ML20136A973

Forwards 850813 Notice of Commission Action Approving Application to Delaware River Basin Commission for Approval of Use of Consumptive Water Saved by Curtailment of Listed Plants,Per .Related Correspondence

ML20136A973
Person / Time
Site:	Limerick
Issue date:	09/04/1985
From:	Conner T CONNER & WETTERHAHN, PECO ENERGY CO., (FORMERLY PHILADELPHIA ELECTRIC
To:	Chilk S NRC OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY (SECY)
References
CON-#485-435 OL, NUDOCS 8511200098
Download: ML20136A973 (9)

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7 Mr. Samuel J. Chilk Secretary U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555 o.,

In the Matter of Philadelphia Electric Company (Limerick Generating Station, Unit 1)

Docket No. 50-352 O L ,,

Dear Mr. Chilk:

As a follow-up to my, June 3, 1985 letter to.you, I am enclosing copies of Notice of Commission Action approving the application to the Delaware River ' Basin Commission- for approval of the use, during 1985, by Limerick Unit 1 of consumptive water saved by curtailment of Titus Units 1, 2

.and 3 and Cromby Unit 2.

Sincerely, -

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Troy C.onner, Jr.

Couns for the Licensee TBC/dlf -

Enclosure cc: Service List .

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I del. AWARE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION P. O. BOK 7360 WEST TRENTON, N. J. 08628 Project Review NOTICE OF COMMISSION ACTION Date: 8-13-85 D-69-210 CP (Final)

Docket No. (Revision'No. 2)

Project Sponsor: Philadelphia Electric Company 2301 Market Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101 Project

Description:

s

- Temporary Modification Referred by:

Action by Commission:

Included in the Commission's Comprehensive Plan for the Delaware River Basin and approved pursuant to Section 3.8 of the Delaware River Basin Compact. See attached docket for

! terms and conditions.

{' Explanatory Note:

This action has been taken by the Commission in accor-dance with its responsibilities under Sections 3.8, 11.1 and T-11.2 of the Delaware River Basin Compact. The Commission maintains a comprehensive water resources plan for the Delaware River Basin and reviews water resources projects proposed by other public and private agencies. Review'of projects enables the Commission to prevent conflicts among water users and to

. protect the integrity of the Comprehensive Plan.

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A 72. M-m j -. Susan M. Weisman, Secretary

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cc: R. Timothy Weston; All Interested Parties rpl*

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DOCKETNO.D-69-210CP(Final)(RevisionNo.yr DELAWARE RIVER BASIN COMISSION Philadelphia Electric Company Limerick Electric Generating Station Limerick Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania PROCEEDINGS The Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO) applied, on May 30, 1985, for an additional temporary modification of Docket D-69-210 CP (Final). The application was amended with a submission of supplemental information on July 9, 1985.

The application was reviewed for temporary revision of the project in the Comprehensive Plan and approval of these temporary changes under Section 3.8 of the Delaware River Basin Compact. A public hearing on this applica-tion by PECO was held by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) on

- July 3, 1985. The hearing record remained open until 5:00 p.m. July 13, -

1985. Nine comments were received and entered into the hearing record on this application.

DESCRIPTION Purpose.-- The purpose of this application is to request approval for the transfer, through December 31, 1985, of the existing consumptive use of basin waters from currently operating generating units on the Schuylkill River to the new Limerick Unit No. 1 generating unit and thereby allow the operational testing of Limerick Unit No. I when existing docket limitations would otherwise preclude the consumptive use of the Schuylkill River water i

for the Limerick Generating Unit 1.

