Safety Evaluation Report for an Early Site Permit (ESP) at the North Anna ESP Site (NUREG-1835 Supplement 1)

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: November 2006
Date Published: November 2006

Division of New Reactor Licensing
Office of New Reactors
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

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Abstract

The final safety evaluation report (FSER) (NUREG-1 835, "Safety Evaluation Report for an Early Site Permit (ESP) at the North Anna ESP Site," issued September 2005) documents the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff's technical review of the site safety analysis report and emergency planning information included in the early site permit (ESP) application submitted by Dominion Nuclear North Anna, LLC (Dominion or the applicant), for the North Anna ESP site. By letter dated September 25, 2003, Dominion submitted the ESP application for the North Anna site in accordance with Subpart A, "Early Site Permits," of Title 10, Part 52, "Early Site Permits; Standard Design Certifications; and Combined Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants," of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 52). The North Anna ESP site is located approximately 40 miles north-northwest of Richmond, Virginia, and is adjacent to two existing nuclear power reactors operated by Virginia Electric and Power Company, which, like Dominion Nuclear North Anna, LLC, is a subsidiary of Dominion Resources, Inc. In its application, Dominion seeks an ESP that could support a future application to construct and operate one or more additional nuclear power reactors at the ESP site.

The NRC staff has prepared this supplement to the FSER because Dominion amended its ESP application in Revisions 6, 7, 8, and 9. In Revision 6, which the applicant submitted to the NRC on April 13, 2006, Dominion described a new approach for cooling its proposed Unit 3. Under the revised approach, Unit 3 would use a closed-cycle cooling system, rather than the originally proposed once-through cooling system. Dominion also planned to increase the power level of both proposed Units 3 and 4 from 4300 megawatts thermal (MWt) to 4500 MWt (the designed maximum power of a General Electric Economic and Simple Boiling-Water Reactor (ESBWR)) with a total nuclear generating capacity of up to 9000 MWt.

This supplemental FSER includes the NRC staff's analysis of the safety aspects of constructing and operating a closed-cycle cooling system for Unit 3 and the increase in power for proposed Units 3 and 4. This supplement presents the results of the staff's review of information submitted in conjunction with the ESP application. The staff has identified, in Appendix A to this supplement, certain site-related items that an applicant will need to address at the combined license or construction permit stage, should it desire to construct one or more new nuclear reactors on the North Anna ESP site. The staff determined that these items do not affect the staff's regulatory findings at the ESP stage and are more appropriately addressed at later stages in the licensing process. In addition, Appendix A to this supplement also identifies the proposed permit conditions that the staff recommends the Commission impose, should the NRC issue an ESP to the applicant.

In this supplement, the staff has evaluated only the safety aspects of the changes in cooling design and the increase in power level presented in Revisions 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the ESP application. This supplement contains only those sections and/or chapters of the FSER that are affected by the changes presented in Revisions 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the ESP application. The NRC revised Appendix A and provides it in its entirety for clarity and ease of inclusion in any ESP that the NRC may issue.