[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 49 (Thursday, March 13, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11931-11933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-6343]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-413 and 50-414]
Duke Power Company, et al.; Notice of Consideration of Issuance
of Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses, Proposed No Significant
Hazards Consideration Determination, and Opportunity for a Hearing
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is
considering issuance of amendments to Facility Operating License Nos.
NPF-35
[[Page 11932]]
and NPF-52 issued to Duke Power Company, et al. (the licensee), for
operation of the Catawba Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, located in
York County, South Carolina.
The proposed amendments would revise Section 3/4.7.1.6 of the
Technical Specifications, and Section 15.6.3 of the Updated Final
Safety Analysis Report to require four instead of three steam generator
pressure operated relief valves (PORVs) operable, and allowing credit
for local operation of the PORVs.
Before issuance of the proposed license amendments, the Commission
will have made findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended (the Act) and the Commission's regulations.
The Commission has made a proposed determination that the
amendments request involves no significant hazards consideration. Under
the Commission's regulations in 10 CFR 50.92, this means that operation
of the facility in accordance with the proposed amendments would not
(1) involve a significant increase in the probability or consequences
of an accident previously evaluated; or (2) create the possibility of a
new or different kind of accident from any accident previously
evaluated; or (3) involve a significant reduction in a margin of
safety. As required by 10 CFR 50.91(a), the licensee has provided its
analysis of the issue of no significant hazards consideration, which is
presented below:
This proposed change has been evaluated against the standards in
10 CFR 50.92 and has been determined to involve no significant
hazards, in that operation of the facility in accordance with the
proposed amendment would not:
(1) Involve a significant increase in the probability or
consequences of an accident previously evaluated:
The proposed Technical Specification amendment ensures that the
consequences of a postulated SGTR [steam generator tube rupture]
accident are enveloped by current analyses. The proposed Technical
Specification amendment, together with credit for local manual
operation of one S/G [steam generator] PORV [power-operated relief
valve], will ensure that adequate margin to overfill exists for the
SGTR accident. Furthermore, with administrative controls currently
in place regarding reactor coolant specific activity, this
requirement ensures that offsite doses following the SGTR accident
remain within the dose analysis of record. These administrative
controls are expected to be lifted with the completion of dose
analyses based on more detailed input in place of the conservative
assumptions made to support the restrictions. The requirement to
maintain all four S/G PORVs operable is more restrictive than the
current requirement, and therefore does not adversely affect the
consequences of any analyzed accident.
The accident in which the S/G PORVs are considered to be
accident initiators is discussed in Section 15.1.4 of the Catawba
UFSAR [Updated Final Safety Analysis Report]. Considering the
number, design features and reliability of steam dump to condenser
valves (nine), atmospheric dump valves (nine), S/G Code Safety
Valves (twenty), and S/G PORVs (four), the requirement to maintain
all four S/G PORVs operable does not significantly increase the
probability of inadvertent opening of steam dump valve as analyzed
in Section 15.1.4 of the Catawba UFSAR. As reported in Section
15.1.4 of the Catawba UFSAR, inadvertent opening of a[n] S/G PORV is
enveloped by the consequences of a postulated Main Steam Line Break.
The requirement to maintain all four S/G PORVs operable does not in
any way change this.
(2) Create the possibility of a new or different kind of
accident from any previously evaluated:
No new accident types have been identified for the S/G PORVs or
any SSCs [systems, structures, and components] associated with or
connected to the S/G PORVs. With respect to the types of accidents
that should be considered, the Standard Review Plan and the Catawba
UFSAR are considered to be complete for Catawba Nuclear Station.
(3) Involve a significant reduction in the margin of safety:
Margin of safety is related to confidence in fission product
barriers. The proposed Technical Specification amendment, along with
credit for local manual operation of one S/G PORV, will ensure that
there is adequate margin of overfill. Therefore, the steam lines, S/
G PORVs and the code safety relief valves will not be degraded
following a design basis SGTR. This amendment will also ensure that
steaming of the ruptured S/G is not necessary to effect plant
cooldown after a postulated SGTR. Along with administrative controls
currently in place regarding reactor coolant specific activity, this
requirement ensures that offsite doses following SGTR remain within
values of the dose analysis of record. These administrative controls
are expected to be lifted with the completion of dose analyses based
on more detailed input in place of the conservative assumptions made
to support the restrictions. In summary, this proposed amendment
does not involve a significant reduction in the margin of safety.
The NRC staff has reviewed the licensee's analysis and, based on
this review, it appears that the three standards of 10 CFR 50.92(c) are
satisfied. Therefore, the NRC staff proposes to determine that the
requested amendments involve no significant hazards consideration.
The Commission is seeking public comments on this proposed
determination. Any comments received within 30 days after the date of
publication of this notice will be considered in making any final
determination.
Normally, the Commission will not issue the amendment until the
expiration of the 30-day notice period. However, should circumstances
change during the notice period such that failure to act in a timely
way would result, for example, in derating or shutdown of the facility,
the Commission may issue the license amendment before the expiration of
the 30-day notice period, provided that its final determination is that
the amendment involves no significant hazards consideration. The final
determination will consider all public and State comments received.
Should the Commission take this action, it will publish in the Federal
Register a notice of issuance and provide for opportunity for a hearing
after issuance. The Commission expects that the need to take this
action will occur very infrequently.
