ML22025A311

Summary of January 19, 2022, Meeting with Tennessee Valley Authority Regarding a Proposed Schedule for Development of a License Amendment Request for Increased Tritium Production

ML22025A311
Person / Time
Site:	Watts Bar
Issue date:	02/09/2022
From:	Kimberly Green Plant Licensing Branch II
To:	Jim Barstow Tennessee Valley Authority
Green K
References
EPID L-2022-LRM-0000
Download: ML22025A311 (5)

Text

February 9, 2022 LICENSEE: Tennessee Valley Authority FACILITY: Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Unit 2

SUMMARY

OF JANUARY 19, 2022, MEETING WITH TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY REGARDING A PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR INCREASED TRITIUM PRODUCTION AT WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 (EPID L-2022-LRM-0000)

On January 19, 2022, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff conducted a virtual observation (i.e., public) meeting with representatives of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

The purpose of the meeting was for TVA to present its proposed schedule for development of a license amendment request (LAR) that would seek to increase the number of tritium producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (Watts Bar), Units 1 and 2.

The meeting notice and agenda, dated January 4, 2022, are available at Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML22006A248. TVAs presentation slides for the meeting are available at ADAMS Accession No. ML22013A643. A list of participants who wanted to be part of the record is enclosed.

TVA stated that at the request of the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) it is developing an LAR to increase the licensed limit of TPBARS from the current number of 1,792 to 2,496 for each unit at Watts Bar.

TVA plans to submit the LAR to the NRC around February 24, 2023, and will request approval by August 27, 2024, which is based on past precedent 18-month reviews for Watts Bar LARs that requested approval for insertion of TPBARs. The schedule also takes into account the planned refueling outages for each unit when the additional TPBARs would be inserted into the reactors, i.e., fall 2024 for Unit 1 and spring 2025 for Unit 2. However, TVA asked the NRC to consider if the NRC could review and approve the LAR within 12 months based on the limited scope of the LAR and efficiencies the NRC has gained from the review of the previous Watts Bar TPBAR LARs.

TVA plans to possibly request two more meetings in the May/June 2022 and mid-January 2023 timeframes to discuss the proposed LAR in more detail.

During the public comment period, several members of the public provided comments.

Generally, the comments were in opposition to allowing the production of tritium in the reactors at Watts Bar, Units 1 and 2. Also, a few members of the public requested that the NRC publish any environmental review documents for public comment and noted that an environmental review is required by the National Environmental Policy Act. Additionally, they requested that any hearings be publicly noticed and held locally in the vicinity of the Savannah River site. The public also questioned the roles and responsibilities of DOE and NRC as they pertain to the

inspection of the TPBARs from the fuel manufacturer and effluent releases that are mingled from the various facilities at the Savannah River site. Additionally, the public questioned if site security at Watts Bar will be increased due to the planned increase in tritium production. Mr.

Tom Clements from Savannah River Site Watch stated that he recently published a report titled, Crossing the Line, that may be accessed at https://srswatch.org. In addition, the NRC received three public meeting feedback responses. Of note, one responder suggested that more meetings on the subject be held and that public stakeholder involvement be expanded.

The responder also noted its objection to civil defense material being created in commercial nuclear power reactors.

While the NRC does not regulate radiological environmental monitoring and effluent monitoring at the Savannah River Site, it does regulate this monitoring at commercial nuclear power plant sites. The Environmental Protection Agency establishes the environmental radiation protection standards for nuclear power operations including ground water protection standards. The latest Watts Bar Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Report, dated April 28, 2021, is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML21118B038. TVA's latest Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report, dated May 11, 2021, is available in ADAMS under Accession No. ML21131A039. These and prior years' reports for all operating nuclear power plants are available via the NRC's public Web site at https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/tritium/plant-info.html. General information regarding radiation monitoring at nuclear power plants is available at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/protects-you/radiation-monitoring.html. The NRC periodically conducts inspections of nuclear power plants' environmental monitoring programs to verify that licensees are in compliance with NRC regulations.

Requests to receive documents that the NRC issues for a nuclear power plant can be made at the following web site address:

https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver/plants-by-region.html No regulatory decisions were made at this meeting.

Please direct any inquiries to me at 301-415-1627 or by e-mail to Kimberly.Green@nrc.gov.

/RA/

Kimberly J. Green, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch II-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-390 and 50-391

Enclosure:

List of Participants cc: Listserv

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS JANUARY 19, 2022, PUBLIC MEETING WITH TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY REGARDING WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR INCREASED TRITIUM PRODUCTION Name Affiliation Kim Green U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Dave Gasperson NRC Dave Wrona NRC Angie Buford NRC Steve Bloom NRC Lance Rakovan NRC Bob Lukes NRC Scott Krepel NRC Kevin Hsueh NRC Steve Jones NRC Phyllis Clark NRC Ed Miller NRC Nan Chien NRC John Tsao NRC Matt Yoder NRC Mathew Panicker NRC Beth Alferink NRC Rich Clement NRC Emma Haywood NRC On Yee NRC Kayleh Hartage NRC Carolyn Fairbanks NRC Russ Wells Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

Charlie Davis TVA Mark Burzynski TVA Korrie Yetzer TVA Kevin Dutton TVA Carla Borelli TVA David Brown TVA Daniel Fox TVA Jeff McGuire TVA Lukus Barnes TVA Robert Montgomery Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Kyle Wilhelm U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE NNSA)

Enclosure

Nanette Founds DOE NNSA Toni Ostrander Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation. Division of Radiological Health Ralph Hutchison Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance Ms. Gifford League of Women Voters Priscilla Preston Savannah River Sierra Club Jan Boudart Nuclear Energy Information Service Tom Clements Savannah River Site Watch Pamela Greenlaw Midlands Group Sierra Club Joanne Sweeney Terry Lodge Michele Levy Kathy Helms Cody Dishner Dave Flessner Joni Arends Kalene Walker Lou Martinez Per Peterson Don Safer Michael Keegan

ML22025A311 OFFICE DORL/LPL2-2/PM DORL/LPL2-2/LA* DORL/LPL2-2/BC* DORL/LPL2-2/PM NAME KGreen RButler DWrona KGreen DATE 1/24/2022 1/27/2022 2/9/2022 2/9/2022