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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-07-0132 August 9, 2007
Contact: L. Rakovan, OEDO Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) Entergy Nuclear - Indirect License Transfer Application By letter dated July 30, 2007, Entergy Nuclear requested NRC approval to implement a high-level corporate restructuring involving the creation of intermediary holding companies that would result in an indirect transfer of control of the operating licenses of their Region I facilities (i.e., Pilgrim, Indian Point Units 1, 2, and 3, FitzPatrick, Vermont Yankee), Palisades, and the independent spent fuel storage installation facility at Big Rock Point. While there will be no change in technical qualifications, this action will require a complex financial qualification review. Entergy has requested staff approval by December 31, 2007. The licensee has been informed that the NRC normal schedule for license transfer reviews is 6 to 9 months and that the proposed schedule represents a significant challenge to the staff. James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant - Issuance of Safety Evaluation Report With Open Items On July 31, 2007, the staff issued the Safety Evaluation Report (SER) With Open Items for James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant license renewal application. The SER contains two open items: one is related to the applicant's fluence calculations that did not meet Regulatory Guide 1.199 and the other requires additional information for the staff to complete its review regarding the effects of reactor water environment on fatigue life. The schedule for the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards sub-committee review of the SER has been set for September 5, 2007. The Fitzpatrick license renewal application was received on August 1, 2006, and the current Fitzpatrick operating license will expire on October 17, 2014. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station Final SER On July 31, 2007 the staff issued a letter to Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., extending the schedule for the review of the Vermont Yankee's license renewal application. The staff performed an initial review of the information that Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station provided by letter dated July 30, 2007, and determined that substantial changes have been included in the areas of scoping and Aging Management Review. In addition, the information that was provided did not incorporate certain commitments made to the NRC as a result of the staff's audit and review activities. Therefore, the staff requested that Vermont Yankee review the information contained in the July 30, 2007, letter for accuracy and submit revised information. The final SER will not be issued on August 1, 2007, as originally scheduled. Upon receipt of satisfactory information which will enable the staff to complete its review, the NRC will issue a revised review schedule. The overall schedule will be extended beyond the nominal thirty months (with hearing) by a minimum of two months plus the length of time required by Vermont Yankee to submit the revised information. Point Beach, Units 1 and 2 - License Transfer On July 31, 2007, NRR issued an order authorizing the direct transfer of the Point Beach, Units 1 and 2 licenses from Wisconsin Electric Power Company (the owner) and Nuclear Management Company (the operator) to FPL Energy Point Beach, LLC. FPL Energy Point Beach, LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the FPL Group. Transfer of the licenses also authorizes FPL Energy Point Beach, LLC, to store spent fuel in the independent spent fuel storage installation at Point Beach. The actual sale of Point Beach is expected to occur following receipt of other state and federal approvals. As an option requested by the licensee, the order also authorizes the transfer of operational authority to FPL Energy Point Beach prior to the closing of the sale. Staff Issues Vermont Yankee License Renewal Final Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement On August 1, 2007, the staff issued the Final Supplement 30 to NUREG-1437, "Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants regarding Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station." The supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) represents the completion of the staff's environmental review of the license renewal application submitted by Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., and Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC. The report contains the NRC's finding that there are no environmental impacts that would preclude license renewal for an additional 20 years of operation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue the Notice of Availability of the final SEIS in the Federal Register on August 10, 2007. The NRC can then proceed with the renewal actions after a 30-day period expires (September 10, 2007), provided that no Federal agency refers matters in dispute in the final SEIS to the Council on Environmental Quality. Public Meeting on Kewaunee Appeal of Frequently