[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 214 (Monday, November 6, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56069-56070]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-27414]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-366]


Georgia Power Company, et al. (Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit 
2); Exemption

I.

    Georgia Power Company, et al. (GPC or the licensee), is the holder 
of Facility Operating License No. NPF-5, which authorizes operation of 
the Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit 2. The license provides, among other 
things, that the licensee is subject to all rules, regulations, and 
orders of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission) now and 
hereafter in effect. The facility consists of one boiling water reactor 
located in Appling County, Georgia.

II.

    Section 50.54(o) of 10 CFR Part 50 requires that primary reactor 
containments for water cooled power reactors be subject to the 
requirements of Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50. Appendix J contains the 
leakage test requirements, schedules, and acceptance criteria for tests 
of the leak tight integrity of the primary reactor containment and 
systems and components that penetrate the containment. Sections II.H.4 
and III.C.2 of Appendix J to 10 CFR Part 50 require leak rate testing 
of the Main Steam Isolation Valves (MSIVs) at the calculated peak 
containment pressure related to the design- basis accident, and 
Sections III.A.5, III.B.3, and III.C.3 require that the measured leak 
rates be included in the combined leak rate test results.
    By letter dated June 20, 1995, the licensee requested an exemption 
from the Commission's regulations. The subject exemption is from the 
requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix J, ``Primary Reactor 
Containment Leakage Testing for Water-Cooled Power Reactors,'' Sections 
III.A.5(b)(1), III.A.5(b)(2), III.B.3, and III.C.3 to exclude the MSIV 
leakage from 

[[Page 56070]]
the combined local leak rate test results. This request was needed 
after the MSIV leakage rate was increased by the issuance of Amendment 
No. 132 on March 17, 1994. In addition, the Commission is granting 
another exemption from the requirements of Section III.C.2(a) to 
account for a previously granted exemption, stated in the Hatch Unit 2 
Technical Specifications (TS), which allows the leak rate testing at a 
reduced pressure.
    The licensee's June 20, 1995, request stated that a plant-specific 
radiological analysis of a postulated design-basis loss-of-coolant 
accident (LOCA) has been performed, and is documented in Section 
15.1.39 of the Hatch Unit 2 Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR). The 
radiological analysis calculated the effect of the maximum leakage rate 
from the containment volume in terms of onsite and offsite doses, which 
were evaluated against the dose limits of 10 CFR 50, Appendix A, 
General Design Criterion (GDC) 19 and 10 CFR Part 100, respectively. 
The analysis accounted for the radiological effect from MSIV increased 
leakage and other containment leakages following a postulated LOCA in 
terms of the doses that could be received by personnel in the technical 
support center (TSC), the main control room (MCR), and at the site 
boundary. The analysis results demonstrated that the dose from all the 
leakage, including the MSIV leakage rate limit of 100 standard cubic 
feet per hour (scfh) per MSIV not to exceed 250 scfh for all four main 
steam lines, results in an acceptable value when evaluated against the 
regulatory limits for the off-site doses, TSC and MCR doses contained 
in 10 CFR Part 100, and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A, GDC-19, 
respectively.
    The staff concluded that the exemption requested is acceptable 
based on: the method of MSIV testing (i.e., 28.8 psig test pressure 
when applied between MSIVs on a single steam line); a radiological 
analysis that assumes a 100 scfh per MSIV leak rate not to exceed 250 
scfh for all four steam lines; and the requirement that the MSIVs would 
be periodically tested to ensure the validity of the radiological 
analysis (i.e., verify that the MSIV leakage rate during testing is 
accounted for separately in the radiological analysis of the site).
    For the reasons set forth above, the NRC staff concludes that there 
is reasonable assurance that: the current MSIV leak testing method 
(i.e., test pressure of 28.8 psig when applied between MSIVs) is an 
acceptable method; and the calculated doses obtained by performing 
radiological analysis (calculated using an MSIV leakage rate limit of 
100 scfh per MSIV, not to exceed 250 scfh for all four main steam 
lines), are within the limits of 10 CFR Part 100 and GDC-19. The staff 
finds it acceptable to continue to exclude the measured MSIV leakage 
rate from the combined leak rate test results, since the leakage is 
accounted for separately and continues to meet the underlying purpose 
of the rule. Therefore, the staff finds that the requested exemption 
presented in the licensee's June 20, 1995, submittal is acceptable.

III.

    Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, the Commission may, upon application by 
any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from 
the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 when (1) the exemptions are 
authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to public health and 
safety, and are consistent with the common defense and security; and 
(2) when special circumstances are present. Special circumstances are 
present whenever, according to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii), ``Application of 
the regulation in the particular circumstances would not serve the 
underlying purpose of the rule or is not necessary to achieve the 
underlying purpose of the rule.''
    The underlying purpose of the rule is to assure that leakage 
through systems and components penetrating the primary containment 
should not exceed allowable leakage rates, so that the dose due to the 
total leakage, including that due to the MSIVs, is within the limits of 
10 CFR Part 100 and GDC-19. The licensee's analysis has demonstrated 
that an adequate margin can be maintained even if leakage from the 
MSIVs is considered separately and subject to a leakage restriction of 
100 scfh per MSIV, not to exceed a total of 250 scfh for all four main 
steam lines.

IV.

    Accordingly, the Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 
50.12, an exemption is authorized by law and will not present an undue 
risk to the public health and safety, and that there are special 
circumstances present, as specified in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2). An exemption 
is hereby granted from the requirements of Sections III.A.5(b)(1), 
III.A.5(b)(2), III.B.3, III.C.2(a), and III.C.3 of Appendix J to 10 CFR 
Part 50. The exemption allows (1) leakage testing of the MSIVs, after 
deletion of the LCS, using a test pressure of 28.8 psig applied between 
MSIVs, and (2) exclusion of the measured MSIV leakage rate from the 
combined local leak rate test results. Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the 
Commission has determined that the granting of this exemption will have 
no significant impact on the quality of the human environment (60 FR 
54709).
    This exemption is effective upon issuance and will be implemented 
prior to startup of Cycle 13 for Hatch, Unit 2.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 1st day of November 1995.
Steven A. Varga,
Director, Division of Reactor Projects--I/II Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 95-27414 Filed 11-3-95; 8:45 am]
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