ML062780122

Summary of a Telephone Conference Call Held on September 19, 2006, Between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc

ML062780122
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png
Issue date:	10/12/2006
From:	Rowley J NRC/NRR/ADRO/DLR/RLRB
To:	Entergy Nuclear Operations
Rowley J, NRR/DLR/RLRB, 415-4053
References
%dam200612
Download: ML062780122 (9)

Text

October 12, 2006 LICENSEE:

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

FACILITY:

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station

SUMMARY

OF A TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL HELD ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2006, BETWEEN THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION AND ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC., CONCERNING INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff (the staff) and representatives of Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., (ENO) held a telephone conference call on September 19, 2006, to discuss and clarify the staffs requests for additional information (RAIs) and other issues concerning the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Station (VYNPS) license renewal application (LRA).

The conference call was useful in clarifying the staffs questions. provides a listing of the conference call participants. Enclosure 2 contains a listing of the issues discussed with the applicant, including a brief discussion of the items status.

The applicant had an opportunity to comment on this summary.

/RA/

Jonathan Rowley, Project Manager License Renewal Branch B Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-271

Enclosures:

As stated cc w/encls: See next page

ML062780122 DOCUMENT NAME: G:\\ADRO\\DLR\\RLRB\\Rowley\\Vermont Yankee Summary of Telephone Conference - September 19, 20006.wpd OFFICE PM:RLRB LA:RLRB BC:RLRB NAME JRowley SFigueroa JZimmerman DMerzke DATE 10/11/06 10/06/06 10/12/06

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:

Regional Administrator, Region I U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Mr. David R. Lewis Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman, LLP 2300 N Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20037-1128 Mr. David OBrien, Commissioner Vermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. James Volz, Chairman Public Service Board State of Vermont 112 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620-2701 Chairman, Board of Selectmen Town of Vernon P.O. Box 116 Vernon, VT 05354-0116 Operating Experience Coordinator Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station 320 Governor Hunt Road Vernon, VT 05354 G. Dana Bisbee, Esq.

Deputy Attorney General 33 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301-6937 Chief, Safety Unit Office of the Attorney General One Ashburton Place, 19th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Ms. Carla A. White, RRPT, CHP Radiological Health Vermont Department of Health P.O. Box 70, Drawer #43 108 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05402-0070 Mr. James M. DeVincentis Manager, Licensing Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Resident Inspector Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 176 Vernon, VT 05354 Director, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency ATTN: James Muckerheide 400 Worcester Rd.

Framingham, MA 01702-5399 Jonathan M. Block, Esq.

Main Street P.O. Box 566 Putney, VT 05346-0566 Mr. John F. McCann Director, Licensing Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Gary J. Taylor Chief Executive Officer Entergy Operations 1340 Echelon Parkway Jackson, MS 39213

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:

Mr. John T. Herron Sr. VP and Chief Operating Officer Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Oscar Limpias Vice President, Engineering Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Christopher Schwartz Vice President, Operations Support Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Michael J. Colomb Director of Oversight Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Travis C. McCullough Assistant General Counsel Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. Theodore Sullivan Site Vice President Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Mr. James H. Sniezek 5486 Nithsdale Drive Salisbury, MD 21801 Mr. Garrett D. Edwards 814 Waverly Road Kennett Square, PA 19348 Ms. Stacey M. Lousteau Treasury Department Entergy Services, Inc.

639 Loyola Avenue New Orleans, LA 70113 Mr. Norman L. Rademacher Director, NSA Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station P.O. Box 0500 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, VT 05302-0500 Mr. Raymond Shadis New England Coalition Post Office Box 98 Edgecomb, ME 04556 Mr. James P. Matteau Executive Director Windham Regional Commission 139 Main Street, Suite 505 Brattleboro, VT 05301 Mr. William K. Sherman Vermont Department of Public Service 112 State Street Drawer 20 Montpelier, VT 05620-2601 Mr. Michael D. Lyster 5931 Barclay Lane Naples, FL 34110-7306 Ms. Charlene D. Faison Manager, Licensing 440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 Mr. James Ross Nuclear Energy Institute 1776 I Street, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006-3708

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station cc:

Diane Curran, Esq.

