[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 22, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-3850]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: February 22, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-315 and 50-316]

 

Indiana Michigan Power Co.; Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant Units 1 
and 2

Exemption

I

    Indiana Michigan Power Company (the licensee) is the holder of 
Facility Operating Licenses Nos. DPR-58 and DPR-74 which authorize 
operation of the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, at 
steady-state reactor power levels not in excess of 3250 and 3411 
megawatts thermal, respectively. The Donald C. Cook facilities are 
pressurized water reactors located at the licensee's site in Berrien 
County, Michigan. These licenses provide, among other things, that they 
are subject to all rules, regulations, and orders of the Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission (the Commission) now or hereafter in effect.

II

    Pursuant to 10 CFR 55.59(a)(1), ``Each licensee shall--(1) 
Successfully complete a requalification program developed by the 
facility licensee that has been approved by the Commission. This 
program shall be conducted for a continuous period not to exceed 24 
months in duration.''

III

    By letter dated October 4, 1993, the licensee requested an 
exemption from administering the operating portion of the annual 
operator requalification examination in January-February, 1994 due to 
the installation of modifications in the control room. The 
modifications, which include replacing all Foxboro controllers with 
Taylor model 30 controllers and a reconfiguration of the control room, 
have been completed in the simulator but will not be installed in the 
Unit 1 and Unit 2 control rooms until the refueling outages in February 
and August, 1994, respectively.
    The licensee is requesting the exemption from the operational 
portion of the requalification examination in order to provide more 
simulator training time on the new modifications and to avoid 
administering a requalification examination on a simulator which is 
configured differently from the plant control rooms. The licensee will 
administer the operating portion of the requalification examination on 
the simulator in the May-June, 1994 time frame. The licensee's 24-month 
requalification cycle ends February 11, 1994; therefore, the exemption 
from the requirements of the regulation would be for a period of 
approximately 4 months.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 55.11, ``The Commission may, upon application by 
an interested person, or upon its own initiative, grant such exemptions 
from the requirements of the regulations in this part as it determines 
are authorized by law and will not endanger life or property and are 
otherwise in the public interest.''

IV

    Currently, the Donald C. Cook Licensed Operator Requalification 
Training Program beings and ends in early February of even years. This 
one-time exemption would permit an operating examination from the 
current 24-month requalification cycle to be administered approximately 
4 months into the next cycle. The next examination will be administered 
on schedule in January 1995, which will be consistent with the annual 
examination requirement cited in 10 CFR 55.59(a)(2).

V

    The staff has reviewed the licensee's request and concluded that 
issuance of this exemption will not endanger life or property and will 
have no significant effect on the safety of the public or the plant.
    Accordingly, the Commission has determined, pursuant to 10 CFR 
55.11, that this exemption as described in section III is authorized by 
law, will not endanger life or property and is otherwise in the public 
interest. Therefore, the Commission hereby grants a one-time exemption 
from the requirements of 10 CFR 55.59(a)(1) for a period of February 
1994 to June 1994, with respect to the 24-month requalification 
program. This exemption applies only to the operational examination 
portion of the requalification program. No changes to the written 
portion of the requalification program have been requested by the 
licensee or granted by this exemption.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that 
granting of this exemption will have no significant impact on the 
environment (February 14, 1994, 59 FR 6978).
    This exemption is effective upon issuance.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of February, 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Jack W. Roe,
Director, Division of Reactor Projects--III/IV/V, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-3850 Filed 2-18-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M