ML052420726
| ML052420726 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hope Creek  |
| Issue date: | 08/30/2005 |
| From: | Collins S Region 1 Administrator |
| To: | Levis W Public Service Enterprise Group |
| Cobey, Eugene W. RI/DRP/PB3 610-337-5171 | |
| References | |
| Download: ML052420726 (6) | |
Text
August 30, 2005 Mr. William Levis Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer PSEG Nuclear LLC - N09 P. O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038
SUBJECT:
MID-CYCLE PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND INSPECTION PLAN - HOPE CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION
Dear Mr. Levis:
On August 3, 2005, the NRC staff completed its performance review of the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station for the first half of the calendar year 2005 assessment cycle. Our technical staff reviewed performance indicators (PIs) for the most recent quarter and inspection results over the previous twelve months. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of our assessment of your safety performance during this period and our plans for future inspections at your facility.
This performance review and enclosed inspection plan do not include physical protection information. A separate letter designated and marked as Exempt from Public Disclosure in Accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 will include the physical protection review and a resultant inspection plan.
Plant performance for the most recent quarter was within the Regulatory Response Column of the NRCs Action Matrix based on one inspection finding being classified as having low to moderate safety significance (White) in the Initiating Events Cornerstone and all PIs indicating performance at a level requiring no additional NRC oversight (Green). The White inspection finding was identified in the fourth quarter of 2004 and involved inadequate evaluation and corrective action for a degraded level control valve for a moisture separator drain tank which resulted in a pipe failure in a moisture separator drain line in October 2004. The staff completed a supplemental inspection in response to this inspection finding on June 23, 2005, and concluded that you adequately completed a root cause analysis of the performance deficiencies surrounding the event and identified appropriate corrective actions. The results of this inspection were documented in NRC Inspection Report 05000354/2005010.
Regarding the open substantive cross-cutting issue in the area of problem identification and resolution (PI&R), during this assessment period there were 12 inspection findings that were attributable, at least in part, to weaknesses in problem evaluation and effectiveness of corrective actions. Examples of NRC findings included a core spray injection valve not operating properly during testing, a repetitive problem with the emergency make-up sources to a cooling system, and recurring challenges to service water strainers due to silting. The staff has noted improvement in the identification aspect of the PI&R process at the station; however, due to the number of findings related to problem evaluation and corrective action the staff continues this substantive cross-cutting issue.
Mr. William Levis 2
In addition, as discussed in annual assessment letter dated March 2, 2005, [ADAMS Ref.
ML050610334], the staff documented a substantive cross-cutting issue in the area of safety conscious work environment (SCWE). During this assessment period, PSEG entered into a Nuclear Operating Services Contract (NOSC) with Exelon, made a number of senior management changes on site, and implemented improvement initiatives to address long-standing performance problems. While we recognize that PSEG has taken significant steps to evaluate the stations work environment and initiated actions to begin addressing deep-seated causes, it is too early to effectively assess whether or not the work environment at the station is significantly improved. As discussed in NRC correspondence and inspection reports this assessment period, we have noted some ongoing problems with the implementation of station processes, such as work management and corrective action, causing challenges with equipment reliability. In addition, both PSEG and NRC reviews have shown that there exists a range of worker perceptions regarding the advisability of raising issues or challenging decisions in the current environment. As a result, the staff determined that the SCWE cross-cutting issue will continue, and the NRC will continue to monitor your progress. We expect that you will discuss your progress in addressing work environment issues and the effectiveness of your corrective action program during a public meeting being planned for late 2005.
