NRC Generic Letter 1990-08

NRC Generic Letter 1990-008: Simulation Facility Exemptions

ML031210435
Person / Time
Site:	Beaver Valley, Millstone, Hatch, Monticello, Calvert Cliffs, Dresden, Davis Besse, Peach Bottom, Browns Ferry, Salem, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Perry, Indian Point, Fermi, Kewaunee, Catawba, Harris, Wolf Creek, Saint Lucie, Point Beach, Oyster Creek, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Sequoyah, Byron, Pilgrim, Arkansas Nuclear, Braidwood, Susquehanna, Summer, Prairie Island, Columbia, Seabrook, Brunswick, Surry, Limerick, North Anna, Turkey Point, River Bend, Vermont Yankee, Crystal River, Haddam Neck, Ginna, Diablo Canyon, Callaway, Vogtle, Waterford, Duane Arnold, Farley, Robinson, Clinton, South Texas, San Onofre, Cook, Comanche Peak, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Quad Cities, Humboldt Bay, La Crosse, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Zion, Midland, Bellefonte, Fort Calhoun, FitzPatrick, McGuire, LaSalle, Fort Saint Vrain, Washington Public Power Supply System, Shoreham, Satsop, Trojan, Atlantic Nuclear Power Plant, Clinch River, Crane
Issue date:	08/10/1990
From:	Partlow J Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
References
GL-90-008, NUDOCS 9008080047
Download: ML031210435 (3)

. *. *

A0 RUNITED STATES

i vNUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D. C.20555 August 10, 1990

TO: ALL HOLDERS OF OPERATING LICENSES OR CONSTRUCTION PERMITS FOR

NUCLEAR POWER REACTORS

SUBJECT: SIMULATION FACILITY EXEMPTIONS (GENERIC LETTER 90- O0

This Generic Letter is being issued to remind the addressees of the need to meet the schedule requirements for the use of simulation facilities in the administration of operating tests established in Section 55.45(b) of Title 10

of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). This Generic Letter also describes the review of exemption requests and the potential consequences for failure to meet the requirements of Section 55.45(b). It is expected that addressees will review this letter for applicability to their facilities.

Section 306 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 USC 10226) required the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to establish, among other things, requirements for operating tests at simulators. The NRC accomplished this objective by revising 10 CFR Part 55, effective May 26, 1987. These regulations, in conjunction with 10 CFR 50.54(1-1), require facility licensees to use simulation facilities when administering operating tests. These regulations further require that a certified or NRC-approved simulation facility must be used to administer operating tests after May 26, 1991.

In accordance with 10 CFR 55.45(b)(1), facility licensees may either apply for Commission approval for use of a simulation facility or they may certify that their simulation facility consists solely of a plant-referenced simulator.

Section 55.45(b)(2) establishes the required schedule for the initial submittal of either an application or a certification. Sections 55.45(b)(2)(i) and (ii)

require facility licensees proposing to apply for NRC approval to submit a plan to do so by May 26 1988, and to submit the application by November 26, 1990.

Section 55.45(b)(25(iii) requires facility licensees proposing to certify plant-referenced simulators to submit Form 474, "Simulation Facility Certification," by March 26, 1991. Section 55.45(b)(2)(iv) requires that, after May 26, 1991, the simulation facility portion of the operating test, which is required to be completed for both initial licensing and requalifi- cation examinations administered by NRC and for annual operating tests for facility requalification programs, not be administered on other than a certified or approved simulation facility.

As stated in the "Supplementary Information" published with the final version of 10 CFR Part 55 in the Federal Register (52 FR 9453, March 25, 1987), the NRC expected each facility licensee to have a simulation facility available within a reasonable period of time after the effective date of the new rule but not later than 4 years after the effective date. It was further stated that any deviations from the time requirements of 10 CFR 55.45(b) would be addressed on a case-specific basis. Therefore, facility licensees who believe they will not be able to meet the time requirements should request exemptions as soon as possible so that the request may be reviewed-and, where appropriate, granted so that the facility licensees will not be in violation of the regulations discus-sed-ahove.

