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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-07-0002 January 3, 2007
Contact: L. Rakovan, OEDO Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) Committee Meetings of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code for Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants On December 5-7, 2007, the staff participated in committee meetings with members of the ASME Code for Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants (OM Code) in St. Petersburg Beach, FL. Discussions included inservice testing provisions for pumps, valves, and snubbers specified in the ASME OM Code that are incorporated by reference in Section 50.55a of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 50.55a). The ASME OM Main Committee reported on the status of its task group effort to prepare guidance for alternative treatment of low-risk safety-related components for licensees planning to submit a request to implement 10 CFR 50.69 for risk-informed treatment of nuclear power plant structures, systems, and components. The ASME OM Main Committee also discussed the importance of reviewing the ASME OM Code to ensure its effective implementation in the design and operation of new nuclear power plants. Meeting with the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) On December 11, 2006, staff from NRR and the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research met with NERC representatives in their Princeton offices. Subjects discussed included: (1) potential methods for predicting grid problems in the future; (2) expanding grid models down to the nuclear plant medium voltage safety bus; (3) NERC Readiness Audits; and (4) the Catawba loss of off-site power event study being performed by NERC. General Electric (GE) Nuclear Energy Quality Assurance Inspection On December 5-6, 2006, the staff conducted a followup inspection of the GE Nuclear Energy quality assurance program for the Economic and Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) design certification at the Wilmington, NC offices. No new non-conformances or unresolved items were identified. All non-conformances from the previous inspections are now considered closed. The staff will issue an inspection report to document these findings. Staff Issues Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station License Renewal Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Public Comment On December 8, the staff issued draft NUREG-1437, "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 29, Regarding Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station," for public comment. This supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) includes the staff's preliminary analysis that considers and weighs the environmental effects of the proposed action, the environmental impacts of alternatives to the proposed action, and mitigative measures available for reducing or avoiding adverse impacts. The staff's preliminary recommendation regarding the proposed action is that the Commission determine that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station are not so great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy planning decision makers would be unreasonable. A 75-day public comment period began on December 15, 2006, with the Notice of Filing of the draft SEIS with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The staff has scheduled public meetings on January 24, 2007, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to present its analyses and to solicit public comments on the draft SEIS. Omaha Public Power District - Public Meeting Regarding Generic Safety Issue-191 Resolution On December 12, Omaha Public Power District (OPPD, the licensee for Fort Calhoun) met with the staff to discuss its proposal for resolution of GSI-191 issues. OPPD considered various options for resolving GSI-191 issues and has determined several options are viable but prohibitive due to space or cost limitations. Currently, OPPD believes its most attractive option is to change the engineering safety feature actuation system logic to eliminate containment spray for a loss-of-coolant accident and only run high-pressure safety injection during the recirculation phase. This approach would double the time before entering the recirculation phase and significantly reduce the loads on the filters. OPPD proposes to submit a license amendment to implement this water management strategy by June 2007. The staff stated that the approach appears reasonable. OPPD noted that to meet its commitment for the resolution of GSI-191, the amendment would need to be approved by April 2008. Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2006-23, "Post-Tornado Operability of Ventilating and Air-conditioning Systems Housed in Emergency Diesel Generator Rooms" On December 6, the staff issued the subject RIS to notify licensees of its regulatory position regarding loading effects caused by natural phenomena on safety related systems and components housed inside a structure partially exposed to the outside environment, specifically ventilating and air-conditioning systems housed in the Emergency Diesel Generator room. The staff expects that those receiving this RIS will review it for applicability to their facilities and consider actions, as appropriate. Office of New Reactors (NRO) Final Environmental Impact Statement Issued for North Anna Early Site Permit On December 15, 2006, the staff delivered NUREG-1811, "Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site Permit (ESP) at the North Anna ESP Site," to the Environmental Protection Agency. This environmental impact statement (EIS) includes the staff's environmental recommendation that the ESP should be issued and that there are no environmentally preferable or obviously superior sites. In addition, the staff concludes that the site preparation and preliminary construction activities allowed by 10 CFR 50.10(e)(1) will not result in any significant adverse environmental impacts that cannot be redressed. The document is on the NRC public website