The NRC plans to conduct Reactor Oversight Process baseline inspections at Hope Creek. In addition, based on our current assessment of the work environment and the long-standing PI&R cross-cutting issue at Hope Creek, we plan to continue the enhanced oversight as described in the renewed Reactor Oversight Process Deviation Memorandum dated July 29, 2005 [ADAMS Ref. ML052130264]. This deviation authorized the staff to provide a greater level of oversight of Hope Creek than would typically be called for by the Regulatory Response Column of the Action Matrix. The enhanced regulatory oversight established by the Deviation Memorandum will be used to monitor your progress in addressing the PI&R and SCWE cross-cutting issues. The NRC plans to continue with this heightened oversight until PSEG has concluded that substantial, sustainable progress has been made; and the NRC has completed a review, the results of which confirm PSEGs assessment results.
The enclosed inspection plan details the inspections, less those related to physical protection, scheduled through March 31, 2007. In addition to the baseline inspection activities specified by the Reactor Oversight Process, the enclosed plan includes augmentation of existing inspections per the Deviation Memorandum. The inspection plan is provided to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issues well in advance of inspector arrival onsite.
Routine resident inspections are not listed due to their ongoing and continuous nature. The inspections in the last nine months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised at the end-of-cycle review.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRCs Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).
Mr. William Levis 3
If circumstances arise which cause us to change this inspection plan, we will contact you to discuss the change as soon as possible. Please contact Mr. Eugene Cobey at 610-337-5171 with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Samuel J. Collins Regional Administrator Docket Nos. 50-354 License Nos. NPF-57
Enclosure:
Hope Creek Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/encl:
G. Barnes, Site Vice President D. Winchester, Vice President - Nuclear Assessment M. Gallagher, Vice President - Engineering and Technical Support W. F. Sperry, Director - Business Support D. Benyak, Director - Regulatory Assurance M. Massaro, Hope Creek Plant Manager J. J. Keenan, Esquire M. Wetterhahn, Esquire Consumer Advocate, Office of Consumer Advocate F. Pompper, Chief of Police and Emergency Management Coordinator J. Lipoti, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Radiation Programs, State of New Jersey K. Tosch - Chief, Bureau of Nuclear Engineering, NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection H. Otto, Ph.D., DNREC Division of Water Resources, State of Delaware N. Cohen, Coordinator - Unplug Salem Campaign W. Costanzo, Technical Advisor - Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch E. Zobian, Coordinator - Jersey Shore Anti Nuclear Alliance
Mr. William Levis 4
Distribution w/encl:
S. Collins, RA M. Dapas, DRA B. Holian, DRP A. Blough, DRS D. Lew, DRP E. Cobey, DRP B. Welling, DRP C. ODaniell, DRP M. Gray - DRP, Senior Resident Inspector K. Venuto, DRP, Resident OA R. Lorson, DRS J. White, DRS M. Sykes, DRS L. Doerflein J. Rogge, DRS R. Conte, DRS S. Lee, RI OEDO D. Roberts, NRR D. Collins, PM, NRR S. Bailey, PM, NRR (Backup)
Region I Docket Room (with concurrences)
RidsNrrDipmlipb@nrc.gov ROPreports@nrc.gov (All Inspection Reports)
DOCUMENT NAME: S:\\ROP-6 Mid-Cycle Review\\2005 Mid-Cycle Letters\\Hope Creek 2005 Mid-cycle Letter.wpd SISP Review Complete: ___EWC______ (Reviewers Initials)
After declaring this document An Official Agency Record it will be released to the Public.
