ML22175A017

Termination of ERDS Feed for Pnp Notification Letter to the State of Michigan

ML22175A017
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	07/13/2022
From:	Rachel Johnson NRC/NSIR/DPR
To:	Wentworth T State of MI, Dept of Environment, Great Lakes, & Energy
Alemu B
References
Download: ML22175A017 (4)

Text

July 13, 2022 Theodore R. Wentworth II, Manager Radiological Protection Section Materials Management Division Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy 525 West Allegan Street Lansing, MI 48933

SUBJECT:

TERMINATION OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE DATA SYSTEM FEED FOR PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT

Dear Mr. Wentworth:

This letter serves to notify the State of Michigan that Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Entergy) has terminated the Emergency Response Data System (ERDS) link from the Palisades Nuclear Plant (PNP) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Operations Center, based on the permanently shutdown status of the facility.

Section VI, Emergency Response Data System, of Appendix E, Emergency Planning and Preparedness for Production and Utilization Facilities, to Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, of Title 10, Energy, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) establishes the requirement for a nuclear power reactor licensee to have a real-time electronic data link from the licensees onsite computer system to the NRC Operations Center that provides for the automated transmission of a limited data set of selected parameters. The Agreement between the NRC and the State of Michigan, effective December 17, 1991, provides the basis for mutually agreeable procedures whereby the State of Michigan may utilize the NRC ERDS to receive data during an emergency at a commercial nuclear power plant for which any portion of the plant's 10-mile Plume Exposure Pathway Emergency Planning Zone lies within the State of Michigan.

By letter dated January 4, 2017 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML17004A062), as supplemented by letters dated September 28, 2017, and October 19, 2017 (ML17271A233 and ML17292A032, respectively), Entergy notified the NRC, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(a)(1)(i), of its intention to permanently cease power operations at PNP no later than May 31, 2022. By letter dated June 13, 2022 (ML22164A067), Entergy certified to the NRC that PNP permanently ceased power operations on May 20, 2022, and that, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(a)(1)(ii), the fuel was permanently removed from the PNP reactor vessel and placed in the spent fuel pool on June 10, 2022. Upon the NRCs docketing of these certifications, the 10 CFR Part 50 license for PNP no longer authorizes operation of the reactor or emplacement or retention of fuel into the reactor vessel, as specified in 10 CFR 50.82(a)(2).

By order dated December 13, 2021 (ML21292A146), the NRC staff approved (1) the transfer of Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-20 for Palisades, the general license for the Palisades independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI), Facility Operating License

T. Wentworth No. DPR-6 for the Big Rock Point Plant (Big Rock Point), and the general license for the Big Rock Point ISFSI (referred to collectively as the Sites and the licenses) to a Holtec International (Holtec) subsidiary to be known as Holtec Palisades, LLC (Holtec Palisades) and (2) the transfer of Enterys operating authority (i.e., its authority to conduct licensed activities at the Sites) to Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC (HDI). The order also approved draft conforming administrative amendments to the licenses to reflect the transfer.

On June 28, 2022 (ML22179A075), Entergy informed the NRC that the license transfer transaction closed on June 28, 2022. On June 28, 2022 (ML22173A179), the NRC staff issued Amendment No. 129 for Big Rock Point and Amendment No. 273 for Palisades to reflect the license transfer. Accordingly, HDI is now the licensee for decommissioning operations at Big Rock Point and Palisades.

The requirements to have an ERDS data link to the NRC under section VI.2 of Appendix E to 10 CFR Part 50 do not apply to nuclear power facilities that have permanently or indefinitely shut down, such as PNP. The termination of the ERDS link for PNP does not impact the licensees responsibility to provide notification to offsite authorities for an emergency declaration, to provide information on facility status to support the assessment of a potential radiological release at the facility, and to advise on offsite action that offsite authorities may consider to protect their citizenry, as described in PNPs Post-Shutdown Emergency Plan for PNP, which the NRC approved by letter dated September 24, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18170A219).

The termination of the PNP ERDS link will not impact the State of Michigans ability to continue to receive plant information via an ERDS link for incidents related to Fermi Unit 2 and D.C. Cook Units 1 and 2 plants.

If you have any questions regarding the termination of the ERDS link for PNP, or continued interface with the NRC for an event at PNP, please contact Bezakulu Alemu at (301) 287-3731 or by email at Bezakulu.Alemu@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, Signed by Johnson, Robert on 07/13/22 Robert Johnson, Director Division of Preparedness and Response Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response

MLXXXXXXXX *via e-mail OFFICE NSIR/DPR/OB NSIR/DPR/OB NSIR/DRR/DORL/LPL3 NMSS/DUWP NAME J. Whited J. Quichocho N. Salgado B. Watson DATE 6/27/2022 6/30/2022 7/6/2022 7/6/2022 OFFICE RSLO, Region III NSIR/DPR/FO NAME A. Barker C. Johnson DATE 7/7/2022 7/13/2022

ML22175A017 OFFICE NSIR/DPR/OB NSIR/DPR/OB NSIR/DPR/RLB NRR/DORL/LPL3 NAME BAlemu BA JWhited JW JQuichocho JQ NSalgado NS DATE Jun 24, 2022 Jun 27, 2022 Jun 30, 2022 Jul 6, 2022 OFFICE NMSS/DUWP/RDB R-III NSIR/DPR NAME SAnderson SA ABarker AB RJohnson RJ DATE Jul 6, 2022 Jul 7, 2022 Jul 13, 2022