ML24347A243
| ML24347A243 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Wolf Creek  |
| Issue date: | 02/25/2025 |
| From: | Samson Lee Plant Licensing Branch IV |
| To: | Reasoner C Wolf Creek |
| Lee S, 301-415-3168 | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2024-LLA-0159 | |
| Download: ML24347A243 (1) | |
Text
February 25, 2025 Cleveland Reasoner Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nuclear Officer Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation P.O. Box 411 Burlington, KS 66839
SUBJECT:
WOLF CREEK GENERATING STATION, UNIT 1 - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENT NO. 242 RE: MODIFIED IMPLEMENTATION DATE OF LICENSE AMENDMENT NO. 239 (EPID L-2024-LLA-0159)
Dear Cleveland Reasoner:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) has issued the enclosed Amendment No. 242 to Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-42 for the Wolf Creek Generating Station, Unit 1. The amendment is in response to the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation (the licensee) application dated December 2, 2024.
In Amendment No. 239, the NRC extended the implementation date of Amendment No. 237 regarding deviation from fire protection requirements to February 27, 2025. The licensee plans to submit a new license amendment request (LAR) to address the original scope of Amendment No. 237 and missing information in the associated NRC staff safety evaluation. The licensee indicates that the new LAR, if approved and implemented alongside Amendment No. 237, would allow for the implementation of Amendment No. 237 as intended. Consistent with this plan, the licensee requested additional time to implement Amendment No. 237. This amendment modifies the implementation date of Amendment No. 237 from February 27, 2025, to February 27, 2026, as requested by the licensee.
A copy of the related safety evaluation is enclosed. Notice of Issuance will be included in the Commissions monthly Federal Register notice.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Samson S. Lee, Project Manager Plant Licensing Branch IV Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-482
Enclosures:
- 1. Amendment No. 242 to NPF-42
- 2. Safety Evaluation cc: Listserv WOLF CREEK NUCLEAR OPERATING CORPORATION WOLF CREEK GENERATING STATION, UNIT 1 DOCKET NO. 50-482 AMENDMENT TO RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE Amendment No. 242 License No. NPF-42
- 1.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) has found that:
A.
The application for amendment to the Wolf Creek Generating Station, Unit 1 (the facility) Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-42 filed by Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, dated December 2, 2024, complies with the standards and requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), and the Commissions rules and regulations set forth in 10 CFR Chapter I; B.
The facility will operate in conformity with the application, the provisions of the Act, and the rules and regulations of the Commission; C.
There is reasonable assurance (i) that the activities authorized by this amendment can be conducted without endangering the health and safety of the public, and (ii) that such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commissions regulations; D.
The issuance of this amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public; and E.
The issuance of this amendment is in accordance with 10 CFR Part 51 of the Commissions regulations and all applicable requirements have been satisfied.
- 2.
Accordingly, by Amendment No. 242, Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-42 is hereby amended to authorize change to the implementation date of Amendment No. 237, dated August 31, 2023, from February 27, 2025, to February 27, 2026.
- 3.
The license amendment is effective as of its date of issuance and shall be implemented by February 27, 2026.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Tony T. Nakanishi, Chief Plant Licensing Branch IV Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Date of Issuance: February 25, 2025 Tony T.
Nakanishi Digitally signed by Tony T. Nakanishi Date: 2025.02.25 10:41:08 -05'00'
SAFETY EVALUATION BY THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION RELATED TO AMENDMENT NO. 242 TO RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO. NPF-42 WOLF CREEK NUCLEAR OPERATING CORPORATION WOLF CREEK GENERATING STATION, UNIT 1 DOCKET NO. 50-482
1.0 INTRODUCTION
By letter dated December 2, 2024 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML24337A123), Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation (WCNOC, the licensee), submitted a license amendment request (LAR) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) for Wolf Creek Generating Station, Unit 1 (Wolf Creek).