900047 Z A)G:

- I. - -

Generic Letter 90- 08 - 2 i August 10, 1990

The NRC will consider requests for exemptions in accordance with 10 CFR 50.12.'

Items that will be considered when reviewing Justifications for exemption requests include the licensees' reasons for not meeting the schedule requirements including their actual order dates and estimated completion dates for new or upgraded simulation facilities and the means for conducting operating tests until a certified or approved simulation facility is available. Special circumstances, as described in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2), must be present for any exemption to be granted.

An exemption request would be covered by Office of Management and Budget Clearance Number 3150-0011, which expires January 31, 1991. The estimated average burden hours for an exemption request would be approximately four person hours. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Information and Records Management Branch (MNBB-7714),

Division of Information Support Services, Office of Information Resources Management, U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555; and to the Paperwork Reduction Project (3150-0011), Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

If you have any questions about this letter, please contact the technical contact44sted beWow or the-appropriate- NRR-pro-emt anager- Sincerely, Ja s G. Partlow, Associate Director for Projects Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Technical Contact:

N. Hunemuller, NRR

(301) 492-3173 Enclosure:

List of Recently Issued Generic Letters

Enclosure LIST OF RECENTLY ISSUED GENERIC LETTERS

Generic Date of Letter No.. Subject. Issuance -Issued To

-- ----

90-08 SIMULATION FACILITY 08/10/90 ALL HOLDERS OF

EXEMPTIONS OPERATING LICENSES

OR CONSTRUCTION

PERMITS FOR NUCLEAR

POWER REACTORS

90-07 .- OPERATOR LICENSING NATIONAL 08/10/90 ALL POWER REACTOR

EXAMINATION SCHEDULE LICENSEES AND

APPLICANTS FOR AN

OPERATING LICENSE

89-10 AVAILABILITY OF.PROGRAM 08/03/90 ALL LICENSEES OF

SUPP. 2 DESCRIPTIONS OPERATING NPPs AND

HOLDERS OF CPs FOR

NPPs

88-20 COMPLETION OF CONTAINMENT 07/06/90 ALL LICENSEES HOLD-

SUPP. 3 PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT ING OLs AND CPs PROGRAM AND,,FORWARIING OF, --, !1; I I-

= u . . .,FQR 0P.PwEACILITLESI.I

INSIGHTS FOR USE IN THE EXCEPT LICENSEES

INDIVIDUAL PLANT EXAMINA- FOR BWRs WITH MARK I

TION FOR SEVERE ACCIDENT CONTAINMENTS

VULNERABILITIES

90-06 RESOLUTION OF GI 70, "POWER- 06/28/90 ALL PRESSURIZED

OPERATED RELIEF VALVE AND WATER REACTOR

BLOCK VALVE RELIABILITY," LICENSEES AND

AND GI 94, 'ADDITIONAL LOW- CONSTRUCTION

TEMPERATURE-OVERPRESSURE PERMIT HOLDERS

PROTECTION FOR LIGHT-WATER

REACTORS," PURSUANT TO

1OCFR50.54(f)

90-05 GUIDANCE FOR PERFORMING 06/15/90 ALL HOLDERS OF

TEMPORARY NON-CODE REPAIR OPERATING LICENSES

OF ASME CODE CLASS 1,2,&3 FOR NPPs PIPING

89-10 RESULTS OF THE PUBLIC WORK- 06/13/90 ALL LICENSEES OF

SUPP. 1 SHOP OPERATING NPPs AND

HOLDERS OF CPs

90-03 RELAXATION OF STAFF POSITION 05/14/90 ALL POWER REACTOR

SUPP. 1 IN GL 83-28, ITEM 2.2 PART LICENSEES AND

2, "VENDOR INTERFACE FOR APPLICANTS

SAFETY-RELATED COMPONENTS"