[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 793-794]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-254]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-237 and 50-249]
Commonwealth Edison Company (Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units
2 and 3); Exemption
I
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd, the licensee) is the holder of
Facility Operating Licenses Nos. DPR-19 and DPR-25 for the Dresden
Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3. The licenses provide, among other
things, that the licensee is subject to all rules, regulations, and
orders of the Commission now or hereafter in effect.
Dresden Nuclear Power Station consists of two boiling water
reactors located in Grundy County, Illinois.
II
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), Section
50.48, ``Fire protection,'' paragraph (b) states, in part, that ``all
nuclear power plants licensed to operate prior to January 1, 1979 shall
satisfy the applicable requirements of appendix R to this part,
including specifically the requirements of sections III.G, III.J, and
III.O.'' Appendix R, Section III.J, ``Emergency lighting,'' requires
that ``Emergency lighting units with at least an 8-hour battery power
supply shall be provided in all areas needed for operation of safe
shutdown equipment and in access and egress routes thereto.'' This
requirement applies to Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3,
since they were licensed to operate prior to January 1, 1979.
III
Section 50.12(a) of 10 CFR, ``Specific exemptions,'' states:
The Commission may, upon application by any interested person or
upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from the requirements of
the regulations of this part, which are--
(1) Authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to the
public health and safety, and are consistent with the common defense
and security.
(2) The Commission will not consider granting an exemption
unless special circumstances are present.
Section 50.12(a)(2)of 10 CFR states that special circumstances are
present whenever ``(ii) Application of the regulation in the particular
circumstances * * * is not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose
of the rule * * *. ''
Equipment needed for safe shutdown at Dresden, Units 2 and 3, is
maintained inside the main power block and several buildings onsite.
Emergency lighting is provided inside these buildings for areas needed
for operation of safe shutdown equipment and for access and egress
routes in accordance with 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix R, Section III.J.
However, no emergency lighting meeting Section III.J requirements has
been installed for outdoor routes between the main power block, the
isolation condenser pumphouse, the cribhouse, or at the clean
demineralized water storage tank (CDST). Because of cost and
maintenance considerations, and after determining that application of
Section III.J was not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose of
the rule, the licensee submitted an exemption request with respect to
emergency lighting for these outdoor routes and for reading the CDST
level instrument.
The requested exemption from the requirements of Appendix R,
Section III.J, would allow the use of hand-held portable lights, in the
event that sufficient daylight or security lighting is not available,
when transiting access and egress routes between the main power block,
the isolation condenser pumphouse, the cribhouse, and the CDST,
including reading the CDST level instrument. These buildings contain
equipment relied upon in the detailed fire plans to mitigate the
consequences of a fire that could affect the capability to place the
reactor in cold shutdown. As stated above, emergency lighting is
maintained within these structures as required by Appendix R, Section
III.J. However, access and egress between these buildings, the CDST,
and the main power block requires walking outdoors. These areas are
normally lit by outdoor lighting powered by offsite power or emergency
power from the security diesel. However, the normally installed outdoor
and security lighting does not meet the Appendix R requirements for an
8-hour battery power supply.
Under the proposed exemption, in the worst-case scenarios that
postulate a fire concurrent with a loss of offsite power, the hand-
held, battery-powered, portable lighting units currently maintained on
site near the main control room would be used by the operations staff
to allow transit between buildings and reading the CDST level
instrument as required by the fire plans and operations procedures. The
transit routes through these areas are along normally traveled and
paved plant roadways that are maintained clear of obstructions and are
provided snow removal. The portable lighting units provide an adequate
level of illumination for transit and reading the CDST level
instrument.
The hand-held, battery-powered, portable lighting units are
administratively controlled and dedicated for operator use to perform
safe shutdown activities during and following plant fires. These
portable lighting units are verified to be functional in quarterly
surveillance.
The underlying purpose of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix R, Section
III.J, is to provide adequate illumination to assure the capability of
performing all necessary safe shutdown functions, as well as to assure
personnel movement to and from the equipment and components that must
be manually operated by plant personnel to effect safe shutdown during
emergencies. In addition, the illumination must have a capability to
allow sufficient time for normal lighting to be restored.
The availability of hand-held, battery-powered portable lights
would serve the underlying purpose of the rule with respect to transit
between the main power block, the isolation condenser pumphouse, the
cribhouse, and the CDST, in that the use of such hand-held lights would
provide adequate illumination to permit access to and egress from
buildings containing safe shutdown equipment and components and reading
the CDST level instrument. In addition, such hand-held lights would be
available for use during an 8-hour period as required by the
regulation.
The implementation of outdoor battery powered lighting units would
result in expenditure of engineering, construction, and plant resources
for their installation, maintenance, and operation. The associated
costs would include engineering and installation of additional lighting
units and supporting structures and increase surveillance and
[[Page 794]]
maintenance of the additional lighting units.
On the basis of its evaluation, the staff concludes that with the
availability of hand-held battery-powered portable lights for use
during transit between site structures described above and for reading
the CDST level instrument, the installation of emergency lighting units
with at least an 8-hour battery supply for these transit routes and the
CDST level instrument is not necessary to achieve the underlying
purpose of Section III.J of Appendix R to 10 CFR Part 50. Thus, special
circumstances are present as defined in 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii). The
staff has further determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, the
requested exemption is authorized by law, will not present an undue
risk to the public health and safety, and is consistent with the common
defense and security. Accordingly, the licensee's request for an
exemption from the requirements of Section III.J to 10 CFR Part 50 to
allow the use of alternate means of lighting for access and egress
routes between the main power block, the isolation condenser pumphouse,
the cribhouse, the CDST, and for reading the CDST level instrument at
Dresden, Units 2 and 3, is acceptable to the staff.
In consideration of the foregoing, the Commission hereby grants the
licensee an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix
R, Section III.J, to provide emergency lighting units with at least an
8-hour battery power supply in all areas needed for operation of safe
shutdown equipment and in access and egress routes thereto, for access
and egress routes between the main power block, the isolation condenser
pumphouse, the cribhouse, the CDST, and for reading the CDST level
instrument at Dresden, Units 2 and 3, to the extent alternative means
of lighting as described herein are available.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that
granting of this exemption will have no significant effect on the
quality of the human environment (64 FR 72701).
This exemption is effective upon issuance.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of December 1999.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Suzanne C. Black,
Acting Director, Division of Licensing Project Management, Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 00-254 Filed 1-5-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P