ML20042F129
| ML20042F129 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Fort Saint Vrain  |
| Issue date: | 05/01/1990 |
| From: | Murley T Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | PUBLIC SERVICE CO. OF COLORADO |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20042F126 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9005070252 | |
| Download: ML20042F129 (5) | |
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
'In the Matter of Docket No. 50-267 PUBLIC' SERVICE COMPANY-
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OF COLORADO (Fort St. Vrain Nuclear GeneratingStation).
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1 CONFIRMATORY ORDER MODIFYING L'ICENSE
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(EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY) a I.
'Public Service Company of Colorado (the licensee) is the holder of Facility 1
- Operating License No. DPR-34 ' issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Connission (the' l
NRC) pursuant to 10 CFR Part'50 on December 21', 1973.. The license authorizes the operation of the Fort St. Vrain Nuclear. Generating Station (FSV) at a j
steady-state power level not in excess of 842 megawatts thermal.
FSV 1A.a-I high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) located at the licensee's site in' I
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f II.
i FSV was shutcown on August 18, 1989, because of control rod failures. The shutdown was made permanent because of subsequent discovery of degradation of
- l steam generator ring headers.
By letter dated November 21, 1989,. the licensee'-
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q contaitted not-to take the FSV reactor to criticality and not to operate the' 4
reactor at any power level.
The-licensee had initially planned to terminate FSV operations by June 30,,
i1990, for economic reasons. However, because of the. problems encountered with-i 50gy y 7
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.. 2 the control rods and steam generators and the time' and financial resources required to correct these. problems it was decided to prepare for an early decommissioning. The licensee began defueling or. November 27, 1989, and L
completed the removal of one-third of the core (the maximum. capacity of its on-site fuel storage wells) on' February 7,1990. Completion ~of defueling is held up pending resolution of final disposition of the spent fuel. The:
licensee plans to either ship spent fuel to a.00E facility located in Idaho for reprocessing or to construct an-independent spent fuel storage installation.
By letter dated October 24, 1989, the licensee comitted to comply with applicable Technical Specifications, Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) and l
Fire Protection Program Plan requirements, Security Plan requirements,'QA Program requirements, and Emergency Preparedness requirements during shutdown I
and defueling. The licensee assured the NRC'that it will request relief from the NRC prior to downgrading activitieslin any of these areas. Although there i
has been some reduction in operating and support staff, the NRC has concluded that the present staffing level is adequate to support plant operations'during the present shutdown status.
III.
l The NRC has determined that the public health and safety require that I
the licensee not operate for'the following reasons:
(1) the failure of the-control rod drives and degradation of the steam generator ring headeptc, and' (2) the absence of NRC-approved procedures for returning to an operational status, systems and equipment that the licensee would need to repair or that the licensee has deactivated rather than maintain in an cperationally ready in v
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- 1 condition. Such syctems and equipment include control rod drives, steam gener--
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ators, the cryogenic helium cleanup system, most of the plant's safety-related l
systems, and most of the plant's auxiliary support systems. The NRC believes I
that further operation of FSV would be unsafe in its current state without l
determining the root cause of its failures and without taking appropriate cor-i rective actions, j'
On November 21, 1989,'the licensee submitted a. letter in which it stated-that it would not take the FSV reactor critical or operate it at any. power level.
I find the licensee's commitment as set farth in its letter of t
November 21, 1989, acceptable and necessary, ar;d I conclade that with this commitment, the plant's safety is reasonably assured, i n vv w of the-foregoing, e
I have-determined that the public health and safety require that the licensee's
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commitment in its November 21, 1989, letter not to take the FSV reactor critical and not to operate the reactor at any power level.be-confirmed by this' Order.
Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.204, I have also determined. that the public health and r
safety require that this Order be effective immediately. This Confirmatory i
Order in no way relieves the licensee of the terms.and conditions of its operat-ing license.
4 IV.
g Accordingly, pursuant to Sections-103,161b, and 1611 of the Atomic Energy 1
Act of 1954, as amended, and the Commission's regulations-in 10 CFR 2.204 and 10 CFR Part 50, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, that Facility
' Operating License No. DPR-34 is modified as.follows:
The licensee is prohibited from taking the Fort St. Vrain reactor to criticality and the facility shall not be operated at any power. level.-
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V.
Any person whose interest may be adversely affected by this order may request a hearing on this order within 20 days of the-date of issuance. Any.
request for a hearing should be addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission, Washington, D.C.
20555, Attention: Chief, Docketing-
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and Services Branch. Office of the Secretary. Copies shall also;be sent to the
- i l'irector, Office of Enforcement, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission, Washington, D.C.
20555; to the Assistant General Counsel for Hearings and Enforcement, Ofiice of the General Counsel, at the same address; and to the Regional Adminis-tratar, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission, Region IV, 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 1000, Arlington, Texas 76011.
If any such person requests a hearing, that person shall set forth with. particularity the manner in which his interest
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is adversely affected by this order and should address the criteria set forth in10CFR2.714(a). A REQUEST FOR HEARING SHAli. NOT-STAY THE IMMEDIATE EFFEC-TIVENESS OF THIS CONFIRMATORY ORDER.
If a hearing is requested by any. person who is advenely affected, the i
Comission will issue an order designating the time and place of any hearing.
If a hearing is held, the issue to be considered at such hearing'shall be whether this Confirmatory Order should be sustained.
FOR THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION' Thomas E. Murley, Ditector Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 1stday of. May 1990-la
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