Vermont Yankee Presentation to VSNAP 7/17/13

VY/Entergy Fukushima Response Update

Bernard Buteau

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Tonight’s Presentation

• Overview of NRC issued regulatory requirements (Orders & Info Requests) • Overview of VY responses to NRC

Orders• Current VY status

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Background

• Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi event in March 2011 the NRC established a senior level task force (Near Term Task Force – NTTF)

• NTTF conducted a systematic and methodical review of NRC Regulations to identify Safety improvements

• As a result of the NTTF assessment the NRC issued a set of Orders to all nuclear plant licensees

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NRC Orders & 50.54(f) RequestsOrders

• Hardened vent modifications – Wetwell and Drywell• Spent Fuel Pool Level Monitoring Instrumentation• Mitigation Strategies for Design Basis External

Events (FLEX)

50.54(f) Information Requests• Emergency Planning communication upgrades• Emergency Plan Staffing Upgrades • Seismic analysis and walkdowns• Flooding analysis and walkdowns

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Mitigation Strategies for Beyond Design Basis External Events (FLEX)• NRC Order EA-12-049 issued 3/12/2012• Key Goals – Protect Public Health and Safety by:

– Preventing fuel damage (Core and Spent Fuel Pool)– Providing diverse, redundant, “flexible” means to restore and

maintain core and fuel pool cooling as well as containment integrity• Assumes Extended Loss of AC Power (ELAP), Motive Force

and Loss of Normal Access to the Ultimate Heat Sink• Licensees are required to complete full implementation no

later than two (2) refueling cycles after submittal of an overall integrated plan or 12/31/16, whichever comes first

• The current due date for Vermont Yankee FLEX modifications is by end of RFO 31 in Fall 2014

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Mitigation Strategies for Beyond Design Basis External Events (FLEX)• Vermont Yankee Overall Integrated Plan submitted to NRC on

February 28, 2013

• Vermont Yankee’s overall plan meets the guidance provided in NEI 12-06 “Diverse and Flexible Coping Strategies (FLEX) Implementation Guide

– Portable equipment that provides means of obtaining power and water to maintain or restore key safety functions

– Reasonable staging and protection of portable equipment – Procedures and guidance to implement FLEX strategies– Programmatic controls that assure the continued viability and reliability of

the FLEX strategies

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Hardened Vent ModificationsWetwell and Drywell

• NRC Order EA-13-109 Issued 6/6/2013 • Key Goals – Protect Public Health and Safety by:

– Upgrading reliable hardened vents with a containment venting system designed and installed to remain functional during severe accident conditions

– Preventing core damage when heat removal capability is lost• Phase 1: Enhance current wetwell venting system;

capable of operating under severe accident conditions

• Phase 2: Install new drywell venting system; capable of operating under severe accident conditions

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Hardened Vent ModificationsWetwell

• NRC Requirement for Phase 1 (severe accident capable wetwell venting system):– Enhance no later than startup from the 2nd

refueling that begins after June 13, 2014 or June 30, 2018, whichever comes first

• For VY the due date is RFO 32 / Spring 2016

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Hardened Vent ModificationsDrywell

• NRC Requirement for Phase 2 (severe accident capable drywell venting system):– Install no later than startup from the 2nd

refueling that begins after June 30, 2017 or June 30, 2019, whichever comes first

• For VY the due date is RFO 33 / Fall 2017

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Spent Fuel Level Monitoring• NRC Order EA-12-051 issued 3/12/2012• Key Goal – Protect Public Health and Safety by:

– Providing another reliable means of remotely monitoring wide-range spent fuel pool levels to support effective prioritization of event mitigation and recovery actions in the event of a beyond-design-basis external event

• Licensees are required to complete full implementation no later than two (2) refueling cycles after submittal of an overall integrated plan or 12/31/16, whichever comes first

• Vermont Yankee will complete Spent Fuel Pool Level Monitoring Instrumentation installation by end of RFO 31 in Fall 2014

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Emergency Plan Communication Upgrades

• Onsite and offsite communications need to be accomplished during area wide (25 mile radius around site) loss of electrical power, seismic and flooding events

• Onsite communications will rely on current site radio systems. Upgrades required to radio system power supplies (i.e. batteries)

• Offsite communications to rely on current radios and satellite phones. Phones to be located in key emergency response facilities

• These modifications are scheduled for completion byFall 2014

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Emergency Plan Staffing Upgrades• Ensure adequate on-shift staff to respond to a “beyond design

basis external event”– Implement EP response actions – Perform accident mitigation– Assume limited staff augmentation

• Identify time and staff needed to perform each emergency task

• Assess staff’s ability to implement functions and tasks related to Fukushima Near-Term Task Force (NTTF) Recommendation 4.2 (FLEX)

• VY will complete and submit to NRC by June 11, 2014

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Flooding Analysis and Walkdowns• NRC 50.54(f) letter of 3/12/12 requested flooding related

info:– Complete and document walkdown of all current Licensing Basis

Flood Protection features• Walkdown of all Flood Protection Features completed Nov 2012

– Prepare Flooding hazards reevaluation by March 2013• Flooding hazards reevaluation completed in March 2013

– Prepare Integrated Assessment report by March 2015 for Flood Hazards

• Note: NRC audit of VY flooding walkdown effort occurring this week, VT State Nuclear Engineer participating

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Seismic Analysis and Walkdowns• 7/5/13 – VY Submitted an updated Seismic

Walkdown Report to the NRC

• Submit Expedited Seismic Evaluation Process Report by end of 2014

• Complete plant modifications not requiring a refueling outage by end of 2016

• Complete modifications requiring a refueling outage within 2 outages from 12/2014 (VY RFO 32 Fall 2017)