ML23115A066

Summary of Public Meeting with Southern Nuclear Operating Company to Have Presubmittal Meeting for Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit 4

ML23115A066
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	05/01/2023
From:	Gleaves W NRC/NRR/VPOB
To:
References
Download: ML23115A066 (1)

Text

May 1, 2023 LICENSEE: Southern Nuclear Operating Company FACILITY: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit 4

SUMMARY

OF APRIL 13, 2023, MEETING WITH SOUTHERN NUCLEAR OPERATING COMPANY On April 13, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held a virtual public meeting with representatives of Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC or the licensee). The purpose of the meeting was to have a presubmittal meeting for Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (Vogtle), Unit 4. The discussion regarded a potential, or draft, license amendment request (LAR) for changes to the technical specifications (TS) prior to initial criticality. The presentation slides are in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at Accession No. ML23097A006. The meeting notice and agenda are available in ADAMS (ML23100A022). A list of attendees is enclosed. SNC presented the slides and discussed the proposed LAR with the NRC staff. No regulatory decisions were made at the meeting.

Below is a summary of the meeting:

There were approximately 33 participants on the call, including NRC staff, SNC staff and contractors, and the public.

SNC stated that as a learning organization this potential LAR for Vogtle Unit 4 is a result of lessons learned from the recent startup challenges at Vogtle Unit 3. They have identified this draft LAR as a way to provide flexibility to TS that are applicable prior to initial criticality while maintaining safety.

SNC stated that it had reviewed the question from NRC staff from the March 2, 2023, technical exchange meeting regarding a separate startup TS and determined that this approach may have potentially extended impacts to other licensing basis references, such as the Final Safety Analysis Report, and would require a comprehensive review of all documents that may reference the TS.

In Mode 4, the reactor coolant is between 200 and 420 degrees Fahrenheit, and the secondary system would also be at a substantial pressure and temperature. SNC updated the draft LAR to include an analysis for Mode 4 TS, including TS exclusions, loss of coolant events, steamline breaks, and other impacts to conservative operation, including reactor vessel integrity, fuel coverage with coolant, and borated water concentrations even though there would be no nuclear decay heat.

SNC also addressed in this draft LAR that in Mode 5, when the reactor coolant system (RCS) is under 200 degrees Fahrenheit, the pressurizer steam space would still be at a temperature of approximately 420 degrees Fahrenheit or greater.

2 In preparing the draft LAR, SNC also considered RCS leaks and other inventory losses to ensure the necessary makeup required to ensure core coverage, including the core makeup tank volume.

For Mode 3, the draft evaluation concluded that for a small break loss of coolant accident (LOCA), fuel would continue to be covered and adequately borated.

Exceptions for Mode 6 are also included in the draft LAR.

Various changes were made to the draft LAR as a result of considering comments provided during the March 2, 2023, technical exchange meeting.

NRC staff noted that it would need to evaluate whether the requirements of 10 CFR 50.36 would still be met if the conditions of applicability of the TS were located outside of the TS in a license condition. SNC provided an example, for Vogtle Unit 1 (ML012390224), where an exception to the TS was included in a license condition.

The NRC staff asked about Modes 56 and the possibility of the core becoming uncovered in the event of an abnormal situation. SNC responded that for the worst case scenario (i.e.,

a break in the direct vessel injection line, which is the lowest penetration in the reactor vessel), there would be no significant impact because a little over 4 feet of water would continue to cover the core, and there would be no fission products as the core would be unirradiated. SNC stated that the evaluation of boron dilution may be found in the draft LAR in section 3.1.

The NRC staff asked about the applicability of TS surveillance requirements for TS proposed to be excepted by the draft LAR. SNC said that the same rules of usage apply.

Therefore, the surveillances would not have to be met for TS when any limiting condition for operation (LCO) is not required.

Members of the public were in attendance; however, there were no questions or comments. The staff did not receive any public meeting feedback forms. The meeting ended at 9:55 a.m. EDT.

Please direct any inquiries to me at 301415-5848 or Bill.Gleaves@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, Signed by Gleaves, William on 05/01/23 William (Billy) Gleaves, Senior Project Manager Vogtle Project Office Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 52026

Enclosure:

List of Attendees cc: Listserv

LIST OF ATTENDEES April 13, 2023, NRC Meeting with Southern Nuclear Operating Company Name Organization Lauren Nist Billy Gleaves Christopher Welch Rob Elliott Pravin Sawant Tanny Santos NRC Jim Gaslevic Garry Armstrong Ravi Grover Brian Wittick Vic Cusumano Phil OBryan Omar Lopez-Santiago NRC/Region II Joylynn Quinones-Navarro Jamie Coleman Amy Chamberlain Eddie Grant Thomas Kindred Daniel Williamson Megan Durse - WEC Ryan Rossman Natalie Rodgers - WEC Southern Nuclear Operating Company and Chuck Brockoff - WEC Contractors Chris Sommer - WEC Neil Haggerty Jason Behrens Daniel Wise - WEC Ryan Rossman - WEC Ryan Henderson David McDevitt - WEC Ray Flanery, III Ashar Khan Members of the Public Jason Behrens Enclosure

Memo ML23115A066

• via email OFFICE NRR/VPO/VPOB NRR/DSS/STSB* NRR/DSS/SNRB* NRR/DRO/IOLB NAME WGleaves WG VCusumano VC RPatton RP LNist LN DATE Apr 25, 2023 Apr 25, 2023 Apr 25, 2023 May 1, 2023 OFFICE NRR/VPO/VPOB NAME WGleaves WG DATE May 1, 2023