ML23276A652

Pre-submittal Meeting Summary, September 14, 2023

ML23276A652
Person / Time
Site:	Dresden, Peach Bottom
Issue date:	10/11/2023
From:	Tanya Hood Reactor Decommissioning Branch
To:	Shaun Anderson Reactor Decommissioning Branch
References
Download: ML23276A652 (6)

Text

October 11, 2023 MEMORANDUM TO: Shaun M. Anderson, Branch Chief Reactor Decommissioning Branch Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Waste Programs Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards FROM: Tanya E. Hood, Project Manager Signed by Hood, Tanya Reactor Decommissioning Branch on 10/11/23 Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Waste Programs Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

SUMMARY

OF SEPTEMBER 14, 2023, PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS STATUS OF DECOMMISSIONING AND THE LICENSE TERMINATION PLANS FOR THE DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNIT 1 AND THE PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNIT 1 On September 14, 2023, a virtual public meeting was held between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Constellation Energy Generation, LLC (licensee) to provide a status update to the NRC regarding the decommissioning and license termination plans for the Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1 (Dresden Unit 1) and the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Unit 1 (Peach Bottom Unit 1).

The meeting notice and agenda, posted August 15, 2023, are available in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at Accession No. ML23254A005 and are posted on the NRCs public Web page at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The presentation material provided by the licensee are available on the meeting notice. Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems in accessing the meeting materials located in ADAMS should contact the NRC Public Document Room reference staff by telephone at 1800-3974209 or by email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov.

During the meeting, the licensee presented a high-level overview of the current status of the Dresden Unit 1 and Peach Bottom Unit 1 sites. Dresden Unit 1 and Peach Bottom Unit 1 are currently in SAFSTOR. SAFSTOR is a long-term storage condition for a permanently shutdown nuclear power plant. During SAFSTOR, radioactive contamination decreases substantially, making subsequent decontamination and demolition easier and reducing the amount of low-level waste requiring disposal.

CONTACT: Tanya Hood, NMSS/DUWP 301415-1387

S. Anderson Dresden Unit 1 and Peach Bottom Unit 1 have possession-only licenses from the NRC that authorizes the licensee to possess specific nuclear material but does not authorize its use or the operation of a nuclear facility. Dresden Unit 1 produced power commercially from 1960 to October 31, 1978. The decommissioning plan was approved in September 1993 and SAFSTOR decommissioning activities were completed in January 2007. All spent fuel from Dresden Unit 1 has been transferred to the on-site Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). The licensee continues to monitor the Dresden Unit 1 ISFSI complex with site security and periodic inspections until final transfer of the spent fuel to the Department of Energy (DOE) for disposal.

SAFSTOR decommissioning activities at Peach Bottom Unit 1 were completed in February 1978. The previous decommissioning activities entailed removal of all plant-generated radioactive material outside of an Exclusion Area. All Peach Bottom Unit 1 spent fuel was removed from the site and shipped to a DOE facility in Idaho. For licensees that submitted a decommissioning plan prior to August 28, 1996, as is the case for Dresden Unit 1 and Peach Bottom Unit 1, the NRC considers the decommissioning plan and the associated environmental review to be the Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR).

During the meeting, the licensee presented information regarding a proposed alternate decommissioning schedule for Dresden Unit 1 and Peach Bottom Unit 1 decommissioning beyond 60 years of permanent cessation of operations. The licensee indicated that they plan to submit a license amendment request (LAR) for Peach Bottom Unit 1, at the end of September, to amend license condition 2.C(1) and Technical Specifications (TS) to remove restrictions that currently preclude decommissioning activities without prior NRC approval. That submittal was provided to the NRC on September 22, 2023. It is available at Accession No. ML23265A150. A similar submittal is planned for Dresden Unit 1 next year based on a suggestion made by NRC staff in the meeting.

The NRC staff asked several clarifying questions regarding security, environment, funding, waste disposal, and shared systems. The licensee indicated that they were awaiting final resolution of generic environmental impact issues to support the subsequent renewed facility operating license for Peach Bottom Units 2 and 3. The NRC staff indicated that the licensee should discuss the environmental impacts they considered in decommissioning beyond the 60-year requirement in a future submittal.