Asked Question On August 2, 2007, the staff held a Category 2 Public Meeting to discuss the Kewaunee licensee's reactor oversight process appeal of a frequently asked question on the mitigating systems performance index. Office of New Reactors (NRO) Comanche Peak Combined License Application (COL) Pre-Application Readiness Assessment Activities On July 23-24, 2007, the staff, supported by contract staff from Pacific Northwest National Labs, conducted COL pre-application readiness assessment activities at the Comanche Peak site in Glen Rose, TX. The purpose of the visit was to assess the status of environmental report preparation in relation to the planned submission of a COL application in mid-2008. Staff Pre-Application Visit for the W.S. Lee and Bellefonte Combined License Sites On July 23 - 26, 2007, the staff and its contractor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, visited the offices of the primary contractor for the upcoming COLs at the W.S. Lee and Bellefonte sites. The purpose of the visit was to assess the state of readiness of the environmental reports being prepared by Duke Power Company and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as part of the COLs. North Anna ESBWR COL Pre-Application Readiness Assessment Activities On July 26 - 27, 2007, staff, supported by contract staff from Pacific Northwest National Labs, conducted COL pre-application readiness assessment activities at the North Anna site in Mineral, VA. The purpose of the visit was to assess the status of environmental report preparation in relation to the planned submission of a COL application in early November 2007. High Priority Environmental Standard Review Plan (ESRP) Sections Published for Use and Comment On July 31, 2007, the staff published for use and comment the last of the ESRP sections identified as high priority. Sections were typically identified as high priority because they involved either (1) critical areas of the review (e.g., hydrology, site selection process) or (2) areas in which there have been significant changes in the regulatory environment (e.g., need for power, new and significant information). Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) Public Meeting on High-Level-Waste Repository Guidance On July 26, 2007, NRC held a public meeting, with the Nuclear Energy Institute, to discuss Draft High-Level-Waste Repository Interim Staff Guidance HLWRS-ISG-04, "Preclosure Safety Analysis - Human Reliability Analysis." The public observed this meeting and discussed issues with NRC. Proposed Rule Signed by Acting Executive Director for Operations (EDO) On July 31, 2007, the Acting EDO approved a direct final rule which revises 10 CFR Part 72.214, "List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks," by revising the Transnuclear, Inc. TN-68 listing within the list of approved spent fuel storage casks to include Amendment No. 1. This amendment will modify the Certificate of Compliance (CoC) by revising the Technical Specifications to change several fuel parameters that include increasing fuel burnup to 60 gigawatts-day/metric ton of uranium, increasing total cask decay heat to 30 kilowatts, increasing maximum average fuel enrichment to 4.7 weight percent uranium-235, and decreasing minimum fuel assembly cooling time to 7 years. The amendment will also add up to eight damaged fuel assemblies as authorized contents of the cask and reduce the cask spacing on the storage pad. Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs (FSME) Proposed Rule Signed by the Acting EDO On July 31, 2007, the Acting EDO approved a proposed rule that would amend 10 CFR Parts 32 and 35, "Medical Use of Byproduct Material - Minor Corrections and Clarifications." This amendment would allow correcting or clarifying of the rule language in several sections that govern specific domestic licenses to manufacture or transfer certain items containing byproduct material and medical use of byproduct material. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) Publication of Draft Regulatory Guide 1148 (DG-1148) "Qualification of Safety-Related Battery Chargers and Inverters for Nuclear Power Plants" On July 31, 2007, the subject draft regulatory guide was issued, describing a method that the NRC considers acceptable for use in implementing specific parts of the agency's regulations for qualification of safety-related battery chargers and inverters for nuclear power plants. DG-1148 is available in ADAMS (ML071440292) and on the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/power-reactors/draft-index.html. Publication of Draft Regulatory Guide 4012 (DG-4012) "Minimization of Contamination and Radioactive Waste Generation in Support of Decommissioning" On July 31, 2007, the subject draft regulatory guide was issued, describing a method that the NRC considers acceptable for implementing the licensing requirement in 10 CFR 20.1406. DG-4012 is available in ADAMS (ML071210011) and on the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/environmental-siting/draft-index.html. Public Meeting Regarding NUREG/CR-6850, "EPRI/NRC-RES Fire PRA Methodology for Nuclear Power Facilities," at the EPRI facility