ML031340033

Exemptions from the Requirements of 10 CFR Part 55, Section 55.59

ML031340033
Person / Time
Site:	Crystal River
Issue date:	05/14/2003
From:	Mozafari B NRC/NRR/DLPM/LPD2
To:	Young D Florida Power Corp
mozafari B, NRR/DLPM, 415-2020
References
TAC MB8135
Download: ML031340033 (6)

Text

May 14, 2003 Mr. Dale E. Young, Vice President Crystal River Nuclear Plant (NA1B)

ATTN: Supervisor, Licensing & Regulatory Programs 15760 W. Power Line Street Crystal River, Florida 34428-6708

SUBJECT:

CRYSTAL RIVER UNIT 3 - EXEMPTION FROM THE REQUIREMENTS OF 10 CFR PART 55, SECTION 55.59 (TAC NO. MB8135)

Dear Mr. Young:

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the enclosed exemption from specific requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 55, Section 55.59 for the Crystal River Nuclear Plant, Unit 3. This action is in response to your letter dated March 6, 2003, that requested a one-time exemption from the licensed operator requalification program schedule requirements of 10 CFR 55.59. Specifically, the exemption requested would extend the completion date for the current licensed operator requalification program from December 31, 2004, to February 28, 2005. The next requalification program period would begin March 1, 2005, and continue for 24 months to February 28, 2007, with successive periods running for 24 months.

A copy of the exemption is enclosed and is being forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Brenda L. Mozafari, Senior Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-302

Enclosure:

Exemption cc w/encl: See next page

May 14, 2003 Mr. Dale E. Young, Vice President Crystal River Nuclear Plant (NA1B)

ATTN: Supervisor, Licensing & Regulatory Programs 15760 W. Power Line Street Crystal River, Florida 34428-6708

SUBJECT:

CRYSTAL RIVER UNIT 3 - EXEMPTION FROM THE REQUIREMENTS OF 10 CFR PART 55, SECTION 55.59 (TAC NO. MB8135)

Dear Mr. Young:

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the enclosed exemption from specific requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Part 55, Section 55.59 for the Crystal River Nuclear Plant, Unit 3. This action is in response to your letter dated March 6, 2003, that requested a one-time exemption from the licensed operator requalification program schedule requirements of 10 CFR 55.59. Specifically, the exemption requested would extend the completion date for the current licensed operator requalification program from December 31, 2004, to February 28, 2005. The next requalification program period would begin March 1, 2005, and continue for 24 months to February 28, 2007, with successive periods running for 24 months.

A copy of the exemption is enclosed and is being forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Brenda L. Mozafari, Senior Project Manager, Section 2 Project Directorate II Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-302

Enclosure:

Exemption cc w/encl: See next page DISTRIBUTION PUBLIC PDII-2 R/F SMoore AHowe BMozafari EDunnington LWert, RII MErnstes, RII OGC ACRS Adams Accession No. ML031340033 *See previous concurrence OFFICE IEHB/OHS* SC:IEHB/OHS* BC:IEHB* LA:PD2-2 PM:PD2-2 NAME DMuller DTrimble TQuay EDunnington BMozafari DATE 04/28/2003 04/29/2003 04/29/2003 5/9/2003 5/13/2003 OFFICE SC:PD2-2 D:PDII (A) OGC* D:DIPM NAME AHowe SMoore SUttal (NLO) BBoger DATE 5/13/2003 5/13/2003 05/02/2003 5/13/2003 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

7590-01-P UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FLORIDA POWER CORPORATION CRYSTAL RIVER UNIT 3 NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT DOCKET NO. 50-302 EXEMPTION

1.0 BACKGROUND

Florida Power Corporation (the licensee) is the holder of Facility Operating License No.

DPR-72, which authorizes operation of the Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (Crystal River). The license provides, among other things, that the facility is subject to all rules, regulations, and orders of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) now or hereafter in effect.

The facility consists of one pressurized-water reactor located in Citrus County, Florida.

2.0 REQUEST/ACTION Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Section 55.59 requires that a facilitys licensed operator requalification program be conducted for a continuous period not to exceed 2 years (24 months) and upon conclusion must be promptly followed, pursuant to a continuous schedule, by successive requalification programs. Each 2-year requalification program must include a biennial comprehensive written examination and annual operating tests.

