ML20203G942

Informs That Encl Public Notice of Application for Amend to License DPR-60 Requesting Limited Duration Change to Prairie Island TSs to Allow Reduction in Boron Concentration Required for Mode 6 Forwarded for Publication

ML20203G942
Person / Time
Site:	Prairie Island
Issue date:	02/20/1998
From:	Wetzel B NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:	Richard Anderson NORTHERN STATES POWER CO.
References
TAC-MA0850, TAC-MA850, NUDOCS 9803030116
Download: ML20203G942 (6)

Text

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.e s February 20. 1998 Mr. Roger O. Anders:n, Director Nuclear Energy Engineering Northern States Power Company 414 Nicollet Mall Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401

SUBJECT:

PUBLIC NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AMENDMENT TO OPERATING LICENSE FOR PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT, UNIT 2 (TAC NO. MA0850)

Dear Mr. Anderson:

1 The enclosed notice has been forwarded to the Red Wing Republican Eagle, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and St. Paul Pioneer Press for publication. This notice relates to your application dated February 10,1998, for an amendment to Facility Operating License No.

I DPR 60 to requesting a limited duration change to the Prairie Island Technical Specifications that would allow a reduction in the boron concentration required for Mode 6. Your application requested that the ar-- '9ent be processed on an emergency basis. However, the proposed l license amendment will only be regtcad if it becomes necessary to remove the reactor vessel head to support repairs during the current Unit 2 forced outage.

Sincerely, ORIGINAL SIGNED BY Beth A. Wetzel, Senior Project Manager f Project Directorate ill 1 I Division of Reactor Projects -Ill/IV Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50 282 and 50 306

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Enclosure:

Notice cc w/ encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION: 4 Docket File PD31 Rdg EAdensam OGC ACRS PUBLIC OPA MLesar JMcCormick Barger DOCUMENT NAME: G:\WPDOCS\ PRAIRIE \ PIMA 0850.LTR

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l Mr. Roger O. Anderson, Director Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Northern States Power Company Plant ec: .

I J. E. Silberg, Esquire Site Licensing l Shaw, Pittman, Potts and Trowbridge Prairie loland Nuclear Gen 3 rating 2300 N Street, N. W. Plant Washington DC 20037 Northern States Power Company 1717 Wakonado Drive East Plant Manager Welch, Minnesota 5508g Prairie Island Nucicar Generating Plant Tribal Council Northern States Power Company Prairie Island Indian Community 1717 Wakonade Drive East ATTN: EnvironmentalDepartment Welch, Minnesota 5508g 5636 Sturgeon Lake Road Welch, Minnesota 5508g Adonis A. Nebiett

' Assistant Attorney General Office of the Attorney General 455 Minnesota Street Suite 900 St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 2127 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Resident inspector's Office 171g Wakonade Drive East Welch, Minnesota 5508g 9642 Regional Administrator, Region ill U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 801 Warrenville Road Lisle, Illinois 60532-4351 Mr.Jeff Cole, Auditor / Treasurer Goodhue County Courthouse Box 408 Red Wing, Minnesota 55066-0408 Kris Sanda, Commissioner Department of Public Service 121 Seventh Place East Suite 200 St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 2145 P40vember 1996 s _ , - ._- -, - , , . . _ _ _ , , , --._,r -

PUBLIC NOTICE NRC STAFF PROPOSES TO AMEND OPERATING LICENSE FOR I PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT, UNIT 2 i I

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received an application dated February 10,1998, from the Nonhem States Power Company (the licensee) for an amendment to Facility Operating License No. DPR 60 for the Prairie Island Nucleef Generating Plant, Unit 2, located in Goodhue CoLnty, Minnesota.

The amendment request proposes a limited duration change to the Prairie Island Technical Specifications that would allow a reduction in the boron concentration required for Mode 6. The current requirement of greater than or equal to 2000 ppm would be reduced to greater than or equa! to 1900 ppm. Under the proposed change, if it became necessary to remove the reactor vessel head during the current Unit 2 forced outage, the active volume of the reactor coolant system would be maintained at a boron concentration of greater than or equal to 1900 ppm to ensure that k, remains below 0.95 at all times.

The February 10,1998, application requested that the amendment be processed on an emergency basis. However, the proposed license amendment wi!I only be required if it becomes necessary to remove the reactor vessel Sead to support repairs duting the current Unit 2 forced outage. The licensee has been able to conduct all necessary repairs with the reactor vessel head in place, if reactor vessel head removal becomes necessary, the NRC could issue the amendment prior to the end of the comment period. The need for exigent processing exists in that failure of the Commission to act in a timely manner would result in the prevention of resumption of operation of Prairie Island Unit 2. The licensee was unable to make a more timely application because the circumstances surrounding the repair of the Unlt 2 part-length control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) and the unanticipated need to enter Mode 6 for the repairs did not allow the licensee to predict that the proposed license amendment would be

2 required. The staff has determined that the licensee used its best efforts to make a timely application for the proposed changes and that exigent circumstances 60 exist and were not the E

i result of any intentional delay on the part of the licensee. If Unit 2 maintenance activities require toe removal of the reactor vessel head the amendment would be issued to support that activity. However, if vessel head removal does not become necessary to support the Unit 2 maintenance activities, no amendment will be issued.

