ML19057A383

Renewal of Full-Power Operating License for Seabrook Station, Unit No. 1

ML19057A383
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	03/04/2019
From:	Ho Nieh Division of Materials and License Renewal
To:	Jeff Baran, Stephen Burns, Annie Caputo, Kristine Svinicki, David Wright NRC/Chairman, NRC/OCM
Burton W, NRR/DMLR, 415-6332
References
Download: ML19057A383 (3)

Text

March 4, 2019 MEMORANDUM TO: Chairman Svinicki Commissioner Baran Commissioner Burns Commissioner Caputo Commissioner Wright FROM: Ho K. Nieh, Director /RA/

Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

SUBJECT:

RENEWAL OF FULL-POWER OPERATING LICENSE FOR SEABROOK STATION, UNIT NO. 1 In the staff requirements memorandum for COMSECY-05-0025, Renewal of Full-Power Operating License for Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 2, dated July 25, 2005, the Commission directed the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff to notify the Commission by memorandum 3 days before the issuance of a renewed license. In accordance with this direction, the staff is informing the Commission that it plans to issue Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-86 for Seabrook Station, Unit No. 1 (Seabrook), on or about March 12, 2019.

The NRC staff had previously notified the Commission of its plan to issue the renewed license prior to the completion of the hearing process (ML18345A191). Because of significant public and other stakeholder interest in the change to the staffs previously announced schedule, the NRC staff delayed the issuance of the renewed license and held a public meeting near the plant on February 13, 2019 (ML19046A383). The staff has confirmed that nothing raised at the public meeting would cause it to revisit the safety evaluation for the renewed license. Therefore, the staff plans to proceed with its plan to issue the renewed license.

By letter dated May 25, 2010, NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC (NextEra) submitted a license renewal application to renew Facility Operating License No. NPF-86 for Seabrook. The NRC staff reviewed the license renewal application in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 51, Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions, and 10 CFR Part 54, Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants. Region I also performed inspections, as described in reports dated May 23, 2011 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML111360432) and August 10, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18222A292). The staff documented the results of its safety review in Safety Evaluation Report Related to the License Renewal of Seabrook Station, issued September 28, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18254A294).

CONTACT: William F. Burton NRR/DMLR 301-415-6332

The Commissioners The staff documented the results of its environmental review in a final supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) published in July 2015, as Supplement 46, Regarding Seabrook Station, Final Report, to NUREG-1437, Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants (ADAMS Accession Nos. ML15209A575 and ML15209A870)

In accordance with 10 CFR 54.25, Report of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) reviewed the license renewal application for Seabrook. The ACRS completed its review during its 659th meeting, held on December 6-7, 2018, and documented its findings recommending renewal of the Seabrook license in a letter to the Commission dated December 19, 2018 (ADAMS Accession No. ML18353A954).

The staff notes that in 2016, NextEra submitted a license amendment request for Seabrook revising the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report to adopt a methodology for the analysis of seismic Category I structures with concrete affected by alkali-silica reaction (ASR).1 Four of the Seabrook license renewal aging management programs (i.e., the plant-specific Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) Monitoring Program, the plant-specific Building Deformation Monitoring Program, the Structures Monitoring Program, and the ASME Section XI, Subsection IWL aging management program) are based, in whole or in part, on the methodology submitted in the license amendment request. A hearing is pending on the license amendment request, related to the testing done in support of the methodology and its applicability to the structures at Seabrook. The staff has made a final no significant hazards consideration determination and plans to issue the license amendment on or about March 11, 2019, during the pendency of the hearing (ADAMS Accession No. ML19058A216). On February 13, 2019, C-10 Research and Education Foundation, Inc. (C-10), filed an emergency petition with the Commission requesting that, among other things, it immediately order the suspension of the NRC staffs licensing decisions on the license amendment request and license renewal application (ML19044A766).

On February 25, 2019, the NRC staff filed its answer to the emergency petition, explaining its position that the Commission should not grant C-10s requests to stay the issuance of the amendment or renewed license (ML19056A588).

The contested adjudication associated with the license renewal application ended in 2016.2 Pursuant to the staff requirements memorandum for SECY-02-0088, Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, Units 3 and 4, Renewal of Full-Power Operating Licenses, dated June 5, 2002, that authorizes the Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) to issue uncontested operating license renewals without prior Commission authorization, the Director of NRR will 1

The original request, which has since been supplemented, may be found at ADAMS Accession No. ML16216A250.

2 See NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC (Seabrook Station, Unit 1), CLI-16-3, 83 NRC 52, 53-54 (2016)

(setting out, as part of a decision denying a motion to withdraw the Final SEIS, a brief history of the adjudication). Seabrook was also part of the administrative litigation associated with the Continued Storage Rule. See, e.g., DTE Electric Co. (Fermi Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 3), CLI-15-4, 81 NRC 221 (2015) (declining, on multiple dockets including Seabrook, to make predictive findings regarding the technical feasibility of spent fuel disposal as part of reactor licensing decisions); Calvert Cliffs 3 Nuclear Project, LLC, and UniStar Nuclear Operating Services, LLC (Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 3),

CLI-14-8, 80 NRC 71, 74-75 (2014) (lifting the suspension on final licensing decisions (including in the Seabrook license renewal matter) in view of the issuance of a revised Continued Storage Rule and associated Generic Environmental Impact Statement; at the same time, the Commission dismissed the continued storage contention pending before the Board in the Seabrook matter).

The Commissioners issue Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-86 for Seabrook subsequent to the issuance of the license amendment, on or about March 12, 2019.

Docket No. 50-443 cc: SECY EDO OGC OCA OPA CFO OCAA

ML19057A383 *concurrence via e-mail OFFICE PM:MRPB:DMLR BC:MRPB:DMLR OGC (NLO)* (A) D:DMLR NAME WBurton EOesterle JWachutka JDonoghue(RMckinley) for DATE 2/26/2019 2/26/2019 2/27/2019 3/1/2019 OFFICE D:NRR NAME HNieh DATE 3/4/2019