By letter dated March 6, 2003, the licensee requested a one-time exemption under 10 CFR 55.11 from the schedule requirements of 10 CFR 55.59. Specifically, for Crystal River, the licensee has requested a one-time extension from December 31, 2004, to February 28, 2005, for completing the current licensed operator requalification program. The next

requalification program period would begin March 1, 2005, and continue for 24 months to February 28, 2007, with successive periods running for 24 months. This requested exemption would allow an extension of 2 months beyond the 24-month requalification program schedule required by 10 CFR 55.59.

3.0 DISCUSSION Pursuant to 10 CFR 55.11, the Commission may, upon application by an interested person, or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from the requirements of 10 CFR Part 55 when the exemptions are authorized by law and will not endanger life or property and are otherwise in the public interest. The exemption being requested for Crystal River is to alleviate potential scheduling difficulties associated with administering requalification examinations and completing the requalification program at the end of the 2004 calendar year. Moving the end of the requalification program to February 28, 2005, would: (1) minimize the fall refueling outage impact on requalification examination development; (2) minimize the potential impact from any fall refueling outage extensions; (3) minimize the scheduling and resource impact from both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays; (4) minimize the potential scheduling and resource impact of any examination remediation or retesting requirements during the holidays; and (5) minimize the potential impact from future bargaining unit negotiations, which occur periodically in the fourth calendar quarter.

Although the 24-month schedule requirement of 10 CFR 55.59 at Crystal River would be exceeded, operator performance continues to be satisfactory, as demonstrated by the operators strong performance during the recent end-of-cycle requalification examinations.

Granting this exemption will allow Crystal River to continue with safe plant operations without undue hardship to plant personnel and Crystal River licensed operators.

4.0 CONCLUSION

Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 55.11, granting an exemption to the licensee from the schedule requirements in 10 CFR 55.59, by allowing Crystal River a one-time extension in the allowed time for completing the current licensed operator requalification program, is authorized by law and will not endanger life or property and is otherwise in the public interest. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants Florida Power Corporation an exemption on a one-time only basis from the schedule requirement of 10 CFR 55.59, to allow the completion date for the current licensed operator requalification program for the Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant to be extended from December 31, 2004, to February 28, 2005. The next requalification program period would begin March 1, 2005, and continue for 24 months to February 28, 2007, with successive periods running for 24 months.

Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the granting of this exemption will not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment (68 FR 25069).

This exemption is effective upon issuance and expires on February 28, 2005.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 14 day of May 2003.

FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

/RA/

Bruce A. Boger, Director Division of Inspection Program Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Mr. Dale E. Young Crystal River Nuclear Plant, Unit 3 Florida Power Corporation cc:

Mr. R. Alexander Glenn Chairman Associate General Counsel (MAC-BT15A) Board of County Commissioners Florida Power Corporation Citrus County P.O. Box 14042 110 North Apopka Avenue St. Petersburg, Florida 33733-4042 Inverness, Florida 34450-4245 Mr. Jon A. Franke Mr. Donald L. Taylor Plant General Manager Manager Support Services Crystal River Nuclear Plant (NA2C) Crystal River Nuclear Plant (NA2C) 15760 W. Power Line Street 15760 W. Power Line Street Crystal River, Florida 34428-6708 Crystal River, Florida 34428-6708 Mr. Jim Mallay Mr. Daniel L. Roderick Framatome ANP Director Site Operations 1911 North Ft. Myer Drive, Suite 705 Crystal River Nuclear Plant (NA2C)

Rosslyn, Virginia 22209 15760 W. Power Line Street Crystal River, Florida 34428-6708 Mr. William A. Passetti, Chief Department of Health Senior Resident Inspector Bureau of Radiation Control Crystal River Unit 3 2020 Capital Circle, SE, Bin #C21 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1741 6745 N. Tallahassee Road Crystal River, Florida 34428 Attorney General Department of Legal Affairs Mr. Richard L. Warden The Capitol Manager Nuclear Assessment Tallahassee, Florida 32304 Crystal River Nuclear Plant (NA2C) 15760 W. Power Line Street Mr. Craig Fugate, Director Crystal River, Florida 34428-6708 Division of Emergency Preparedness Department of Community Affairs Steven R. Carr 2740 Centerview Drive Associate General Counsel - Legal Dept.

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100 Progress Energy Service Company, LLC Post Office Box 1551 Raleigh, North Carolina 27602-1551 Mr. Dale E. Young, Vice President Crystal River Nuclear Plant (NA1B)

ATTN: Supervisor, Licensing

& Regulatory Programs 15760 W. Power Line Street Crystal River, Florida 34428-6708