ML25196A181
| ML25196A181 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/16/1977 |
| From: | Bender M Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| To: | Rowden M NRC/Chairman |
| References | |
| Download: ML25196A181 (1) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ADVISORY 'COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS WASHINGTON, D. C.. 20555 Honorable Marcus A. Rowden Chairman March 16, 1977
- u. s. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555
SUBJECT:
REPORT ON BLUE HILLS EARLY SITE REVIEW
Dear Mr. Rowden:
At its 203rd meeting, March 10-12, 1977, th~ Advisory Comnittee on Reactor Safeguards completed its review of the request of the Gulf States Utilities Conpany (Applicant) to determine the suitability of the Blue Hills site for a nuclear power plant. Members of the ACRS Subcommittee visited the site on January 28, 1977,. and a Subcorranittee meeting was held the same day in Jasper, Texas. During its review of the Blue Hills site, the Cornnittee had the benefit of discussions with members of the Nuclear Regulatory Comnission (NRC) Staff, and with representatives of the Applicant and the Bechtel Cor-poration. The Committee also had the benefit of the documents listed.
The Blue Hills site consists of about 3016 acres in Newton County, Texas, two miles southwest of Toledo Bend Reservoir and 17 miles east of Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The site is about 25 miles east-northeast of Jasper, Texas. The Texas-Louisiana border is nine miles east of the site. The exclusion area (radius of 0.85 miles or 1,369 meters) is entirely within the site boundary.
The Applicant has specified a low population zone of three miles radius. The population within this three mile radius was reported as 10 for the 1970 census year. The Applicant estimates no rn::>re than 22 by the yea~ 2020. There are no corranunities having a 1970 popula-tion of 25,000 or more within 50 miles of the Blue Hills site.
The NRC Staff has completed its review of seisoology, geology, meteorology, hydrology, and man-made hazards. There are no outstanding issues. The review of these areas was similar to that for a construction permit application. '!'he review included an evaluation of the site related parameters, which were found to be acceptable, for a nuclear power plant at the proposed site. The ACRS observes that it may be approximately five years before the Applicant applies 118
Honorable Marcus March l6, 1977 for a construction permit at this site. The Conmittee recommends that at the time of the construction permit consideration, an additional review be performed by the Applicant and the NRC Staff to determine whether any new developments have occurred that would change any of the site safety conclu-sions of the early site review.
The Committee also recommends that the NRC Staff develop criteria to determine whether previously approved site safety issues require reopening.
Activities at nearby industrial, military, and transportation facilities have been evaluated, and the NRC Staff has concluded that there are no such activities in the vicinity of the Blue Hills site which have the potential for adversely affecting safety-related structures of any nuclear power plant which may be proposed for the Blue Hills site.
The largest historical earthquake in the Gulf Coast Seismic Zone, in which the Blue Hills site is located, is no larger than Modified Mercalli Inten-sity VI which is associated with a mean acceleration of about 0.07g using the Neumann or the Trifunac-Brady relationship. The Applicant has proposed for this site, and the NRC has agreed upon, a safe shutdown earthquake and an operating basis earthquake of 0.13g and 0.07g, respectively.
The NRC Staff has underway a program of review and reevaluation of several generic rratters related to soil-structure interaction and the appropriate response spectrum for use at foundation levels of nuclear power plants.
Corrpletion of this reevaluation may result in some change in the develop-ment of the appropriate design response.
The Corrmittee believes this matter can be resolved prior to corrpletion of the review of a construction permit for use at this site.
The Applicant has conducted an onsite meteorological program to gather data for rraking atmospheric dispersion estimates for use in determining the radi-ological consequences of accidental and routine airborne releases from nucle-ar power plants at the site. The Applicant has proposed a meteorological rrodel which considers the "sheitering" effect of trees which surrounded the onsite meteorological tower. The NRC Staff concluded that, based upon the limited information available on the "sheltering" phenomenon, it would not allow consideration of this effect. The Applicant presently accepts the '
model and procedures required by the NRC Staff, but plans to gather addi-tional data in order to pursue the effect of "sheltering." The Conmittee wishes to be kept informed.
Subject to the foregoing, and with the understanding that the conclusions of this report will be reconsidered if significant new information becomes available, the Committee believes that adequate information is available 119
Honorable Marcus March 16, 1977 to conclude that the Blue Hills site is suitable for a light-water reactor nuclear power plant of the general type and size currently being proposed for other sites in the United States.
REFERENCES:
Sit)cerely yours, M. Bender Oiairman
- 1. Gulf States Utilities Corrpany:
"Preliminary Safety Analysis Report for Blue Hills Station" with Amendments 1-5.
- 2.
U. s. Nuclear Regulatory Comnission:
"Early Site Review for Blue Hills Site by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, In the Matter of Gulf States Utilities Corrpany, Docket Nos. 50-510 and 50-511," NUREG-0131, dated January 1977.
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