Headquarters Daily Report FEBRUARY 01, 1996 *************************************************************************** REPORT NEGATIVE NO INPUT ATTACHED INPUT RECEIVED RECEIVED HEADQUARTERS û REGION I û REGION II û REGION III û REGION IV û PRIORITY ATTENTION REQUIRED MORNING REPORT - HEADQUARTERS FEB. 01, 1996 MR Number: H-96-0010 NRR DAILY REPORT ITEM GENERIC COMMUNICATIONS NRC Generic Letter 96-03, "Relocation of the Pressure Temperature Limit Curves and Low Temperature Overpressure Protection System Limits," dated January 31, 1996. The NRC issued this generic letter to advise licensees that they may request a license amendment to relocate the pressure temperature limit curves from their plant technical specifications to a pressure temperature limits report or a similar document. Technical contact: Maggalean W. Weston, NRR (301) 415-3151 _ REGION I MORNING REPORT PAGE 2 FEBRUARY 1, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Duquesne Light Co. MR Number: 1-96-0009 Beaver Valley 1 2 Date: 02/01/96 Shippingport,Pennsylvania SRI PC Dockets: 50-334,50-412 PWR/W-3-LP,PWR/W-3-LP Subject: MANAGEMENT CHANGES Discussion: On January 30, 1996, the Duquesne Light Company announced that effective February 1, 1996, Sushil C. Jain will assume the position of Division Vice President, Nuclear Services Group at the Beaver Valley Power Station. He is replacing George S. Thomas who will assume the position of Vice President, Nuclear Planning and Development. Mr. Jain was previously the Director of Engineering and Services at the Davis-Besse plant. Regional Action: This Is For Informational Purposes Only. Contact: Pete Eselgroth (610)337-5234 _ REGION II MORNING REPORT PAGE 3 FEBRUARY 1, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: MR Number: 2-96-0008 Nuclear Fuel Services Inc. Date: 02/01/96 Erwin,Tennessee Dockets: 07000143 License No: SNM-124 URANIUM FUEL FABRICATION Subject: NEW NAVAL REACTORS FUEL CONTRACT Discussion: Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) has announced that it was awarded the new Naval Reactors Fuel Contract. NFS won the award in a competetive bid against Babcock and Wilcox, Lynchburg, VA. NFS had stopped production of naval fuel in early 1993 when the Navy informed the company it had enough fuel to take it to the end of the decade. The new contract calls for NFS to once again begin making nuclear fuel for the U. S. Navy in 1999. Facility refurbishment will begin immediately and continue to mid-1998. This will be followed by startup activities running to mid-1999, with the production of Naval Reactors Fuel running from mid-1999 to mid-2002. Congressman James H. Quillen issued a press release on this subject on January 31, 1996. Contact: E. McAlpine (404)331-5547 _ REGION II MORNING REPORT PAGE 4 FEBRUARY 1, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Georgia Power Co. MR Number: 2-96-0009 Vogtle 1 2 Date: 02/01/96 Waynesboro,Georgia Dockets: 50-424,50-425 PWR/W-4-LP,PWR/W-4-LP Subject: WESTINGHOUSE FUEL POTENTIAL DESIGN DEFICIENCY Discussion: On the afternoon of 01/31/96, the licensee informed the Senior Resident Inspector that Westinghouse had identified a potential design deficiency with a new fuel design called "Integral Fuel Burnable Absorber" (IFBA). This new fuel design incorporates a change in the helium pressure in selected poison loaded rods in the assembly. This change in pressure, combined with greater than expected fission gas production observed during destructive analysis by Westinghouse of expended fuel from VC Summer, could represent a challenge to accident analysis assumptions. As described by the licensee, the potential design deficiency appears to center on the integrity of the fuel cladding following certain accident scenarios. Vogtle has 87 unburned fuel assemblies of this design in the spent fuel pool in preparation for the upcoming outage scheduled for March 96. The licensee is planning on shipping 40 of these assemblies back to Westinghouse starting today. None of the fuel assemblies associated with this potential design deficiency are currently loaded in either unit. It is expected that other utilities may have received this IFBA fuel. Regional Action: Resident personnel will monitor licensee efforts to return this fuel. Regional DNMS personnel have been informed and will track the potential design deficiency issue. A conference call is being scheduled for February 2, 1996. Contact: P. SKINNER (404)331-6299 _ REGION II MORNING REPORT PAGE 5 FEBRUARY 1, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: MR Number: 2-96-0010 General Electric Co. Date: 02/01/96 Wilmington,North Carolina Dockets: 07001113 License No: SNM-1097 Subject: LEVELS OF URANIUM AND FLUORIDE DETECTED IN MONITORING WELLS Discussion: On January 31, 1996, the licensee notified Region II that levels of uranium and fluoride greater than State and EPA drinking water standards had been detected in onsite groundwater monitoring wells. The licensee indicated that data from a second well, down gradient from the first, indicates the small amounts of uranium and fluoride have not migrated offsite. The nearest receptor for the groundwater is one mile away at a cross gradient. Based on results from samples collected in mid-January 1996, the highest uranium value was 0.5 parts per million (ppm) or 1 pico Curies per millileter (pCi/ml) (assuming 3% uranium). The draft EPA drinking water standard is 0.03 pCi/ml. The highest fluoride value was 8 ppm. The standard for North Carolina is 2 ppm. Additional samples were taken for isotopic analysis; however, the results will not be available for approximately two weeks. According to the licensee, results from a down gradient well approximately 50 feet from the elevated readings and 50 feet from the site boundary indicated 0.009 ppm or .018 pCi/ml uranium (assuming 3% uranium). Based on the results from the second well, there is no evidence of migration offsite at this time. Regional Action: The licensee notified the State of North Carolina, Department of Environmental Protection. Region II is following the licensee's monitoring and analysis of uranium in the wells. Contact: E. J. McAlpine (404)331-5547 _