ML22145A605

Summary of May 24, 2022, Public Meeting with SNC, Regarding a Proposed Alternative Request for Performance-Based Leakage Test Frequencies for the Refueling Water Tank Suction Check Valves for Vogtle, Units 1 & 2

ML22145A605
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	06/02/2022
From:	John Lamb Plant Licensing Branch II
To:	Southern Nuclear Operating Co
Lamb J, NRR/DORL/LPLII-1
Shared Package
ML22145A606	List: ML22145A605
References
EPID L-2022-LRM-0039
Download: ML22145A605 (5)

Text

June 2, 2022 LICENSEE: Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

FACILITY: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2

SUMMARY

OF MAY 24, 2022, PUBLIC MEETING WITH SOUTHERN NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANY, INC., REGARDING A PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE REQUEST FOR PERFORMANCE-BASED LEAKAGE TEST FREQUENCIES FOR THE REFUELING WATER TANK SUCTION CHECK VALVES FOR VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 (EPID NO. L-2022-LRM-0039)

On May 24, 2022, an Observation Public Meeting was held between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and representatives of Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. (SNC, the licensee). The purpose of the meeting was for SNC to describe its plan to submit an alternative request for Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (Vogtle), Units 1 and 2. The request will propose an alternative to specific requirements of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code for Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants (OM Code) to apply the process described in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, Appendix J, Primary Reactor Containment Leakage Testing for Water-Cooled Power Reactors, Option B, Performance-Based Requirements, for the frequency of leakage testing for specific refueling water storage tank (RWST) check valves at Vogtle Units 1 and 2.

A list of attendees is provided as an Enclosure.

On May 12, 2022 (Agencywide Document and Access Management System (ADAMS)

Accession No. ML22138A429), the NRC noticed the meeting on the NRC public webpage.

The SNC personnel presented slides contained in ML22138A395.

The NRC staff opened the meeting with introductory remarks and introduction of the attendees.

The SNC personnel discussed the following topics related to the planned alternative request:

(1) purpose, (2) background, (3) proposed alternative, (4) basis, (5) precedents, and (6) schedule.

The SNC personnel stated that ASME OM Code, 2004 Edition through the 2006 Addenda, Subsection ISTC, Inservice Testing of Valves in Light-Water Reactor Nuclear Power Plants, paragraph ISTC-3630, Leakage Rate for Other Than Containment Isolation Valves, requires testing to verify that seat leakage within the acceptable limits for OM Category A valves other than containment isolation valves. SNC said that ASME OM Code, Subsection ISTC, subparagraph ISTC-3630(a), requires this leakage testing to be performed at least once every two years.

The SNC personnel stated that its proposed alternative will request authorization for check valves within the scope of the request that demonstrate acceptable performance for two consecutive cycles would have their leakage test intervals extended to every third refueling outage (not to exceed 60 months). SNC will include a provision in its request that, if the leakage test results exceed the maximum allowed leakage limits for any check valve within the scope of its request, then all check valves for that reactor unit within the scope of the request would return to the initial leakage test frequency of every refueling outage.

On Slide 12 of its presentation, SNC referenced several previous NRC-authorized requests for nuclear power plants (other than Vogtle, Units 1 and 2) that it considered to represent applicable precedents to its planned request.

SNC said that it plans to submit the proposed alternative request for Vogtle, Units 1 and 2, in June 2022, and request that the NRC staff complete its review by February 2023, to support the Vogtle, Unit 1, spring 2023, refueling outage.

NRC Questions to SNC The NRC staff asked the following questions during the SNC presentation:

Where are these check valves located in the Vogtle Inservice Testing (IST) Program Plan?

On Slide 5, SNC refers to these check valves as non-type C tested valves. Why were these check valves not simply referred to as not being containment isolation valves?

Which 10 CFR 50.55a alternative path will SNC specify in the proposed request, such as 10 CFR 50.55a(z)(1) or (2)?

Did SNC consider any more recent guidance other than NUREG-1493, Performance-Based Containment Leak-Test Program, dated September 1995 (ML20098D498) for the preparation of the request?

Did SNC review NUREG-1777, Regulatory Effectiveness Assessment of Option B of Appendix J, dated August 2003 (ML033030547) in developing its request?

Are the cited precedents the same or similar to the planned request, and are there any significant differences?

Public Questions to NRC There were no members of the public in attendance, so there were no questions from the public.

Closing The NRC staff made no regulatory decisions during the meeting. Once received, the NRC staff will perform a thorough review of the proposed alternative request and make any regulatory decisions in writing in a timely manner. Public Meeting Feedback forms were available, but no comments were received. The meeting adjourned at 12:24 pm Eastern time.

Please direct any inquiries to me at 301-415-3100.

/RA John G. Lamb, Senior Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch, II-1 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-424 and 50-425

Enclosure:

List of Attendees cc w/encls: Distribution via Listserv

LIST OF ATTENDEES MAY 24, 2021, PRE-SUBMITTAL PUBLIC MEETING WITH SOUTHERN NUCLEAR COMPANY REGARDING A PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE REQUEST VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 ATTENDEE REPRESENTING John G. Lamb U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Mike Markley NRC John Ma NRC Raul Hernandez NRC Syed Haider NRC Robert Hsu NRC Tom Scarbrough NRC Ken Lowery Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC)

Ryan Joyce SNC DeLisa Pournaras SNC James Bradford SNC Chris Gramblin SNC Enclosure

PKG: ML22145A606; Meeting Notice: ML22138A429 Meeting Slides: ML22138A395;Meeting Summary: ML22145A605 OFFICE DORL/LPL2-1/PM DORL/LPL2-1/LA DSS/SCPB/BC DORL/LPL2-1/BC DORL/LPL2-1/PM NAME JLamb KGoldstein BWittick MMarkley JLamb DATE 5/24/2022 5/27/2022 5/25/2022 6/2/2022 6/2/2022