and is available through ADAMS under the Accession No. ML063470314. The staff will mail the final EIS to interested members of the public that requested a printed version of the document. Memorandum of Understanding with U.S. Army Corp of Engineers On December 12, 2006, the Executive Director for Operations signed a Memorandum of Understanding between NRC and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). The MOU establishes a mutual framework governing the respective responsibilities of USACE and NRC related to USACE support for nuclear reactor-related activities, including those for new reactor licensing. General Electric (GE) to Resubmit ESBWR Topical Reports In a letter dated December 8, 2006, GE informed the staff that they will resubmit eleven topical reports related to ESBWR instrumentation and control software development by April 30, 2007. These reports are being revised based on NRC staff feedback regarding the quality of the reports provided during an audit. Because of the timing of the resubmittal, the reports will likely be addressed as open items in the SER with open items that are scheduled for completion in October 2007. In a separate letter dated December 8, 2006, GE informed the staff that an incorrect input was used in the ESBWR Anticipated Transient Without Scram (ATWS) analysis that could potentially affect the safety analysis results in ESBWR Design Certification Document Chapter 15 and the associated Topical Reports. It is anticipated that the containment peak pressure and suppression pool temperature during the postulated ATWS event will increase when the error is corrected. Affected topical reports will be revised to reflect the new analyses and submitted by April 27, 2007. Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) International Workshop on Regulating the Long-Term Safety of Geologic Disposal From November 28-30, 2006, staff participated in an international workshop, "Regulating for the Long-term Safety of Geologic Disposal of Radioactive Waste: Practical Issues and Challenges," in Paris, France. The workshop was sponsored by the Regulator's Forum of the Nuclear Energy Agency's Radioactive Waste Management Committee. The U.S. was also represented by DOE staff. NRC staff served as chair of a session entitled, "The Challenge for Regulatory Policy and Decision Making". A discussion paper will be updated to reflect the findings of the workshop and will be published next year. The Nuclear Energy Agency will issue the proceedings of the workshop as a separate volume. NRC Managers Meet with Clark and Nye Counties, Nevada, on High-Level Waste On December 5, 2006, NRC management and staff met with representatives of Clark County, Nevada, in Las Vegas. On December 8, 2006, NRC management and staff met with members of the Nye County Council and staff of the Nye County Nuclear Waste Project Office. Clark County representatives asked NRC to consider holding another information workshop, for affected units of local government, sometime in Spring 2007. To reach more Nevada stakeholders, Clark County Nuclear Waste Program staff again invited NRC to take advantage of various communication venues, including local television and pod casting. Rather than locating the Hearing facility in Las Vegas, the Chairman of the Nye County Council noted that he would have preferred the Hearing facility to have been located in the Nye county, whose citizens live closest to the proposed repository. He noted that the County was now forced to make major upgrades, at County expense, to provide videoconferencing capacity, so county citizens could observe Yucca Mountain proceedings. Nye County recently updated its Community Protection Plan. This plan describes the County's vision and objectives for: 1) constructive engagement in the Nation's development of a safe repository; 2) for local oversight and monitoring; 3) responsibilities for emergency response; and 4) maximizing economic and community development for the long term. Public Meeting with DOE/Idaho National Laboratory on Standardized Canister Design On December 6, 2006, staff from DOE/Idaho Field Office and staff members and their contractors from Idaho National Laboratory (INL), met for the second time, as part of the pre-application interactions, to discuss the design of the Standardized Canister. DOE is designing the canister for storage, transportation, and disposal of DOE-owned spent nuclear fuels (i.e., spent fuels discharged from research reactors, production reactors, etc.). DOE is planning to submit a topical report that addresses the design aspects of the Standardized Canister, with respect to the requirements in 10 CFR Part 71. The meeting focused on the canister's ability to exclude water, as the basis for criticality safety. DOE and INL presented their interpretations of the regulatory requirements, structural and material designs, and the results of some criticality analyses. The staff clarified the regulatory requirements regarding criticality safety, discussed material and hydrogen gas-generation considerations, and mentioned that the staff is currently assessing the technical and regulatory implications of moderator exclusion in transportation packages. NRC Managers Meet with Timbisha Shoshone Elders on High-Level Waste On December 6, 2006, NRC managers and staff met with Tribal Elders of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, at the Timbisha Settlement in Death Valley, California, to listen to Tribal concerns, and to discuss NRC's role in regulating the proposed high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain. Staff learned the Tribe had resubmitted a petition to the U.S. Department of Interior, seeking status as an Affected Indian Tribe, under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended. The Tribe requested this status to receive resources to support the Tribe's participation in the site review, licensing, and other activities identified in the Act. In October, 2006, the National Congress of American Indians adopted a resolution of support for the petition of the Timbisha, and those of other impacted