- Location.-- No changes are proposed in the location of any facilities associated with this application. Existing intake facilities are located as follows:

Intake River Mile Titus 92.47 - 71.15 Limerick 92.47 - 48.22 Crosby 92.47 - 39.1 1

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, D-69-210C'P (Finni)(R. 2) PECO 2 Physical features

a. Design criteria.-- The applicant proposes that when existing Schuylkill River flow constraints [Ref. DRBC Docket "D-69-210 CP (Final)"] or dissolved oxygen limitations [Ref. DRBC Docket "D-69-210 CP (Final)

(Revised)"] restrict the consumptive use for Limerick Unit 1, operation of Units 1, 2 and 3 at the Titus Generating Station of the Metropolitan Edison Company and Unit 2 at the Crosby Generating Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company will be curtailed as necessary to allow the equivalent consumptive use at the Limerick Generating Station.

The operation of all units will be coordinated and the total con-sumptive use will not exceed the consumptive use that is currently available for the existing operating units.

Docket D-74-32 (Revised), approved on October 8,198'0, acknowledged that the addition of a cooling tower at the Titus Station would result.in a maximum consumptive use of 3.5 mgd.

The Cromby Generating Station was operating prior to the formation of the DRBC and the water use has not subsequently been substantially altered. Accordingly, there are no docket decisions establishing the con-sumptive use at that station. However, in 1976, the DRBC issued a Certifi:-

cate of Entitlement to PECO establishing the quantities of water that co.did -

be used at the Cromby Station and not be subject to DRBC water use charges.

The entitlement established a quantity of 88.401 mg/ month (2.9 agd) for the Cromby Station. Proportioning the total consumptive use between Unit 1 (150 mw) and Unit 2 (201 mw) indicates that up to 50.628 mg/ month (1.7 agd) is the maximum consumptive use for Unit 2.

Transferring the 3.5 mgd from Titus Units 1, 2 and 3 and 1.7 mgd from Cromby Unit 2 would provide up to 5.2 mgd for consumptive use at Limerick. This 5.2 mgd, if used for operation of Limerick Unit 1,.would

enable the Unit to generate power at levels up to approximately 25 percent of full power, would enable the first four weeks of the planned testing to be

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completed without a curtailment due to water availability and would assure water availability to operate at a base capacity through the remainder of 1985.

l, The plan of operation is to schedule the test and operating program for Limerick Unit No. I for three days in advance, updating the program each day and directing the curtailment of Titus Units 1, 2 and 3 and Cromby Unit 2 g. .

as needed. *

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b. Facilities.-- All existing facilities of the Limerick Electric Generating Project remain as approved by Dockets D-69-210 CP (Final) and D-69-210 CP (Final)(Revised). No new facilities are required at the existing Titus or Cromby generatirg stations either.

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. D-69-210 CP (Final)(R. 2) PECO 3 Relationship to the Comprehensive Plan.-- The applicant is requesting revision of the Limerick Generating Station Project as included in the Con-prehensive Plam by Docket D-69-210 CP (Final) and as revised by Docket D-69-210 CP (Final)(Revised).

FINDINGS The Limerick Generating Station was included-in the Comprehensive Plan by Docket decision D-69-210 CP (Final) on November 5,1975, which also incor-

.porated the project description and docket decision D-69-210 CP dated March 29, 1973. Docket D-69-210 CP (5/29/73) includes a section hecded "FINDINGE" subheading " Source of-Water Supply 1. Schuylkill River" which reads as follows:

"Schuylkill River water at the plant site may be used for noncon-sumptive use whenever the effluent discharged back to the river meets all applicable water quality standards.

"Schuylkill River water at the plant may be used for consumptive use when. flow (not including future augmentations of flow from Commission-sponsored projects) as measured at the Pottstown gage is in excess of 530 cfs (342 agd) with one unit in operation and -

560 cfs (362 agd) with two units in operation with the following ...

exceptions: ,

"(a) There shall be no withdrawals when river water tempera-tures below the Limerick station are above 15 C except during April, May and June when the flow as measured at the Pottstown gage is in excess of 1791 cfs (1158 agd).

"(b) Use of the Schuylkill River will be limited to a with-drawal that will result in an effluent that meets all applicable water quality standards.

