[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 214 (Monday, November 7, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-27483]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 7, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-219]

 

GPU Nuclear Corp.; Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station; 
License No. DPR-16; Receipt of Petition for Director's Decision Under 
10 CFR 2.206

    Notice is hereby given that by a ``PETITION FOR EMERGENCY 
ENFORCEMENT ACTION UNDER PROVISIONS OF 10 CFR 2.206 WITH REGARD TO 
OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR POWER STATION'', dated September 19, 1994, Oyster 
Creek Nuclear Watch and Nuclear Information and Resource Service, 
request that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission take action with regard 
to the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station of the GPU Nuclear 
Corporation.
    The Petition requests that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: 
(1) immediately suspend the Oyster Creek operating license until the 
licensee inspects and repairs or replaces all safety-class reactor 
internal component parts subject to embrittlement and cracking; (2) 
immediately suspend the Oyster Creek operating license until the 
licensee provides an analysis regarding the synergistic effects of 
through wall cracking of multiple safety-class components; (3) 
immediately suspend the Oyster Creek operating license until the 
licensee has analyzed and mitigated any areas of noncompliance with 
regard to irradiated fuel pool cooling as a single unit Boiling Water 
Reactor (BWR); and (4) issue a Generic Letter requiring other licensees 
of single unit BWRs to provide information regarding fuel pool boiling 
in order to verify compliance with regulatory requirements, and to 
promptly take appropriate mitigative action if the units are not in 
compliance.
    As the bases for their requests concerning safety-class reactor 
internal components, Petitioners state that: the core shroud in General 
Electric BWRs is vulnerable to age-related deterioration; 12 domestic 
and overseas, BWRs have found extensive cracking on welds of the core 
shroud; only 10 of 36 U.S. BWRs have inspected their core shrouds and 9 
were found to have cracks; 19 of 25 selected BWR internal components 
are susceptible to stress corrosion cracking and 6 of 19 are 
susceptible to irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking; Oyster 
Creek is the oldest operating General Electric Mark I BWR and the third 
oldest operating reactor in the United Stats, and has been subjected to 
the longest period of operational conditions that cause embrittlement 
and cracking; the BWR Owners Group stated that cracking of the core 
shroud is a warning signal that additional safety-class reactor 
internals are increasingly susceptible to age-related deterioration; 
cracking of any single part or multiple components jeopardizes safe 
operation of the nuclear station; Oyster Creek did not inspect for core 
shroud cracking prior to the current refueling outage and other safety-
class reactor internals have not been adequately inspected for 
cracking; and a safety analysis has not been performed on the potential 
synergistic effects of multiple component cracking.
    As the bases for their requests concerning fuel pool cooling design 
deficiencies, Petitioners state that: various design defects in BWR 
fuel pool cooling systems pose a significant increase in risk to the 
public safety and are violations or 10 CFR 50.49; 10 CFR Part 50, App. 
A, Criterion 63; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion III; and Reg. 
Guides 1.13, 1.89 and 1.97; Oyster Creek is a single unit facility with 
no adjacent units to rely upon in the event that a design basis were to 
disable the fuel pool cooling system; and Oyster Creek has not docketed 
any material with regard to BWR design deficiencies identified in the 
10 CFR Part 21 Report of Substantial Safety Hazard (November 27, 1992) 
of Messrs. Lochbaum and Prevatte, and thus Oyster Creek may be in 
violation of NRC regulatory requirements.
    The Petition is being treated pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 of the 
Commission's regulations. The Petition has been referred to the 
Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. As provided by Section 2.206, 
appropriate action will be taken on this Petition within a reasonable 
time. By letter dated October 27, 1994, the Director denied 
Petitioners' requests for an immediate suspension of the operating 
license.
    A copy of the Petition and the Director's letter are available for 
inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room at 2120 L Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20555 and at the Local Public Document Room for the 
Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station located at the Ocean County 
Library, Reference Department, 101 Washington Street, Toms River, NJ 
08753.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 27th day of October 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
William T. Russell,
Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-27483 Filed 11-4-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M