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg &

Eisenberg, L.L.P 1726 M Street, NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036

Note to Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., from Jonathan Rowley dated October 12, 2006

SUMMARY

OF A TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL HELD ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2006, BETWEEN THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION AND ENTERGY NUCLEAR OPERATIONS, INC., CONCERNING INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION HARD COPY DLR R/F JRowley E-MAIL:

JFair RWeisman AMurphy RPettis GGalletti DShum GBagchi SSmith (srs3)

SDuraiswamy YL (Renee) Li RidsNrrDlr RidsNrrDlrRlra RidsNrrDlrRlrb RidsNrrDlrRlrc RidsNrrDlrReba RidsNrrDlrRebb RidsNrrDe RidsNrrDci RidsNrreEemb RidsNrrDeEeeb RidsNrrDeEqva RidsNrrDss RidsNrrDnrl RidsOgcMailCenter RidsNrrAdes JRowley RLaufer JShea CAnderson, RI RPowell, RI DScrenci, RI MModes, RI DPelton, Sr. Resident MYoung RidsOpaMail LIST OF PARTICIPANTS FOR TELEPHONE CONFERENCE CALL TO DISCUSS THE VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION September 19, 2006 Participants Affiliations Jonathan Rowley U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Kenneth Chang NRC Kaihwa Hsu NRC Duc Nguyen NRC James DeVincentis Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (ENO)

Mike Metell ENO David Lach ENO Mike Hamer ENO Allan Cox ENO Jim Fitzpatrick ENO VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION September 19, 2006 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff (the staff) and representatives of Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., held a telephone conference call on September 19, 2006, to discuss and clarify the staffs requests for additional information (RAIs) and other issues concerning the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VYNPS) license renewal application (LRA). The following issues were discussed during the telephone conference call:

RAI 3.6.2.2-N-08-1 The applicant responded to the staffs Request for Additional Information (RAI) 3.6.2.2-N-08 in a letter dated July 14, 2006, License Renewal Application, Amendment 4. In the letter the applicant stated:

Entergy, consistent with the Peach Bottom precedent, credited the [Federal Energy Regulatory Commission] FERC dam inspection program to manage the effects of aging on civil and structural elements of the [Vernon Hydroelectric Station] VHS.

A FERC letter to the previous owner of the VHS, New England Power Company (currently owned by TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc.), dated August 6,1997 states: By letter dated June 26, 1997, you requested an exemption from filing an Independent Consultants Safety Inspection Report under Part 12, Subpart D, of the Commissions Regulations... and...I am granting your request for an exemption from the Part 12, Subpart D requirement for submittal of an Independent Consultants Safety Inspection Report.

As the exemption is only on the filing of an Independent Consultants Safety Inspection Report under Part 12, Subpart D, describe specific Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station aging management activities, provide inspection reports, and describe any corrective actions that have been taken as a result of the inspection reports - as they pertain to the VHS in accordance with 10 CFR 54.21(a)(3) - since the exemption was granted.

Discussion: The staff wanted to assure the applicant understood this RAI completely. The staff wanted to prevent reiteration of the response given to the initial RAI. The staffs position and basis for the question was clearly presented. The applicant indicated to the staff that the RAI was clear.

RAI 3.6.2.2-N-08-2 Electrical components for the VHS include 2 black-start turbine generators, cables and buses for power transmission, instrumentation and control components and their associated cables and connections. The audit team found that there is an aging management program (AMP) for underground cables from Vernon tie breaker routed to Vermont Yankee. However, there appears to be no AMPs for electrical components from the tie breaker to VHS generators.

Please describe how aging effects on the rest of the electrical components will be managed during the period of extended operation.

Discussion: The staff clarified the scope of the RAI. The applicant indicated to the staff that the RAI was against their current licensing basis (CLB) and that the presence of system redundancy should be just cause not to require a AMP for those electrical components. The staff requested that the applicant prove that no aging management is required.

RAI 4.3-H-01 Table 4.3-2 on Page 4.3-4 of the VYNPS LRA indicates that the design transient of reactor startup/shutdown cycles has bounded all other transients for the reactor coolant system (RCS).

Please describe all the transients bounded and demonstrate how this bounding transient encompasses all other RCS transients (e.g. transient curves for pressure and temperature cycles). Please demonstrate that the cumulative usage factors (CUFs) are still within the limit of this revised bounding transient.

Discussion: The staff did not find the applicants response in their September 5, 2006 letter (License Renewal Application, Amendment 12) to this RAI acceptable. The staff reiterated its position. The applicant will attempt to provide an adequate supplemental response to this concern in a impending letter to the NRC.

Additional issue:

The applicant referenced the use of relief request in its Inservice Inspection aging management program (AMP B.1.15) of the license renewal application. The staff wanted to make the applicant aware of this. The staff position is that relief requests can not be used as justification for exceptions to the Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) Report recommendations for license renewal.

Discussion: The applicant understood the staffs position. The applicant will amend its application.