"The constraints on nonconsumptive use of Schuylkill River water are necessary to prevent violation of total dissolved solids, streas quality objectives and ef fluent quality requirements of the Commission's water quality regulations. The constraint on consumptive use of Schuylkill River water is to protect water quantity and water quality below the Limerick Station. Both sets of constraints would be suspended in the event of any operational emergency requiring a shutdown of the plant."

t D-69-210 CP (Finni)(R. 2) PECO 4 5

As part of the docket decision D-69-210 CP (Final)(Revised) paragraph (a) above was revised for the period ending December 31, 1985, to read as'

- follows: ,

"(a) No withdrawals for consumptive use shall be made from the Schuylkill' River or the natural flow of any of its tribu-taries whenever dissolved oxygen in the Schuylkill River at i or below Limerick as measured at any one or more of the monitoring locations: (i) is less than 7.0 mg/l instantane-ous during the period March I to June 15, or (ii) is equal to or'less than 5.1 ag/l daily average or equal to or less than 4.2 ag/l instantaneous value during the remainder of the year."

Approval of this application to transfer existing consumptive use from Titus and Crosby to Limerick and allow the transferred consumptive use by Limerick Unit I to occur regardless of the above-cited constraints requires revision of the project in the Comprehensive Plan and approval of those revisions under Section 3.8 of the Compact.

The Titus Generating Station is two miles downstream from Reading, Pa.

and approximately twenty-three miles upstream from the Limerick Generating Station. Accordingly, any cutbacks in the consumptive use at Titus and ,

transfer for consumptive use at Limerick will increase the quantity of .

streamflow in the Schuylkill River from Titus to Limerick. The flow ineEease for the twenty-three sile segment would be a maximum of 3.5 agd (5.4 cfs). .

Crosby Generating Station is located approximately nine miles below the Limerick facilities and conversely, the cutback in consumptive use at Crosby and transfer for consumptive use at Limerick will decrease the quantity of streamflow in the Schuylkill River from Limerick to Crosby. The decrease in streamflow could be a maximum of 1.7 agd (2.6 cfs). This represents approxi-matelyonepercentoftheQ-b0 f r thatinsection Below Crosby there would be7 n change the flow of the Schuylkill regime River.

caused by the pro-posed transfer.

The transfer of the location of the consumptive use from Titus to Limerick will result in a slight lowering of total dissolved solids level in the Schuylkill- River between Titus and Limerick. At a flow of 360 cfs and with the Titus units operating, the TDS level averages about 375 mg/l and calculations indicate that if the three units were shut down, the TDS should drop to 370 mg/1. At Limerick, when operating with a consumptive use of 5.2 agd, the TDS would increase from 370 mg/l to 378 ag/l and below Cromby there shonid be no change in TDS resulting from the proposed transfer.

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, D-69-210 CP (Final)(R. 2) PECO 5 Titus Units 1, 2, and 3 are coal fired, having an electric generating capacity of 234 mm and Cromby Unit 2 is oil fired and has an electric gener-ating capacity of 201'aw. If the three Titus units and Cromby Unit 2 are all shut down and Limerick Unit l's generating capacity is limited to the trans-ferred consumptive use (250 mw) there will be a net reduction of generating capacity of 185 mw. The applicant has indicated this loss of generating capacity, if needed, will be replaced with power generated with no additional consumption of Delaware Basin water.

The net effect on fuel and interchange costs resulting from the proposed transfer range from a savings of $3.5 million/ month to an additional cost of 0.7 million/ month. The savings would occur if the 185 mw could be purchased from economical units outside the Delaware River Basin. The additional cost was computed assuming a 10 percent reduction in consumptive use was in effect and the 185 uw were generated within the Delaware Basin by gas turbines.

The PJM (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland) Interconnection system has reviewed the PJM load and capacity situation for 1985 summer peak load conditions and considered the reduction of 185 mw in PJM generating capacity and concluded that the temporary loss of capacity associated with this appli-cation will not cause the PJM system to be short of capacity to meet the demand. Additionally, if needed, PECO has agreed that in the event of a PJM shortage, they would curtail Limerick and allow Titus and Cromby to resume; operation as needed to meet demands. ,3 .