Indian nations, for "Affected" Tribe Status in the Yucca Mountain repository process. Louisiana Energy Services Quadripartite Working Group Meeting On December 6-7, 2006, staff members from NMSS, the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), and the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response met in Bonn, Germany, with representatives from the governments of Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (the Quadripartite Working Group), to discuss classified-matter security issues related to the Louisiana Energy Services' uranium enrichment project. Representatives from Urenco and DOE also attended. The Quadripartite Working Group discussed activities related to classified information technology networks and the transportation security plan for shipping classified centrifuge components from Europe to the U.S. On December 8, 2006, NMSS, NRC and DOE representatives met with Urenco staff at the Urenco uranium enrichment facility in Almelo, the Netherlands, to discuss a technology guide being developed for classifying Restricted Data. High-Level Waste Department of Energy (DOE) / NRC Quarterly Management Meeting On December 7, 2006, in Pahrump, Nevada, NRC and DOE management and staff held a quarterly management meeting on the high-level waste repository program. Discussions included: (1) the current status of the development of a license application for a high-level waste repository; (2) corrective action program plan improvement; and (3) transportation, aging, and disposal cannister specification and implementation. The State of Nevada, other interested stakeholders, and the public observed this meeting and had opportunities to communicate with NRC. After the meeting, NRC management and staff met with members of the public, informally to discuss matters of interest related to the Yucca Mountain Project, and NRC's role in licensing a repository. Public Meeting with Holtec International on HI-STORM 100 License-Amendment-Request Structural Issues On December 11, 2006, staff met with representatives from Holtec International (Holtec) to discuss the licensee's plans for resubmittal of a request for approval of the HI-STORM 100U underground design concept. The meeting was held to discuss structural issues identified during NRC staff review of the HI-STORM 100U design. The staff indicated that seismic analyses performed for the HI-STORM 100U would not adequately reflect potential site-specific conditions. Holtec discussed alternative analytical methods, to address the staff's concerns. Prior to resubmittal of the request for approval of the HI-STORM 100U design. The staff and Holtec agreed to have an additional preapplication meeting. Holtec indicated they would potentially submitting the application in February 2007. Public Meeting with Holtec International on the HI-TRAC 100D-75 Light-Weight Transfer Cask On December 11, 2006, staff met with representatives from Holtec International (Holtec) to discuss the licensee's plans for a light-weight transfer cask. Holtec developed the light-weight transfer-cask design for specific reactor fuel that is shorter than standard fuel. Holtec indicated that, based on a preliminary assessment, modifications to the transfer cask could be made under the provisions of 10 CFR 72.48. Louisiana Energy Services' Management Meeting On December 12, 2006, staff members from the NMSS, OGC, NSIR, and Region II held a management meeting with management staff from Louisiana Energy Services (LES), on issues related to the LES uranium enrichment project in Lea County, New Mexico. Discussions involved current licensing and inspection activities and security issues, including issuance of security orders, the transportation of classified matter, classified information technology networks, and facility and personnel clearances. NMSS and LES management both recognized the good cooperation and communications between the parties. Technical Exchange on Global Nuclear Energy Partnership On December 12, 2006, staff members from NMSS, the Office of Research, and the Office of New Reactors participated in a technical exchange with DOE, at its Germantown office, on plans and regulatory approaches for the advanced-burner-reactor-concept supporting of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). DOE presentations included a historical perspective on sodium fast-reactor designs, licensing experience, safety considerations, and fuel qualification. NMSS staff made presentations on the NRC licensing process and on potential regulatory approaches for GNEP. Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs (FSME) Environmental Impact Statement Scoping Meeting On December 12, 2006, as part of its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) development process, NRC staff held an EIS scoping meeting, in Newfield, New Jersey, to obtain input from local stakeholders on the environmental impacts associated with Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corporation's proposed decommissioning approach in its Newfield site. Most attendees indicated that they were opposed to Shieldalloy's proposal. In addition, U.S. Senator Menendez and State Senator Madden each presented formal statements about their opposition to the proposed decommissioning approach. During the meeting, NRC staff proposed to meet with Senator Menendez and Senator Lautenburg, at a future date to discuss Sheildalloy's proposal. Stakeholders' key issues concerned potential adverse effects on health, in an area that the stakeholders already perceive as having an unusually high occurrence of tumors and cancer-related deaths. Other issues were related to economic impacts, such as the loss of revenue and the potential for stored radioactive waste to hamper future business development and economic growth. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) Publication of NUREG/CR-6913, "Chemical Effects Head-Loss Research In Support of Generic Safety Issue 191" On December 8, 2006, the staff published the subject report to the NRC public website. This report describes studies conducted at Argonne National Laboratory on the effects of chemical byproducts, formed in a simulated containment sump environment, on head loss across pressurized-water reactor (PWR) containment sump screens. Results from this study are being used to support resolution of Generic Safety Issue-191, "Assessment of Debris Accumulation on PWR Sump Performance." Update of Reactor Operating Experience Information on the NRC Web Site RES staff has posted updated studies and analyses of operating experience information and data through Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 to the Reactor Operating Experience Results and Databases web page at (http://nrcoe.inel.gov/index.cfm). These studies provide industry-wide estimates and trends in: (1) initiating event frequencies; (2) system reliability for major risk-significant systems; (3) component reliability for four major component types; (4) common cause failure parameter estimates; and (5) fire event frequencies. Issuance of Regulatory Issue Summary 2006-24, "Revised Review and Transmittal Process for Accident Sequence Precursor (ASP) Analyses" On December 6, 2006, staff issued the subject RIS to inform addressees that a revised process for accident sequence precursor analyses has been implemented. The NRC staff has developed a more efficient ASP process to reduce the number of evaluations performed, and a more risk-informed approach to the review and transmittal process to reduce administrative and review burdens on the NRC staff and the licensees. Meeting to Discuss Implementation Guidance for Subpart I of the Part 26 Fitness for Duty Rulemaking Program On December 13, 2006, RES staff held the subject meeting with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI,) the Professional Reactor Operator Society, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and other stakeholders. Discussion encompassed changes made to draft guidance document Nuclear Energy Institute- 06-11 [draft 9], "Managing Fatigue at Power Reactor Sites," since the last public meeting on November 9, 2006. The staff requested written comments by January 15, 2007, with a followup meeting tentatively planned for mid- to late-February 2007. Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR) Preliminary Notifications
Office of Administration (ADM) List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: NUHOMS® HD Addition (AH93 - Part 72) On December 11, 2006, the NRC published a final rule in the Federal Register (71 FR 71463) that adds the NUHOMS® HD cask system to the list of approved spent fuel storage casks. The final rule allows holders of power reactor operating licenses to store spent fuel in this approved cask system under a general license. The effective date of this final rule is January 10, 2007. Public Meeting on Consideration of a Rulemaking To Reduce the Likelihood of Funding Shortfalls for Decommissioning Under the License termination Rule (Part 20) On December 13, 2006, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (71 FR 74847) that announced a public meeting on a contemplated rulemaking that would amend regulations pertaining to decommissioning funding. The contemplated rule would reduce the likelihood that a licensee will have insufficient funds to decommission its facility. The meeting is intended to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to provide their views and interact with other interested parties. The public meeting will be held January 10, 2007. Andrew J. Spano and Joseph C. Scarpelli; Denial of Petitions for Rulemaking (PRM-54-2 and PRM-54-3) On December 13, 2006, the NRC published a document in the Federal Register (71 FR 7484854310) that denies essentially identical petitions for rulemaking submitted by Andrew J. Spano, County Executive, Westchester County, New York (PRM-54-2) and Joseph C. Scarpelli, Mayor of Brick Township, New Jersey (PRM-54-3). The petitioners requested that the NRC amend its regulations to provide that a renewed nuclear power plant operating license will be issued only if the plant operator demonstrates that the plant meets all criteria and requirements that would be applicable if the plant was being proposed de novo for construction. The petitions are denied because the issues raised were considered at length on the development of the license renewal rule, these issues are adequately addressed under current regulations or are beyond the Commission's authority, and the petitioners did not present new information that provides sufficient reason to modify current regulations. Office of Information Services (OIS) Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) Requests Received During the Period of December 8 through December 14, 2006:
Office of Human Resources (HR)
Office of Public Affairs (OPA) OPA received significant media inquiries on the following: Polonium-210 and its uses in U.S. industry. Potential impact on the NRC from operating on an extended continuing budget resolution. Progress Energy's announcement of a greenfield site for a potential new nuclear plant. Other Public Affairs Items: The Chairman held a press conference sponsored by Energy Daily. OPA assisted in the launch of the agency's new-look Web site. OPA assisted staff at a public meeting in New Jersey regarding Shieldalloy's decommissioning plan.
Office of the Secretary (SECY)
Commission Correspondence
Federal Register Notices Issued
Region II (RII) Region II Inspector Counterpart Meeting From December 12-14, 2006, the Inspectors Counterpart Meeting was held in the Region II Office. The Deputy Director, Office of New Reactors, met with the Region II staff to discuss Agency Issues during the meeting. Region IV (RIV) River Bend Station Public Meeting On December 12, 2006, Region IV management and staff held a meeting with representatives from the River Bend Nuclear Station and discussed the licensee's plans for improving performance in the corrective action program. The meeting was conducted at the licensee's request and was held in the Region IV office in Arlington, Texas. No members of the public or media attended. |
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