[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 86 (Thursday, May 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19644-19645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10899]



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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-282, 50-306]


Receipt of Addendum to Petition for Director's Decision Under 10 
CFR 2.206

    In the matter of Northern States Power Company; Prairie Island 
Nuclear Generating Plant.

    Notice is hereby given that by letter dated March 13, 1996, the 
Nuclear Information and Resource Service and the Prairie Island 
Coalition request that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
take immediate action with regard to steam generator tube inspections 
at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant. The letter was a second 
addendum to an earlier Petition dated June 5, 1995. A first addendum 
was received from the Petitioners in a letter dated February 19, 1996.
    The Petitioners request that the NRC require Northern States Power 
Company to place Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Units 1 and 2 
in mid-cycle outages to inspect the full length of the steam generator 
tubes using the Zetec Plus Point Probe and any state-of-the-art eddy 
current test capable of finding circumferentially oriented cracking. If 
these inspections are not performed, the Petitioners request that the 
NRC hold an informal public hearing in or near Red Wing, Minnesota, to 
inform the public why such inspections are not needed.
    As the basis for this request, the Petitioners state that the NRC 
and nuclear utilities operating pressurized-water reactor facilities in 
the U.S. have known for years that the bobbin coil eddy current 
inspection probe is not effective at finding circumferentially oriented 
cracking. Circumferential and axial cracks have been found in the 
tubesheet region of steam generators; inspections with advanced 
technology probes that are effective in detecting circumferential 
cracks, such as the Plus Point Probe, are performed in the tubesheet 
region. The Petitioners state that since axially oriented cracks have 
been identified in steam generator free-span regions, circumferentially 
oriented cracks may also be present there. Thus a full-length tube 
inspection using state-of-the-art eddy current probe technology would 
be prudent.
    This addendum to the Petition is being treated pursuant to 10 CFR 
2.206 of the Commission's regulations and has been referred to the 
Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. As provided by 10 
CFR 2.206, appropriate action will be taken on the Petition within a 
reasonable time. By letter dated April 22, 1996, the Director denied 
the request for immediate action to require that Prairie Island Units 1 
and 2 be placed in mid-cycle outages to inspect the full length of the 
steam generator tubes.
    Copies of the addenda to the Petition and the Director's letter are 
available for inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room at 
2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC, and at the Local Public Document 
Room, Minneapolis Public Library, Technology and Science

[[Page 19645]]

Department, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of April 1996.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
William T. Russell,
Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 96-10899 Filed 5-1-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P