Certification of Compliance to 10 CFR 50.49, Environmental Qualification of Electric Equipment Important to Safety for Nuclear Power Plants (Generic Letter 84-24)

                               UNITED STATES 
                       NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 
                           WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 

                              December 27, 1984

TO ALL LICENSEES OF OPERATING REACTORS AND APPLICANTS FOR AN OPERATING 
LICENSE 

Gentlemen: 

SUBJECT:  CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE TO 10 CFR 50.49, ENVIRONMENTAL 
          QUALIFICATION OF ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT IMPORTANT TO SAFETY FOR 
          NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS (Generic Letter 84-24)  

The Commission has amended its regulations, effective February 23, 1983, to 
clarify and strengthen the criteria for environmental qualification of 
electric equipment important to safety. A copy of the new rule, 10 CFR 
50.49, Is Environmental Qualification of Electric Equipment Important to 
Safety for Nuclear Power Plants," is enclosed for information. 

The Commission has directed the staff to collect information on the status 
of compliance with the rule, evaluate the information and make 
recommendations on needed action. Accordingly, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.54(f), 
each licensee of an operating reactor is required to submit, under oath or 
affirmation, no later than 30 days from the date of this letter, a 
certification that: (a) the utility has in place and is implementing an 
Environmental Qualification (EQ) Program that will satisfy the requirements 
of 10 CFR Section 50.49 within the currently approved schedule for the plant
without further extension; (b) the plant has at least one path to safe 
shutdown using fully qualified equipment, or has submitted a justification 
for continued safe operation (JCO) pending full qualification of any 
equipment not fully qualified; and (c) all other equipment within the scope 
of 50.49 is either fully qualified or a JCO has been submitted pending full 
qualification. 

The certifications described in (a), (b), and (c) above should specifically 
address all IE Bulletins and Information Notices that identify EQ problems, 
to the extent that such bulletins and notices are relevant to the licensee's
facility. The following Bulletins and Information Notices are considered 
applicable to these certifications: IE Bulletin 82-04, IE Information 
Notices 82-11, 82-52, 83-45, 83-72, 84-23, 84-44, 84-47, 84-57, 84-68 and 
84-78. 

This requirement for certification under oath or affirmation does not 
require approval by the Office of Management and Budget. Comments on burden 
and duplication may be directed to the Office of Management and Budget, 
Reports Management Room 3208, New Executive Office Building, Washington, 
D.C. 20503. 


                                   Darrell G. Eisenhut, Director 
                                   Division of Licensing 

Enclosure:  As stated 


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