The proposed amendment would modify the implementation date for Amendment No. 237 for Wolf Creek, issued by the NRC on August 31, 2023 (ML23165A250). The NRC also previously issued Amendment No. 238 for Wolf Creek on November 29, 2023 (ML23299A266), which extended the implementation date for Amendment No. 237 to February 27, 2024, as requested by the licensee. Subsequently, the NRC issued Amendment No. 239 on February 27, 2024 (ML24026A021), which extended the implementation date for Amendment No. 237 to February 27, 2025, as requested by the licensee.
Amendment No. 237 revised Wolf Creek License Condition 2.C.(5), Fire Protection (Section 9.5.1, SER [Safety Evaluation Report], Section 9.5.1.8, SSER [Supplement to SER] #5), and the Wolf Creek Updated Safety Analysis Report (USAR) to allow the use of hard hat mounted portable lights. Due to unforeseen circumstances associated with the implementation of Amendment No. 237, resulting from discrepancies that the licensee identified in the NRC staffs safety evaluation (SE) of Amendment No. 237, as discussed in a letter submitted by the licensee dated October 19, 2023 (ML23292A357), the licensee has requested and the NRC staff has approved, extensions of the implementation date for Amendment No. 237. The licensees current LAR would further extend the implementation date of Amendment No. 237.
2.0 REGULATORY EVALUATION
2.1 Program Description and Regulatory Requirements The regulations in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 50.48(a) require that each operating nuclear power plant have a fire protection plan that satisfies
Criterion 3, Fire protection, of Appendix A to 10 CFR Part 50, General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants. The Wolf Creek renewed facility operating license includes a fire protection license condition, License Condition 2.C.(5), requiring the implementation of an approved fire protection program. License Condition 2.C.(5) allows the licensee to make changes to the approved fire protection program without prior NRC approval only if those changes would not adversely affect the ability to achieve and maintain safe shutdown in the event of a fire. All changes to the fire protection program must ensure that compliance is maintained with the requirements of 10 CFR 50.48(a).
In issuing an amendment to an operating license, the NRC specifies when the amendment is effective and when the amendment must be implemented. Enclosure 1 to the NRCs letter dated February 27, 2024 (ML24026A021), contained Amendment No. 239 for Wolf Creek. The amendment stated, in part, that:
The license amendment is effective as of its date of issuance and shall be implemented by February 27, 2025.
There are no specific regulatory requirements regarding the time period for amendment implementation. The NRC staff generally specifies an implementation period consistent with that requested in a licensees application, if appropriate. By letter dated August 2, 2022 (ML22215A000), the licensee requested for Amendment No. 237 an implementation date of within 90 days of the approval of the amendment. In its letter dated January 18, 2024 (ML24018A248), the licensee requested that the NRC extend this implementation date for Amendment No. 237 to February 27, 2025. In its current LAR, the licensee requests that the NRC further extend the implementation date for Amendment No. 237 to February 27, 2026.
Implementation periods or dates requested by licensees may vary based on the extent of the physical changes or modifications that are needed, the associated documentation procedures that need to be revised, and/or personnel training that is required. For example, licensees occasionally request that they be allowed to implement the amendment during the next refueling outage to support physical changes or modifications that the licensees want to make when their plants are shut down.
Since the implementation period specified by the NRC in an amendment is considered part of the operating license, a licensee is required to fully implement the amendment on or before the date specified or be in violation of its operating license. Any extension of the implementation period requires prior NRC approval via a license amendment issued pursuant to 10 CFR 50.90, Application for amendment of license, construction permit, or early site permit.
2.2 Licensees Proposed Changes The licensee requested additional time to resolve discrepancies that the licensee has identified in the SE of Amendment No. 237 for Wolf Creek. Specifically, the licensee requested modification of the implementation date for Amendment No. 237 from February 27, 2025, to February 27, 2026.