. . Following an initial review of this application against the standards in 10 CFR 50.92, the NRC staff has made a proposed (preliminary) determination that the amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration. According to 10 CFR 50.92(c), this means that the proposed amonoment would not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences ci an accident previously evaluated.,would not create the possibility of a new or diffe;ent kind of accident from any accident previously evaluated, or involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety. The licensee's analysis of the no significant hazards consideration is presented below:

1. The proposed amendment will not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.

As the proposed change would only be in place for a limited duration and because they do not involve any physical changes to the reactor coolant system and no equipment is -

operated in a new or different manner, the proposed changes do not involve an increase in the probability of an accident previously evaluated.

Because the proposed 1900 ppm boron concentration limit wil! ensure that K, remains less than 0.95 under all postulated conditions, this change will not impact the consequences of any accident previously evaluated.

Therefore, basea on the condt sions of the above analysis, the proposed changes will not involve a significaat increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated.

2. The proposed cmendment will not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accidert from any accident previously analyzed.

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The proposed amendment would not create the posalbility of a new or diMerent kind of accident previously evaluated, as it only involves a limited duration ws 'lon in th e reactor system boron requirements for Mode 6 operation. There is w a nge in plant configuration, equipment or equipment design. No equipment is opewed in a new manner. Thus the changes will not create any new or different accident causal mechanisms. The accident analysis in the Updated Safety Analysis Report remains bounding. '

Therefore, based on the conclusions of the above analysis, the proposed changes will 4

not creato the possibility of a new or different kind of accident.

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3. The proposed amendment will not involve a significant reduction in the margin of safety.

The required Mode 6 boron concentration ensures that K., will remain less than 0.95 so that sdequate margin to criticality is always maintained during core alterations and fuel handling operations. No core alterations or fuel handling will be necessary and none are planned during the operations to be performed in Mode 6 for resolution of the Unit 2 CRDM leakage. With the exception of reactor vessel head removal, the reactor configuration will be the same as it is during Mode 5, where K.,is only required to be less than 0.99. Becausa no core alterations or fuel handling operations are planned during the current Unit 2 outage, and becauhe the proposed 1900 ppm boron concentration limit will ertsure that K,3 remains less than 0.95 under all postulated conditions, there is no significant reduction in the plant's margin of safety.

It has also been shown that the proposed 1900 ppm Mode 6 boron concentration will ensure that the analysis of a dilution accident as described in the Updated Safety Analysis Report remains bounding.

Based on these factors, the changes proposed by this License Amendment Request v ill not result in a significant reduction in the plant's margin of safety, if the proposed determination that the requested license amendment involves no significant hazards consideration becomes final, the NRC will issue tne amendment without first offering an opportunity for a ;.ublic hearing. An opportunity for a hearing will be published in the FederalRegisterat a later date and any hearing request will not delay the effective date of the amendment.

If the NRC decides in its final determination that the amendment does involve a significant hazards consideration, a notico of opportunity for a prior hearing will be published in the FederalRegister and, if a hearing is granted, it will be held before the amendment is issued.

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Comments on the proposed determination of no signifir ant hazards consideration may be submitted to Cynthia Carpenter Director, Project Directorate lil-1, by collect call to 1-301 M 7:30 a. m . 4. @S p r*g,; febt.wshp, 415-134(Tor by facsimile to 1-301-415-3061. Written commen" may be submitted by rna;l to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of l Administration, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Wntten l

comments may also be delivered to Room 6D59, Two White Flint North,11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Federal worLdays. Copies of written comments received may be examined at the NRC Public Document Room, the Gelman  ;

Building,2120 L Street, NW, Washington, DC. All comments received by 4:15 p.m. Eastem Standard Time on February 20,1998, will be considered in reaching a final determination.

A copy of the application may be examined at the NRC's Local Public Document Room

located in the Minneapolis Public Library, Technology and Science Department, 300 Nicollet -

Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401, and at the Commission's Public Document Room.

DOCUMENT NAM: G:\WPDOCS\ PRAIRIE \ BORON.NOT **-'"ad To receive a copy of this document. indicate in the box C= Copy w/o attachment l enclosure E= Copy with agcghent/ enclosure N = Ho c OFFICE

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