ML060530185

and 3- Summary of February 13, 2006, Telephone Conference with the Tennessee Valley Authority Regarding the Browns Ferry Extended Power Uprate Amendment Requests (TAC Nos. MC3812, MC3743, and MC3744

ML060530185
Person / Time
Site:	Browns Ferry
Issue date:	03/02/2006
From:	Chernoff M H Plant Licensing Branch III-2
To:	Singer K W Tennessee Valley Authority
Chernoff Margaret H. NRR/DORL 415-4041
References
TAC MC3743, TAC MC3744, TAC MC3812
Download: ML060530185 (8)

Text

March 2, 2006LICENSEE:Tennessee Valley AuthorityFACILITIES:Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3

SUMMARY

OF FEBRUARY 13, 2006, TELEPHONE CONFERENCE WITHTHE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY REGARDING THE BROWNS FERRY EXTENDED POWER UPRATE AMENDMENT REQUESTS (TAC NOS. MC3812, MC3743, MC3744)On February 13, 2006, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff conducted atelephone conference with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, the licensee). The objective of the meeting was to discuss technical items and the schedule for TVA to furnish the information necessary for the NRC staff to complete their review of TVA's requested Extended PowerUprate (EPU). The meeting was open to the general public. Enclosure 1 contains a list of NRC participants, and Enclosure 2 is a list of the TVA participants. Enclosure 3 is a copy of TVA's presentation materials. BACKGROUNDBy letter dated June 28, 2004, TVA submitted an amendment request for Browns Ferry NuclearPlant (BFN) Unit 1. The proposed amendment would change the BFN Unit 1, operating license to increase the maximum authorized power level from 3293 megawatts thermal (MWt) to 3952 MWt. This change represents an increase of approximately 20 percent above the current maximum authorized power level. Similarly in a letter dated June 25, 2004, TVA submitted an amendment request for BFN, Units 2 and 3. The proposed amendment would change the BFN, Units 2 and 3, operating licenses to increase the maximum authorized power level from 3458 MWt to 3952 MWt. This change represents an increase of approximately 15 percent above the current maximum authorized power level. The licensee has chosen to implement the EPU on Unit 1 in 2007, Unit 2 in 2007, and Unit 3 in 2008. The NRC staff informed TVA of the information necessary to complete the application by lettersdated November 18, 2004, and issued the first Request for Additional Information (RAI) in letters dated December 30, 2004 (for the Unit 1 application) and December 29, 2004 (for the Units 2 and 3 application). In submittals dated February 23, 2005, and April 25, 2005, TVA supplied the information requested by the NRC staff to complete the applications. The NRCstaff accepted TVA's application and began its technical review of the applications on May 27, 2005.TVA submitted a response to the first RAI on June 6, 2005. The NRC staff issued a second setof RAI's on October 3, 2005. TVA responded to most of the questions via letters dated December 19, 2005. The NRC staff issued the third set of RAI's on December 22, 2005. DISCUSSIONTVA presented an overview of their planned actions for the following topics:Steam DryersTo address the NRC staff's questions regarding the effects of the uprated conditions on thesteam dryers, TVA's actions include benchmarking, scale model testing, stress analysis, and development of limit curves for steam line monitoring during power ascension.Containment Overpressure Credit TVA described their plans for resolving the NRC staff's questions regarding ContainmentOverpressure Credit for Emergency Core Cooling System Pump Net Positive Suction Head Requirements. The NRC staff reminded the licensee that, although they were pursuing asimilar approach to that used successfully by Entergy in the Vermont Yankee Power Uprate application, the approach would need to be customized so that it was clearly applicable to the Browns Ferry plants.Fuel Analysis MethodsTVA described their plans for addressing the NRC staff's questions regarding fuel analysismethods. TVA mentioned their intent to attach or reference a draft topical report in their planned RAI response. The NRC staff cautioned TVA that their response should be standaloneand should not be reliant on a draft topical report. TVA also stated their intent to employ a0.02 Minimum Critical Power Ratio penalty. The NRC staff cautioned TVA to clearlydemonstrate that this was a conservative penalty value for the Browns Ferry facility.Unit 1 Transient TestingTVA also summarized their basis for stating that certain transient testing for the upratedconditions is not required for Unit 1. TVA will be providing more information on their basis in theupcoming response to the NRC staff's RAI. Responses to RAIsTVA confirmed their intent to formally submit a response by March 7, 2006, to the NRC staff'sthird set of RAI's, issued on December 22, 2005. TVA also confirmed their response schedule for the remaining questions from the staff's second set of RAI's. At the conclusion of the meeting, the NRC stated that the staff is still evaluating the schedulefor review of the Browns Ferry Extended Power Uprate. No regulatory decisions were made by the NRC staff during the proceedings./RA/Margaret H. Chernoff, Project ManagerPlant Licensing Branch II-2 Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor RegulationDocket Nos. 50-259, 50-260 and 50-296

