retained. With the exemption, the VEGP FSAR will be updated and maintained current within 24 months of the last revision.
9003120409 980305 PDR ADOCK 05000424 P
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3.0 CONCLUSION
The staff finds that the proposed attemative meets the intent of the existing regulations, requiring the VEGP FSAR to be revised at least once per 24 months; therefore, the proposed exemption from 10 CFR 50.71(e)(4) for VEGP Units 1 and 2, is accepable.
Principal Contributor: David H.,laffe Date:. March 5, 1998 L
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