Fire Protection (Generic Letter 80-96)

GL80096 

                              UNITED STATES 
                      NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 
                         WASHINGTON, D.C.  20555 
                            November 14, 1980 

Docket No. 50-336 

Mr. W. G. Counsil, Vice President 
  Nuclear Engineering & Operations 
Northeast Nuclear Energy Company 
P. O. Box 270 
Hartford, Connecticut 06101 

Dear Mr. Counsil: 

As you know, a proposed Section 50.48 and Appendix R to 10 CFR 50 has been 
pending since May 1980. The Commission has recently approved a revised final
version of that proposed Section 50.48 and Appendix R to 10 CFR 50 which 
will be published in the Federal Register shortly and will become effective 
90 days after publication. This revised 10 CFR 50.48 will contain schedules 
for completion of all fire protection modifications. One set of schedules 
will be applicable to features covered by Appendix R. A similar set of 
schedules will be applicable to all other fire protection modifications that 
have been approved by the NRC staff in a staff safety evaluation report. 
This latter set of schedules will require completion of modifications not 
covered by Appendix R by schedules specified in the revised rule or by the 
dates now specified as license conditions, whichever is sooner, unless an 
extension or exemption is approved by NRC. 

Some of the completion dates discussed in the SER for your facility may be 
associated with modifications for which the NRC staff required additional 
information, such as design details or test results, to be subsequently 
reviewed and approved by the NRC staff prior to implementation. To the 
extent that there are fire protection modifications such as this for your 
facility and the required additional information has not yet been approved 
by the staff as evidenced in a staff safety evaluation report, there is no 
present implementation requirement; consequently, completion of such items 
will be governed by the schedules in the revised rule. 

In the interim, pending the effective date of the revised rule, the 
Commission has approved a new Section 50.48 of 10 CFR 50 suspending 
completion dates for fire protection modifications previously approved by 
the NRC staff. This new section became effective upon publication in the 
Federal Register on October 29, 1980 (45 FR 71569). A copy of the new rule 
is enclosed for your information. This rule will be superseded by the 
revised rule when it becomes effective. 
.

                                  - 2 - 

In the near future, we plan to contact you to identify specifically which 
fire protection features associated with your facility are covered by 
Appendix R and would thus be subject to one set of schedules, and which are 
previously approved items which are covered by a different set of schedules.

                                        Sincerely, 


                                        Darrell G. Eisenhut, Director 
                                        Division of Licensing 

Enclosure: 
As stated 

cc w/enclosure: 
See next page 
.

Northeast Nuclear Energy Company 

cc:                                          Mr. John Shedlosky 
William H. Cuddy, Esquire                    Resident Inspector/Millstone
Day, Berry g Howard                          c/o U.S. NRC 
Counselors at Law                            P. O. Drawer KK 
One Constitution Plaza                       Niantic, CT 06357 
Hartford, Connecticut 06103 

Anthony Z. Roisman                           Mr. Charles B. Brinkman 
Natural Resources Defense Council            Manager - Washington Nuclear 
917 15th Street, N.W.                          Operations 
Washington, D.C. 20005                       C-E Power Systems  
                                             Combustion Engineering, Inc. 
                                             4853  Cordell Ave., Suite A-1
Mr. Lawrence Bettencourt. First Selectman    Bethesda, Maryland 20014 
Town of Waterford                            
Hall of Records - 200 Boston Post Road 
Waterford, Connecticut 06385 

Northeast Nuclear Energy Company 
ATTN:     Superintendent 
          Millstone Plant                    Connecticut Energy Agency 
Post Office Box 128                          ATTN:  Assistant Director,
                                                       Research and Policy
Waterford, Connecticut 06385                           Development
                                             Department of Planning and
Director, Technical Assessment                    Energy Policy 
  Division                                   20 Grand Street 
Office of Radiation Programs                 Hartford, Connecticut 06106 
  (AW-459) 
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency 
Crystal Mall #2 
Arlington, Virginia 20460 

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency 
Region I Office 
ATTN: EIS COORDINATOR 
John F. Kennedy Federal Building 
Boston, Massachusetts 02203 

Waterford Public Library 
Rope Ferry Road, Route 156 
Waterford, Connecticut 06385 

Northeast Utilities Service Company 
ATTN:     Mr. James R. Himmelwright
          Nuclear Engineering and Operations 
          P. O. Box 270 
          Hartford, Connecticut 06101