ML20236D411
| ML20236D411 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Prairie Island  |
| Issue date: | 10/23/1987 |
| From: | Wigginton D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Ogren P MINNESOTA, STATE OF |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8710280198 | |
| Download: ML20236D411 (3) | |
Text
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October 23, 1987 Docket Nos. 50-282 DISTRIBUTION:
and 50-306 4 Docket F11est ACRS(10)
'NRC4PDR1 PDIII-3 Gray File Local PDR PDIll-3 r/f DWigginton Honorable Paul Anders Ogren GHolahan Minnesota House of Representatives PKreutzer State Office Building DDilanni St. Paul, Minnesota 55155 OGC-Bethesda EJordan
Dear Mr. Ogren:
JPartlow This is in response to your letter of September 23, 1987, in which you express concern relating to the rod consolidation pilot project at the Prairie Island nuclear plant.
You conclude your letter by requesting that I prepare a written statement indicating that the Commission has given its formal approval to the rod consolidation pilot project at the NSP facility.
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 prior approval.
Under the provisions of the' Commission's regulations'in 10 CFR 5 50.59, licensees may conduct tests or experiments not described in their safety 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 I
for the Commission containing a brief description of all changes, tests or experiments including a summary of the safety evaluations of each that were l
performed during the reporting period.
Notwithstanding the regulation in 6 50.59(b)(2), Northern States Power decided to submit its safety evaluation
]
report prior to beginning the actual site work under 5 50.59. ~Accordingly, y
NSP submitted a safety evaluation in letters dated Septembet 22 and f
October 8, 1987.
As a result of the interest expressed in the matter the staff reviewed the licensee's 50.59 analysis and has determined that the proposed demonstration 1
of consolidating fifty spent fuel assemblies will not require.a change to the i
technical specifications and the licensee's safety analysis shows that the j
proposed demonstration does not involve an unreviewed safety question. Cwi-l cerning this latter point,10 CFR $ 50.59 states:
"A proposed change, test or experiment shall be deemed to involve an.unroviewed safety question (i) if the probability of occurrence or the consequences of an accident or malfunc-tion of equipment important to safety analysis report may be increased; or (previously evaluated in the safetyii)iftheposs or malfunction of a different type than any evaluated previously in the safety analysis report may be created; or (iii) if the margin of. safety as J
defined in the basis for any technical specification is reduced."
l I
8710280198 871023 i
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Honorable Paul Anders 0gren The licensee's safety analysis of September.22, 1987, add'rcssed each of these areas. The licensee's' letter dated October 8, 1987, provided addi-tional documentation to' support the position that the proposed demonstra-tion does not increase the' probability of occurrence of accidents previously evaluated. The licensee's 6 50.59 analysis covers potential accidents in areasofnuclearphysics(i.e.,critica_lityanalysis),structuralanalysis of the spent fuel pool and storage racks, radiological-analysis of a fuel handling accident, thermal hydraulics analysis of consolidated fuel in the storage cannisters and a fuel handling accident. The staff has reviewed the licensee's analysis and has determined that it is complete and accept-able and that the rod consolidation demonstration is appropriately performed under the provisions of 10 CFR S 50.59.
On this basis, the demonstration at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant does not require prior Comission 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 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 6 50.59.
1 If you have further concerns regarding this matter, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely, David L. Wigginton, Acting Director Project Directorate III-3 Division of Reactor Projects Office of Nuclear Reactor. Regulation
" SEE PREVIOUS CONCURRENCE Office:
LA/PDIII-3 PP./PDIII-3 PD/PDIII-3 OGC Surname:
PKy/qujtzer DDilanni/tg DWigginton
- AHodgdon Date:
10 g /87 10/
/87 10/
/87 10/24/87 Office:
AD/
Surname: GHO ahan Date:
10/p/87 m.
_______m____
Honorable Paul Anders Ogren Minnesota House of Representatives cc:
l Mr. D. M. Musolf, Manager Mr. C. Laszews,V, Nuclear Support Services
.St. Paul _ Pioneer Press Northern States Power Company 345 Cedar Street i
414 Nicollet Mall St.' Paul, Minnesota 55104 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 Joseph Campbell, Sr.
Gerala Charnoff, Esq.
Prairie Island Community Council Shaw, Pittman, Potts and Trowbridge 5750 Sturgeon Lake Rd.
2300 N Street, N.W.
Welch, MN 550G Washington, DC 20037 Dr. Raymond W. Throm Dr. J. W. Ferman Director of Environmental Health Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Minnesota Department of Heatlh 1
520 Lafayette Road 717 Delaware Street SE St. Paul, MN 55155 PO Box 9441
. I Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440 Mr. E. L. Watzl, Plant Manager Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Cynthia Kitlinski Northern States Power Company Commissioner Route 2 Minnesota Public Utilities Comission-Welch, Minnesota 55089 780 American Center Bldg.
1 Kellog & Robert Streets Jocelyn F. Olson, Esq.
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 Special Assistant Attorney General Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Mrs. Bev-Nii Anderson 1935 W. County Road, B2 Minnesota Institute of Concern Roseville, Minnesota 55113 for Public Health i
Walker,' Minnesota 56484 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Resident Inspector's Office 1719 Wakonhde Drive East Welch, Minnesota 55089 Regional Administrator, Region III U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Executive Director for Operations 799 Roosevelt Road Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60137 Mr. William Miller, Auditor Goodhue County Courthouse Red Wing, Minnesota 55066 1
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