Enclosures:

1. List of NRC Partici pants 2. List of TVA Participants

3. TVA Handoutcc w/encls: See next page

ML060530185 NRC-001OFFICELPL2-2/PMLPL2-2/LALPL2-2/BCNAMEMChernoffBClaytonMMarshall DATE2/27/062/27/063/02/06 NRC Att endeesTelephone Conference with TVAFebruary 13, 2006Catherine Haney, Director, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing (DORL)Edwin Hackett, Associate Director, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing (DORL)Michael Marshall, Branch Chief, LPLII-2, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing (DORL)

Frank Akstulewicz, Branch Chief, Nuclear Performance and Code Review Branch Greg Cranston, Branch Chief, BWR Systems Branch Louise Lund, Branch Chief, License Renewal Branch AStaff:Margaret Chernoff Dylanne Duvigneaud Zeyna Abdullahi George Thomas Muhammed Razzaque Tom Scarbrough Rich Lobel Raj Goel Martin Stutzke Steve Laur Jim Tatum Angelo Stubbs Bob Pettis Yoira Diaz-SanabriaRalph Caruso, ACRS StaffAnn Hodgdon, Senior Attorney, OGC TVA AttendeesTelephone Conference with NRCFebruary 13, 2006Brian O'Grady - Site Vice PresidentMasoud Bajestani - Unit 1 Vice President Joe Valente - Unit 1 Engineering Manager Bob Moll - Unit 1 System Engineering Manager Bob Marks - EPU Project Manager Ed Hartwig - EPU Project Manager Jim Wolcott - EPU Engineering Manager Tony Langley - Unit 2/3 Licensing Supervisor Joe McCarthy - Unit 1 Licensing Supervisor Bill Crouch - Site Licensing M anager Page 1 of 2Tennessee Valley Authority BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT cc:Mr. Karl W. SingerChief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice President Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801Mr. Ashok S. Bhatnagar, Senior Vice PresidentNuclear Operations Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 Mr. Larry S. Bryant, Vice PresidentNuclear Engineering & Technical Services Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801Brian O'Grady, Site Vice PresidentBrowns Ferry Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Decatur, AL 35609Mr. Robert J. Beecken, Vice PresidentNuclear Support Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801 General CounselTennessee Valley Authority ET 11A 400 West Summit Hill DriveKnoxville, TN 37902Mr. John C. Fornicola, ManagerNuclear Assurance and Licensing Tennessee Valley Authority 6A Lookout Place 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801Mr. Bruce M. Aukland, Plant ManagerBrowns Ferry Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Decatur, AL 35609Mr. Masoud Bajestani, Vice PresidentBrowns Ferry Unit 1 Restart Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Decatur, AL 35609Mr. Robert G. Jones, General ManagerBrowns Ferry Site Operations Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Decatur, AL 35609 Mr. Scott M. ShaefferBrowns Ferry Unit 1 Project Engineer Division of Reactor Projects, Branch 6 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 61 Forsyth Street, SW.

Suite 23T85 Atlanta, GA 30303-8931Mr. Larry S. MellenBrowns Ferry Unit 1 Project Engineer Division of Reactor Projects, Branch 6 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 61 Forsyth Street, SW.

Suite 23T85 Atlanta, GA 30303-8931

Page 2 of 2Tennessee Valley Authority BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT cc:Mr. Glenn W. Morris, Manager Corporate Nuclear Licensing and Industry Affairs Tennessee Valley Authority 4X Blue Ridge 1101 Market Street Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801Mr. William D. Crouch, M anagerLicensing and Industry Affairs Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority P.O. Box 2000 Decatur, AL 35609Senior Resident InspectorU.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant 10833 Shaw Road Athens, AL 35611-6970State Health OfficerAlabama Dept. of Public Health RSA Tower - Administration Suite 1552 P.O. Box 303017 Montgomery, AL 36130-3017ChairmanLimestone County Commission 310 West Washington Street Athens, AL 35611