in Palo Alto, CA From July 23-27, 2007, representatives from NRC, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and industry, as well as international representatives, participated in detailed, hands-on training in fire probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) modules related to circuit analysis, fire analysis, and PRA. This detailed training was held to support the implementation of the risk-informed, performance-based fire protection rule, 10 CFR 50.48c. Letters of intent to transition to this new rule have been submitted on behalf of approximately forty units. Publication of Final Regulatory Guide 4.15, Revision 2 (RG 4.15, Rev. 2) "Quality Assurance for Radiological Monitoring Programs (Inception Through Normal Operations to License Termination)--Effluent Streams and the Environment" On August 1, 2007, the subject final regulatory guide was issued, describing a method that the NRC considers acceptable for use in designing and implementing programs to ensure the quality of the results of measurements of radioactive materials in the effluents from, and environment outside of, facilities that process, use, or store radioactive materials during all phases of the facility's life cycle. RG 4.15, Revision 2 is available in ADAMS (ML071790506) and on the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/environmental-siting/active/. Public Stakeholder Meeting on Implementation Guidance for 10CFR26, Subpart I, Managing Fatigue On August 1, 2007, RES staff, along with the Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR), and General Counsel (OGC) offices, conducted a public stakeholder meeting on Subpart I (Managing Fatigue) of the Fitness-for-Duty rule, 10 CFR Part 26. Participants included the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Professional Reactor Operator Society, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, along with numerous utility representatives. The primary topic of discussion was the NRC staff comments dated June 12, 2007, on Revision 11 of the NEI draft guidance - Managing Fatigue at Reactor Sites (NEI 06-11) - dated February 2007. NEI expects to incorporate most of the staff comments and submit Revision 12 to NEI 06-11 by the end of September 2007. Office of Administration (ADM) Emergency Response Data System (ERDS) On July 30, 2007, a delivery order no. DR-07-07-510 was competitively awarded to Immix Technology, Inc. to provide software for the Emergency Response Data System (ERDS) modernization and one year license maintenance support. The total estimated cost is $939,151. The period of performance for this order is July 30, 2007 through July 29, 2008. Grafik Industries, Ltd. As a result of a competition under the GSA Federal Supply Schedule, task order no. DR-09-07-652 was awarded to Grafik Industries, Ltd. on July 30, 2007. The contractor will provide assistance with the design, layout, and editing of NRC's Performance and Accountability Report (PAR), Information Digest and Strategic Plan (SP), plus the associated Highlights brochures for the PAR and the SP. The total estimated cost of this contract (base and all options) is $278,954. The period of performance for this order is July 30, 2007 through July 29, 2008, with four option years. Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) On July 30, 2007, a non-competitive firm fixed-price contract no. NRC-04-07-046 was awarded to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO). The contractor will provide the NRC with access to its Equipment Performance and Information Exchange (EPIX) System, assistance in accessing the database, EPIX documentation and guidance, and a copy of the EPIX component data. The total value of the contract is $1,629,116. The period of performance is August 1, 2007 to May 1, 2008, with four option years. Office of Information Services (OIS)
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) Requests Received During the Period of July 27 through August 2, 2007:
Office of Human Resources (HR)
Office of Public Affairs (OPA) OPA received significant media inquiries on the following: Oyster Creek operating at 70% capacity due to lack of 1 of 3 feedwater pumps. Second order issued to Indian Point to establish new siren system. Possible creation of No-Fly Zone over the power plant to heighten security. Entergy report on Vermont Yankee plant's steam dryer and inherent license renewal delay resulted in a radio interview and 2 press releases. Other Public Affairs Items: Environmental report inquiries on Calvert Cliffs COL, radio interview conducted on Federal News Radio. MSNBC.com requested information on OIG audit revealing improper logging of firearms by the Office of Investigations. Press releases were sent to the local/college papers of the Native American WINS interns. Uranium recovery information given to reporters for next week's GEIS meetings in WY and NM. Watts Bar Unit 2 resumed construction, based on TVA's approval, and responses were sent by NRR and OPA.
Office of the Secretary (SECY)
Commission Correspondence
Federal Register Notices Issued
Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)
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