Written comments may be submitted by mail to the Chief, Rules
Review and Directives Branch, Division of Freedom of Information and
Publications Services, Office of Administration, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and should cite the
publication date and page number of this Federal Register notice.
Written comments may also be delivered to Room 6D22, Two White Flint
North, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland, from 7:30 a.m. to
4:15 p.m. Federal workdays. Copies of written comments received may be
examined at the NRC Public Document Room, the Gelman Building, 2120 L
Street, NW., Washington, DC.
The filing of requests for hearing and petitions for leave to
intervene is discussed below.
By March 14, 1997, the licensee may file a request for a hearing
with respect to issuance of the amendment to the subject facility
operating license and any person whose interest may be affected by this
proceeding and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding
must file a written request for a hearing and a petition for leave to
intervene. Requests for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene
shall be filed in accordance with the Commission's ``Rules of Practice
for Domestic Licensing Proceedings'' in 10 CFR Part 2. Interested
persons should consult a current copy of 10 CFR 2.714 which is
available at the Commission's Public Document Room, the Gelman
Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC, and at the local public
document room located at the York County Library, 138 East Black
Street, Rock Hill, South Carolina.
If a request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene is
filed by the above date, the Commission or an Atomic Safety and
Licensing Board,
[[Page 11933]]
designated by the Commission or by the Chairman of the Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board Panel, will rule on the request and/or petition;
and the Secretary or the designated Atomic Safety and Licensing Board
will issue a notice of hearing or an appropriate order.
As required by 10 CFR 2.714, a petition for leave to intervene
shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner in
the proceeding, and how that interest may be affected by the results of
the proceeding. The petition should specifically explain the reasons
why intervention should be permitted with particular reference to the
following factors: (1) the nature of the petitioner's right under the
Act to be made party to the proceeding; (2) the nature and extent of
the petitioner's property, financial, or other interest in the
proceeding; and (3) the possible effect of any order which may be
entered in the proceeding on the petitioner's interest. The petition
should also identify the specific aspect(s) of the subject matter of
the proceeding as to which petitioner wishes to intervene. Any person
who has filed a petition for leave to intervene or who has been
admitted as a party may amend the petition without requesting leave of
the Board up to 15 days prior to the first prehearing conference
scheduled in the proceeding, but such an amended petition must satisfy
the specificity requirements described above.
Not later than 15 days prior to the first prehearing conference
scheduled in the proceeding, a petitioner shall file a supplement to
the petition to intervene which must include a list of the contentions
which are sought to be litigated in the matter. Each contention must
consist of a specific statement of the issue of law or fact to be
raised or controverted. In addition, the petitioner shall provide a
brief explanation of the bases of the contention and a concise
statement of the alleged facts or expert opinion which support the
contention and on which the petitioner intends to rely in proving the
contention at the hearing. The petitioner must also provide references
to those specific sources and documents of which the petitioner is
aware and on which the petitioner intends to rely to establish those
facts or expert opinion. Petitioner must provide sufficient information
to show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant on a material
issue of law or fact. Contentions shall be limited to matters within
the scope of the amendment under consideration. The contention must be
one which, if proven, would entitle the petitioner to relief. A
petitioner who fails to file such a supplement which satisfies these
requirements with respect to at least one contention will not be
permitted to participate as a party.
Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding,
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene,
and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the
hearing, including the opportunity to present evidence and cross-
examine witnesses.
If a hearing is requested, the Commission will make a final
determination on the issue of no significant hazards consideration. The
final determination will serve to decide when the hearing is held.
If the final determination is that the amendment request involves
no significant hazards consideration, the Commission may issue the
amendment and make it immediately effective, notwithstanding the
request for a hearing. Any hearing held would take place after issuance
of the amendment.
If the final determination is that the amendment request involves a
significant hazards consideration, any hearing held would take place
before the issuance of any amendment.
A request for a hearing or a petition for leave to intervene must
be filed with the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Docketing and
Services Branch, or may be delivered to the Commission's Public
Document Room, the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC,
by the above date. Where petitions are filed during the last 10 days of
the notice period, it is requested that the petitioner promptly so
inform the Commission by a toll-free telephone call to Western Union at
1-(800) 248-5100 (in Missouri 1-(800) 342-6700). The Western Union
operator should be given Datagram Identification Number N1023 and the
following message addressed to Herbert N. Berkow: petitioner's name and
telephone number, date petition was mailed, plant name, and publication
date and page number of this Federal Register notice. A copy of the
petition should also be sent to the Office of the General Counsel, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, and to Mr.
Albert Carr, Duke Power Company, 422 South Church Street, Charlotte,
North Carolina 28242, attorney for the licensee.
Nontimely filings of petitions for leave to intervene, amended
petitions, supplemental petitions and/or requests for hearing will not
be entertained absent a determination by the Commission, the presiding
officer or the presiding Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the
petition and/or request should be granted based upon a balancing of the
factors specified in 10 CFR 2.714(a)(1) (i)-(v) and 2.714(d).
For further details with respect to this action, see the
application for amendment dated March 7, 1997, which is available for
public inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room, the Gelman
Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC, and at the local public
document room located at the York County Library, 138 East Black
Street, Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 10th day of March 1997.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Peter S. Tam,
Senior Project Manager Project Directorate II-2, Division of Reactor
Projects--I/II, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 97-6343 Filed 3-12-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P