ML11326A256

W. Norton Letter Threshold Determination for Facility Operating License No. DPR-36 for Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station (TAC No. L24497)

ML11326A256
Person / Time
Site:	Maine Yankee
Issue date:	12/20/2011
From:	Kristina Banovac NRC/NMSS/SFST/LID/LB
To:	Norton W Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co
Banovac K, NMSS/SFST 492-3571
Shared Package
ML11326A253	List: ML11326A256 ML11327A029
References
TAC L24497
Download: ML11326A256 (5)

Text

December 20, 2011 Mr. Wayne Norton Chief Nuclear Officer Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company 321 Old Ferry Road Wiscasset, ME 04578-4922

SUBJECT:

THRESHOLD DETERMINATION FOR FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE NO.

DPR-36 FOR MAINE YANKEE ATOMIC POWER STATION (TAC NO. L24497)

Dear Mr. Norton:

By letter dated December 6, 2010 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML103490133), as supplemented by letters dated March 16, 2011 (ML110770022), May 16, 2011 (ML11139A088), June 8, 2011 (ML11166A124), August 16, 2011 (ML11235A723), August 24, 2011 (ML11243A087), and August 25, 2011 (ML112490526),

Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company (Maine Yankee) requested U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff to make a threshold determination that a proposed merger between Northeast Utilities and NSTAR (current indirect co-owners of Maine Yankee) does not involve any direct or indirect transfer of control of Facility Operating License No. DPR-36 for the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station, held by Maine Yankee, which would require approval pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 50.80.

The NRC staff has completed its review and concludes that the proposed merger between Northeast Utilities and NSTAR will not constitute a direct or indirect transfer of control of the Maine Yankee license. Therefore, Maine Yankee does not require NRCs approval under Section 184 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and 10 CFR 50.80, with respect to the license currently held by Maine Yankee in connection with the proposed merger between Northeast Utilities and NSTAR.

A copy of the related Safety Evaluation is enclosed.

Based on the information provided during the threshold review, NRC staff determined that there is a preexisting issue regarding foreign ownership, control, or domination (FOCD) for Maine Yankee. As the proposed merger will not change this preexisting issue, the FOCD issue will be addressed independently from this threshold determination. The staff is currently reviewing your request for exemption from the FOCD requirements in 10 CFR 50.38. Nevertheless, the FOCD requirements in 10 CFR 50.38 continue to apply to you at this time.

W. Norton If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact me at (301) 492-3571.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Kristina L. Banovac, Project Manager Licensing Branch Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket Nos.: 50-309, 72-30 TAC Nos.: L24497

Enclosure:

Safety Evaluation cc: Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station Service List Northeast Utilities Service List

W. Norton If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact me at (301) 492-3571.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Kristina L. Banovac, Project Manager Licensing Branch Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket Nos.: 50-309, 72-30 TAC Nos.: L24497

Enclosure:

Safety Evaluation cc: Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station Service List Northeast Utilities Service List DISTRIBUTION:

SFST R/F BBenney BDoolittle ASimmons TFredrichs JSimpson BMizuno SHammann/RI NSheehan/RI ML11326A256; Package No. ML11326A253 OFC NMSS/SFST NMSS/SFST NMSS/SFST NRR/DRA/IHPB NRR/DIRS/IFIB NAME KBanovac WWheatley JGoshen UShoop CRegan DATE 11/16/11 11/17/11 11/17/11 11/28/11 11/28/11 OFC NMSS/SFST NMSS/SFST OGC NMSS NAME MWaters DWeaver SUttal DDorman DATE 11/29/11 12/ 5/11 12/13/11 12/20/11 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station Service List cc:

Mr. Wayne Norton Director Chief Nuclear Officer Division of Health Engineering Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company Department of Human Services 321 Old Ferry Road #10 State House Station Wiscasset, ME 04578-4922 Augusta, ME 04333 Senator Charles Pray Mr. Patrick J. Dostie State Nuclear Safety Advisor State of Maine Nuclear Safety Inspector State Planning Office Department of Health and Human Services State House Station #38 Maine Public Health Augusta, ME 04333 Division of Environmental Health 286 Water St., Key Plaza - 8th Floor First Selectman of Wiscasset State House Station 11 Municipal Building Augusta, ME 04333 U.S. Route 1 Wiscasset, ME 04578 Mr. Jay Hyland State of Maine Friends of the Coast 286 Water St., Key Plaza - 8th Floor P.O. Box 98 State House Station 11 Edgecomb, ME 04556 Augusta, ME 04333 Mr. Jonathan M. Block Regional Administrator, Region I Attorney at Law U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 566 475 Allendale Road Putney, VT 05346-0566 King of Prussia, PA 19406 Joseph Fay, Esquire Decommissioning Branch Chief, Region I Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 321 Old Ferry Road 475 Allendale Road Wiscasset, ME 04578-4922 King of Prussia, PA 19406 Mr. Gerald Poulin David Lewis, Esquire Chairman and President Shaw Pittman Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company 2300 North Street, NW 321 Old Ferry Road Washington, DC 20037 Wiscasset, ME 04578-4922 Mr. James Connell ISFSI Manager Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company 321 Old Ferry Road Wiscasset, ME 04578-4922

Northeast Utilities Service List cc:

Duncan MacKay, Esquire Deputy General Counsel Northeast Utilities Service Company 107 Selden Street Berlin, CT 06037 Joseph Fay, Esquire Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company 321 Old Ferry Road Wiscasset, ME 04578-4922 Gerald Garfield Day Pitney, LLP 242 Trumbull Street Hartford, CT 06103 Tim Mathews Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP 1111 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20004-2541 Neven Rabadjija Associate General Counsel NSTAR 800 Boylston Street, 17th Floor Boston, MA 02199 David A. Repka, Esq.

Winston & Strawn LLP 1700 K Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20006-3817