ML20236D365
| ML20236D365 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Prairie Island  |
| Issue date: | 10/23/1987 |
| From: | Wigginton D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Brian Anderson MINNESOTA INSTITUTE OF CONCERN FOR PUBLIC HEALTH |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8710280167 | |
| Download: ML20236D365 (3) | |
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October 23, 1987 Docket Nos. 50-282 DISTRIBUTION:
and 50-306 (DockettEiles; ACRS(10)
NRC~PDR PDIII-3 Gray File Local PDR PDIII-3 r/f DWigginton Mrs. Bev-Nii Anderson GHolahan Minnesota Institute of Concern PKreutzer for Public Health DDilanni Walker, Minnesota 56484 OGC-Bethesda EJordan
Dear Mrs. Anderson:
JPartlow j
This is in response to your letter of September 24, 1987, to Dominic Dilanni regarding the Institute's concern relating to the proposed fuel rod consolida-
-'i tion project at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant.
You conclude your letter with a request for a copy of a written statement indicating the
-Commission's formal approval of tte project.
Perhaps a brief review of the history of this project and of the Commission's regulations under which it is being undertaken will serve to alleviate your concern and to explain why the action does not require the Commission's formal i
prior approval.
Under the provisions of the Commission's regulations in 10 CFR $ 50.59, licensees may conduct tests or experiments not described in their saiety evaluation reports without prior Commission approval unless the proposed change, test or experiment involves a change in the technical specifications incorporated in the license or involves an unreviewed safety question. The regulations in 6 50.59(b)(2) require licensees to prepare an annual report for the Commission containing a brief description of all changes, tests or.
experiments including a summary of the safety evaluations of each that were performed during the reporting period. Notwithstanding the regulation in 9 50.59(b)(2), Northern States Power decided to submit its safety evaluation report prior to beginning the actual site work under 9 50.59. Accordingly, NSP submitted a safety evaluation in letters dated September 22 and October 8, 1987.
As a result of the interest expressed in this matter, the staff reviewed the licensee's 50.59 analysis and has determined that the proposed demonstration of consolidating fifty spent fuel assemblies will not require a change to the technical specifications and the licensee's safety analysis shows that the proposed demonstration does not involve an unreviewed safety question.
G710280167 071023 PDR ADOCK 050002G2 P
.l I
Mrs. Bev-Nii Anderson ]
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i Concerning this latter point, 10 CFR s 50.59 states:
"A proposed change, l
test or experiment shall be deemed to involve an unreviewed safety question (i) if the probability of occurrence or the consequences'of an accident or malfunction of equipment important to safety
' safety analysis. report may be increased; or (previously evaluated in theii) if the po accident or malfunction of a different type than any evaluated previously in 4
the safety analysis report may be created; or (iii) if the margin of safety l
as defined in the basis for any technical specification is reduced."
{
The licensee's safety analysis of September 22, 1987, addressed each of
.these areas. The licensee's letter dated October 8, 1987, provided additional l
documentation to support the position that the proposed demonstration does not increase the probability of occurrence of accidents previously evaluated.
The licensee's S 50.59 analysis covers potential accidents in areas of nuclear
. physics (i.e., criticality analysis), structural analysis of the spent fuel pool and storage racks, radiological analysis of a fuel handling accident, thermal j
hydraulics analysis of co'nsolidated fuel in the storage cannisters and a fuel handling eccident. The staff has reviewed th.e licensee's analysis and has determined that it is complete and acceptable and that the rod consolidation 4
demonstration is appropriately performed under the provisionc of 10 CFR 0 50.59. On this basis, the demonstration at the Prairie Island fluclear
)
Generating Plant does not require prior Conrnission approval. This conclusion was conveyed to the licensee by telephone on October 8, 1987.
The consolidation of fifty elements is sufficient to demonstrate both the I
technical and economic feasibility of the Westinghouse technique for the Prairie Island facility. Any additional fuel consolidation at Prairie Island using this Westinghouse technique and equipment will require further analysis under 10 CFR S 50.59.
j If you have further concerns regarding this matter, please feel free to contact us.
. Sincerely.
j ~5 David L. Wigginton, Acting Director Project Directorate III-3 Division of Reactor Projects Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation i
- SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE
%dT gl Office:
LA/PDIII-3 PM/PDIII-3 PD/PDIII-3 h 0GC Surname:
PKreutzer DDilanni/tg DWigginton
- AHodgdon Date:
10/j,/87 10/71/87 10/n/87 10/24/87 Office:
AD Surname: G o ahan Date:
10/g3/87
l
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'Mrs. Bev-Nii Anderson Minnesota Pollution Control Agency cc:
Mr.,D. M. Musolf, Manager Mr. C. Laszewski Nuclear Support Services St. Paul Pioneer Press Northern States Power Company 345: Cedar Street 414 Nicollet Mall St. Paul, Minnesota 55104 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 Joseph Campbell, Sr.
Gerald Charnoff, Esq.
Prairie Island Community Council Shaw, Pittman, Potts and Trowbridge 5750 Sturgeon Lake Rd.
2300 N Street, N.W.
Welch, MN 55089 Washington, DC 20037 Dr. Raymond W. Throm Dr. J. W. Ferman Director of Environmental Health i
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Minnesota Department of Heatlh l
520 LtFayette Road 717 Delaware Street SE St. Paul, MN 55155 PO Box 9441 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440 F
Mr. E. L. Watzl, Plant Manager T
Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Cynthia Kitlinski Northern States Power Company Commissioner Route 2 Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Welch, Minnesota 55089 780 American Center Bldg.
i Kellog & Robert Streets Jocelyn F. Olson, Esq.
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 Special Assistant Attorney General Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 1935 W. County Road, B2 i
Roseville, Minnesota 55113 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Resident Inspector.'s Office 1719 Wakonade Drive East Welch, Minnesota 55089 Regional Administrator, Region III' U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission j
Office of Executive Director for Operations 799 Roosevelt Road Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137 Mr. William Miller, Auditor Goodhue County Courthouse Red Wing, Minnesota 55066 Honorable Paul Anders Ogren Minnesota House of Representatives State Office Building St. Paul, Minnesota 55155 s
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