The NRC staff asked how future funding will be addressed based on current estimates for decommissioning, especially for Peach Bottom Unit 1. The licensee indicated that they are aware the Peach Bottom Unit 1 Trust experienced losses. They plan to address the concern and indicated that the alternative schedule can support addressing the concern as well. The NRC staff stated that a discussion providing more details regarding the rate payer would be beneficial instead of a generic explanation.

The licensee stated that there are adjoined structures that support Dresden Units 1, 2, and 3 operations. The Common Main Control Room is partially in Dresden Unit 1. They also indicated that Peach Bottom Units 1, 2, and 3 are on a common site in the Owner Controlled Area. There are legacy structures in Peach Bottom Unit 1 that support Units 2 and 3 operations. The NRC staff asked the licensee to provide a detailed discussion on what systems are shared versus co-located in a future submittal. The NRC staff also asked that the licensee address any concerns with waste disposal capacity considering the proposed decommissioning of all units at the same time.

S. Anderson The NRC staff asked the licensee to address changes, if any, to the security posture of the site for extending the decommissioning schedules. The licensee indicated that they would try to be consistent in the submittals with how they will address the concern.

The NRC staff shared that it is not necessary to remove all the buildings and structures for radiological decommissioning to terminate the license. Non-radiologically contaminated buildings or components can remain. The licensee indicated that they will look closer at this option as they continue the process.

When NRC staff asked about the option of using Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 50.12, Specific exemptions, the licensee indicated that the recent Commission decision for SECY210033, Request for an Exemption from the Decommissioning Schedule Requirements for Shutdown Reactors at the GE Hitachi Vallecitos Nuclear Center, denying an exemption request under 10 CFR 50.12 to extend decommissioning beyond 60 years is not a binding precedent. The licensee indicated that this is distinguishable from sitespecific Dresden Unit 1 and Peach Bottom Unit 1 factors.

Approximately 50 representatives from the industry and NRC participated in the meeting. A list of the meeting attendees is enclosed. Members of the public were invited to attend. No public meeting feedback forms were received.

Please direct any inquiries to me at (301) 4151387 or Tanya.Hood@nrc.gov.

Tanya E. Hood Reactor Decommissioning Branch Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Waste Programs Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Enclosure:

1. List of Attendees

ML23276A652 NMSS/DUWP/RDB/ NMSS/DUWP/SA NMSS/DUWP/RDB/P NMSS/DUWP/RDB/B NMSS/DUWP/RDB/P OFFICE PM M C M NAME THood BWatson JParrott SAnderson THood DATE 10/02/2023 10/ 03 /2023 10/ 05 /2023 10/ 10 /2023 10/ 11 /2023 LIST OF ATTENDEES SEPTEMBER 14, 2023, PRE-SUBMITTAL PUBLIC MEETING WITH CONSTELLATION ENERGY GENERATION, LLC RE: DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNIT 1 AND THE PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNIT 1 Name Organization Audrey Klett U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Bill Lin NRC Bruce Watson NRC Christine Pineda NRC David Hills NRC Emil Tabakov NRC Gary Purdy NRC Gehan Flanders NRC Greg Chapman NRC Jeremiah Rey NRC Karen Pinkston NRC Kathryn Robertson-DeMers NRC Kristina Banovac NRC Lisa Dimmick NRC Michelle Rome NRC Michael Norris NRC Neil Sheehan NRC Orysia Masnyk Bailey NRC Peter Lee NRC Richard Turtil NRC Shaun Anderson NRC Stephen Hammann NRC Tanya Hood NRC Valerie Myers NRC Vince Williams NRC Amy Huber Constellation Energy Generation, LLC (Constellation)

Brandy R. Donaldson Constellation Danii M. Gantt Constellation Jason C. Zorn Constellation Jeffrey A. Dunlap Constellation Jill T. Fisher Constellation Kenneth M. Nicely Constellation Mark J. Rodgers Constellation Patricia Henry Constellation Patrick Mullens Constellation Paul Dempsey Constellation Enclosure

Rebecca M. Salvadore Constellation Richard Gropp Jr Constellation Roger Bauman Constellation Trevor L. Orth Constellation Bruce Montgomery Public Carlyn Greene Public Erica L Shunk Public Frederick D Gerloff Public Jeffrey Myers Public Keith J. Miller Public Michael K. Brandon Public