DECISION I. The Comprehensive Plan of the DRBC as amended by Docket D-69-210 CP (Final) on November 5,1975, and as subsequently revised by Docket D-69-210 CP (Final)(Revised) on May. 29, 1985, is hereby further revised as follows:

(1) For the period ending December 31, 1985, the provisions of Docket D-69-210 CP, [ attached and included as part thereof to D-69-210 CP (Final)] headed " FINDINGS," " Source of Water Supply," "1. Schuylkill River" is further revised by the addition of a new paragraph "(c)" on page 5 which reads as follows:

"(c) Water may be withdrawn for consumptive use at Limerick whenever the consumptive use at Titus Generating Station or the Cromby Generating Station has been curtailed. The consumptive use at Limerick shall not exceed the volume equal to a quantity saved by the curtailment of generat-ing units at Titus and/or Cromby generating stations.

The maximum quantity that can be considered saved in this process is 3.5 mgd at Titus and 1.7 mgd at Cromby."

4 D-6S-210 CP (Final)(R. 2) PECO 6 3

'(2) For the period ending December 31, 1985, the following condi-tions.shall be added to the provisions of Docket D-69-210 CP (Final), " DECISION" on page 15, subheaded "II." as amended by Decket D-69-210 CP (Final)(Revised).

"t. Philadelphia Electric Company shall maintain accurate records of all water withdrawals and discharges at the Limerick generating plant. The time of any change in the rate of water withdrawal must be recorded. PECO shall maintain records of water withdrawals at the Cromby generating station. The time of any change in the rate of withdrawal due to a change in the operation of Unit No. 2 shall be recorded.

"u. PECO shall arrange for Metropolitan Edison Company to maintain accurate records of all water withdrawals at the Titus generating station. The time of any change in the rate of water withdrawal due to a change in the operation of Units 1, 2 and 3 shall be recorded. This information shall be submitted to PECO and a copy to DRBC each time there is a change in the operation of Units 1, 2 and 3.

"v. PECO will compile the information recorded for the Limerick and Cromby plants together with the information supplied by Metropolitan Edison Company for the Titbs-plant, into a format that clearly demonstrates compliance with the operating requirements of this docket.

"w. Water may not be withdrawn for uce at Limerick in lieu of operating Titus Units 1, 2 and 3 unless Titus Units 1, 2 and 3 have not operated for the previous 10 hours1.157407e-4 days <br />0.00278 hours <br />1.653439e-5 weeks <br />3.805e-6 months <br />.

"x. Water may not be withdrawn for use at Limerick in lieu of operating Cromby Unit 2 unless Cromby Unit 2 is reduced within 5 hours5.787037e-5 days <br />0.00139 hours <br />8.267196e-6 weeks <br />1.9025e-6 months <br /> of the use of the transferred water at Limerick.

"y. PECO will notify DRBC staff by telephone each time there is a change in the operation of Titus Units 1, 2 and 3 and/or Cromby Unit 2 operations as a result of the con-dicions imposed by this docket. The notification shall be in advance or at the time of the change. In addition, PECO will submit to DRBC a copy of all recorded informa-tion once each week.

If, at any time, the Executive Director determines that the proposed project is not operating as planned or is causing substantial impacts on the water resources of the Basin, he may cancel or suspend this approval and all operation thereunder shall terminate until subsequent action by the Commission.0

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D-69'210 dP (Fin:1)(R. 2) PECO 7 (3) The provisions set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) above shall terminate on December 31, 1985, unless otherwise extended or directed by the Commission, and all prior provisions of Docket D-69-210 CP temporarily suspended by this docket shall become operative in full force and effect.

II. The above revisions of the Limerick Nuclear Generating Station project are approved pursuant to Section 3.8 of the Compact, subject to the conditions listed above.

BY THE COMMISSION DATED: August 9, 1985 e