ML20097C784
| ML20097C784 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Turkey Point  |
| Issue date: | 04/09/2020 |
| From: | Ellen Brown NRC/NRR/DORL/LPL2-2 |
| To: | |
| Brown, Eva | |
| References | |
| EPID L-2020-LLA-0067 | |
| Download: ML20097C784 (4) | |
Text
PUBLIC NOTICE NRC STAFF PROPOSES TO AMEND SUBSEQUENT RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE AT TURKEY POINT NUCLEAR GENERATING UNIT NO. 3 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) staff has received an application dated April 4, 2020, as supplemented by a letter dated April 7, 2020 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession Nos. ML20095J926 and ML20098F341, respectively), from Florida Power & Light Company (the licensee) for an exigent amendment to the Subsequent Renewed Facility Operating License for Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Unit No. 3 (Turkey Point Unit 3) located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The proposed amendment would revise the Turkey Point Unit 3 Technical Specifications (TSs) to allow a one-time extension to the requirement to inspect each steam generator (SG) every other refueling outage to the fall of 2021, when the next Unit 3 refueling outage is scheduled.
The licensee requested that the proposed amendment be processed on an exigent basis in accordance with the provisions in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR)
Section 50.91(a)(6). Under 10 CFR 50.91(a)(6)(i), where the Commission finds that exigent circumstances exist, in that a licensee and the Commission must act quickly and that time does not permit the Commission to publish a Federal Register notice allowing 30 days for prior public comment, and it also determines that the amendment involves no significant hazards considerations, the Commission will either (A) issue a Federal Register notice providing notice of an opportunity for hearing and allowing at least two weeks from the date of the notice for prior public comment; or (B) use local media to provide reasonable notice to the public in the area surrounding a licensees facility of the licensees amendment and of its proposed determination that no significant hazards consideration is involved, consulting with the licensee on the proposed media release and on the geographical area of its coverage. Due to the timing of the amendment request, the NRC staff is providing this notice in local media pursuant to
10 CFR 50.91(a)(6)(i)(B), and has consulted with the licensee and the NRC regional office on the proposed media release.
The licensee provided the following information to support its need for this exigent license amendment request. The licensee indicates that this change is necessary due to unforeseen circumstances related to the 2020 COVID-19 virus pandemic. Specifically, due to the emergent nature of the coronavirus pandemic, the licensee determined that reducing the number of employees required for the Turkey Point Unit 3 refueling outage and a reduction in outage scope and duration would be necessary to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Because the Turkey Point Unit 3 Technical Specifications (TSs) require operability of the SGs prior to entering Mode 4, which is planned for April 18, 2020, the licensee determined that the need for this amendment is exigent and does not allow for the standard public comment period.
Based on this information, the NRC staff finds that exigent circumstances exist in that the licensee and the NRC must act quickly and that time does not permit the NRC staff to publish a Federal Register notice allowing 30 days for prior public comment.
The licensee and the NRC staff have evaluated this proposed change regarding determination of whether or not a significant hazards consideration is involved. Operation of Turkey Point Unit 3 in accordance with the proposed amendment will not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously evaluated. The licensee indicates that the proposed amendment would modify the Turkey Point TSs by extending the Unit 3 SG inspection by one cycle until the Unit 3 refueling outage scheduled for fall 2021. The SG tubes continue to meet the SG program performance criteria and remain bounded by the facilitys accident analyses. The operational assessment reanalysis demonstrates that the SG tubes meet the SG program performance criteria throughout the 18-month one-time extension of the SG inspection. Therefore, facility operation in accordance with the proposed changes
would not involve a significant increase in the probability or consequence of an accident previously evaluated.
The proposed amendment will not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any previously analyzed. The licensee indicates that the proposed license amendment would modify the Turkey Point TSs by allowing a one-time extension of the Unit 3 SG inspection by one cycle until the Unit 3 refueling outage scheduled for fall 2021. The proposed change does not alter the design function or operation of the SGs or the ability of an SG to perform their design function. The SG tubes continue to meet the SG program performance criteria. The proposed change does not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident due to credible new failure mechanisms, malfunctions, or accident initiators that are not considered in the design and licensing bases. Therefore, the proposed change does not create the possibility of a new or different kind of accident from any previously evaluated.
The proposed amendment will not involve a significant reduction in a margin of safety.
The licensee indicates that the proposed amendment would modify the Turkey Point TSs by allowing a one-time extension of the Unit 3 SG inspection by one cycle, until the Unit 3 refueling outage scheduled for fall 2021. Extending the inspection schedule does not involve changes to any limit on accident consequences specified in the Turkey Point Unit 3 licensing bases or applicable regulations, does not modify how accidents are mitigated, and does not involve a change in a methodology. Therefore, operation of the facility in accordance with the proposed change will not involve a significant reduction in the margin of safety.
Following an initial review of this application, the requested amendment has been evaluated against the standards in 10 CFR 50.92, and the NRC staff has made a proposed determination that the requested amendment involves no significant hazards considerations.
The changes will not significantly increase the probability or consequences of any accident
previously considered, nor create the possibility of an accident of a different kind, nor significantly decrease any margin of safety.
If the proposed determination that the requested amendment involves no significant hazards consideration becomes final, the NRC staff will issue the amendment without first offering an opportunity for a public hearing. An opportunity for a hearing will be published in the Federal Register at a later date, and any hearing request will not delay the effective date of the amendment.
If the staff decides in its final determination that the amendment does involve a significant hazards consideration, a notice of opportunity for a prior hearing will be published in the Federal Register and, if a hearing is granted, it will be held before the amendment is issued.
Comments on the proposed determination of no significant hazards consideration may be (1) telephoned to Undine Shoop Chief, Plant Licensing Branch 2-2, by collect call to 301-415-2063, (2) e-mailed to Undine.Shoop@nrc.gov, or (3) submitted in writing to Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff. All comments received by close of business on April 16, 2020, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Federal workdays will be considered in reaching a final determination. A copy of the application may be examined electronically through the NRCs ADAMS in the NRC Library at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail to pdr.resource@nrc.gov.