3.0 TECHNICAL EVALUATION
By letter dated August 31, 2023, the NRC issued Amendment No. 237 for Wolf Creek, which revised Wolf Creek License Condition 2.C.(5) and the Wolf Creek USAR to allow the use of hard hat mounted portable lights as the primary emergency lighting means in certain fire areas for
illuminating safe shutdown equipment and access and egress routes to the equipment. By letters dated October 19, 2023 (ML23292A357 and ML23292A359), the licensee requested correction of the NRC staff SE for Amendment No. 237. The licensee stated that it could not implement the amendment as described in the SE and also requested modification of the implementation date for Amendment No. 237. By letter dated November 29, 2023, the NRC issued Amendment No. 238 to extend the implementation date for Amendment No. 237 to February 27, 2024, as requested. By letter dated January 18, 2024, the licensee stated that additional time is necessary to implement Amendment No. 237 and requested further modification of the implementation date from February 27, 2024, to February 27, 2025. By letter dated February 27, 2024, the NRC issued Amendment No. 239 to extend the implementation date for Amendment No. 237 to February 27, 2025, as requested.
By letter dated May 9, 2024 (ML23345A160), the NRC staff issued a revised SE for Amendment No. 237 for Wolf Creek to properly reflect the scope of the LAR and to clarify the NRC staffs review, as requested by the licensee. The NRC staff and the licensee held a public meeting on July 23, 2024, to discuss options for Amendment No. 237 (ML24212A037).
In the current LAR, the licensee stated:
Following the teleconference, it was determined that the best success path to address the original scope of Amendment No. 237 and the missing information in the NRC SE would be through a subsequent License Amendment Request (LAR) submitted by WCNOC. The new LAR would address additional information pertinent to the original submittal for Amendment No. 237, and would provide for a new SE that, when implemented alongside Amendment No. 237, would allow for implementation of the original LAR as intended.
In section 3.0 of Attachment I to the current LAR, the licensee stated:
In the interim, WCNOC will continue to utilize the existing Fire Protection Program until an additional LAR is reviewed and approved by the NRC. The current program is fully compliant with applicable rules and regulations as approved for use by the NRC. Until then, WCNOC will not take any action for implementation of License Amendment No. 237.
The NRC staff reviewed the current LAR and notes that the proposed amendment to extend the implementation date does not involve any physical changes/modifications to the facility and does not involve any changes in the operation of Wolf Creek. Consistent with its current licensing basis, the current fire protection program at Wolf Creek will continue to be used until Amendment No. 237 can be implemented. The protection of public health and safety is achieved by the licensee continuing to use the existing approved fire protection program until Amendment No. 237 can be implemented. Extending the implementation date for Amendment No. 237 has no adverse safety impact, in that the current fire protection program has previously been approved by the NRC and will continue in effect until Amendment No. 237 is implemented.
Therefore, the NRC staff finds that the request to change the implementation date for Amendment No. 237 for Wolf Creek from February 27, 2025, to February 27, 2026, is acceptable.
4.0 STATE CONSULTATION
In accordance with the Commissions regulations, the Kansas State official was notified of the proposed issuance of the amendment on December 6, 2024. The State official had no comments.
5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION
The amendment changes requirements with respect to the installation or use of facility components located within the restricted area as defined in 10 CFR Part 20. The NRC staff has determined that the amendment involves no significant increase in the amounts, and no significant change in the types, of any effluents that may be released offsite, and that there is no significant increase in individual or cumulative occupational radiation exposure. The Commission previously issued a proposed finding that the amendment involves no significant hazards consideration as published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2024 (89 FR 104572), and there has been no public comment on such finding. Accordingly, the amendment meets the eligibility criteria for categorical exclusion set forth in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(9).
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(b), no environmental impact statement or environmental assessment need be prepared in connection with the issuance of the amendment.
6.0 CONCLUSION
The Commission has concluded, based on the considerations discussed above, that: (1) there is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by operation in the proposed manner, (2) there is reasonable assurance that such activities will be conducted in compliance with the Commissions regulations, and (3) the issuance of the amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety of the public.
Principal Contributor: J. Robinson, NRR Date: February 25, 2025
- via email concurrence NRR-058 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL4/PM*
NRR/DORL/LPL4/LA*
NRR/DRA/APLB/BC*
OGC* NLO NAME SLee PBlechman EDavidson JWachutka DATE 12/12/2024 12/16/2024 12/12/2024 12/20/2024 OFFICE NRR/DORL/LPL4/BC*
NRR/DORL/LPL4/PM*
NAME TNakanishi SLee DATE 01/13/2025 02/25/2025