To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box: "C" = Copy without attachment/enclosure "E" = Copy with attachment/enclosure "N" = No copy OFFICE RI/DRP RI/DRP RI/DRP RI/DRS NAME Bwelling/EWC f/
Ecobey/EWC Bholian/BEH ABlough/ARB DATE 08/24/05 08/24/05 08/25/05 08/26/05 OFFICE RI/ORA NAME Collins/SJC DATE 08/30/05 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY
Hope Creek Inspection / Activity Plan 08/01/2005 - 03/31/2007 Inspection Type Inspection Activity Planned Dates Start End No. of Staff on Site Title Unit Number Page 1 of 2 08/30/2005 10:32:45 Report 22 4
11/28EXM
- OPERATOR LICENSING INITIAL EXAMS Not Applicable 11/01/2005 11/04/2005 HOPE CREEK INITIAL EXAM (1/06)
U01586 1
Not Applicable 11/28/2005 12/02/2005 HOPE CREEK INITIAL EXAM (1/06)
U01586 1
1 71121
- OCC RAD SAFETY Baseline Inspections 08/15/2005 08/19/2005 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas IP 7112101 1
Baseline Inspections 08/15/2005 08/19/2005 ALARA Planning and Controls IP 7112102 1
Baseline Inspections 08/15/2005 08/19/2005 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation and Protective Equipment IP 7112103 1
5 SCWE
- SCWE TEAM INSPECTION Other Routine 09/26/2005 09/30/2005 Identification and Resolution of Problems IP 71152 1
1 7112201
- PUB RAD SAFETY - RETS Baseline Inspections 09/26/2005 09/30/2005 Radioactive Gaseous and Liquid Effluent Treatment and Monitoring Systems IP 7112201 1
6 71152B
- PI&R Baseline Inspections 11/28/2005 12/02/2005 Identification and Resolution of Problems IP 71152B 1
Baseline Inspections 12/12/2005 12/16/2005 Identification and Resolution of Problems IP 71152B 1
1 7112202
- PUB RAD SAFETY - RADWASTE Baseline Inspections 12/05/2005 12/16/2005 Radioactive Material Processing and Transportation IP 7112202 1
Baseline Inspections 12/05/2005 12/16/2005 Performance Indicator Verification IP 71151 1
1 7111112B
- MAINTENANCE RULE Baseline Inspections 01/09/2006 01/13/2006 Maintenance Effectiveness IP 7111112B 1
2 7111107B
- HEAT SINK Baseline Inspections 02/27/2006 03/03/2006 Heat Sink Performance IP 7111107B 1
5 71114
- EXERCISE & EP PI VERIFICATION Baseline Inspections 03/20/2006 03/24/2006 Exercise Evaluation IP 7111401 1
Baseline Inspections 03/20/2006 03/24/2006 Performance Indicator Verification IP 71151 1
1 7111108G
- INSERVICE INSPECTION Baseline Inspections 04/10/2006 04/14/2006 Inservice Inspection Activities - BWR IP 7111108G 1
1 71121
- OCC RAD SAFETY Baseline Inspections 04/17/2006 04/21/2006 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas IP 7112101 1
Baseline Inspections 04/17/2006 04/21/2006 ALARA Planning and Controls IP 7112102 1
Baseline Inspections 04/17/2006 04/21/2006 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation and Protective Equipment IP 7112103 1
1 71121
- OCC RAD SAFETY Baseline Inspections 07/17/2006 07/21/2006 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas IP 7112101 1
Baseline Inspections 07/17/2006 07/21/2006 ALARA Planning and Controls IP 7112102 1
Baseline Inspections 07/17/2006 07/21/2006 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation and Protective Equipment IP 7112103 1
This report does not include INPO and OUTAGE activities.
This report shows only on-site and announced inspection procedures.
Hope Creek Inspection / Activity Plan 08/01/2005 - 03/31/2007 Inspection Type Inspection Activity Planned Dates Start End No. of Staff on Site Title Unit Number Page 2 of 2 08/30/2005 10:32:45 Report 22 3
TRI FIRE
- TRIENNIAL FIRE PROTECTION INSPECTION Baseline Inspections 08/28/2006 09/01/2006 Fire Protection [Triennial]
IP 7111105T 1
Baseline Inspections 09/11/2006 09/15/2006 Fire Protection [Triennial]
IP 7111105T 1
3 7111111B
- LICENSED OPERATOR REQUL PROGRAM Baseline Inspections 10/28/2006 11/01/2006 Licensed Operator Requalification Program IP 7111111B 1
Baseline Inspections 11/04/2006 11/08/2006 Licensed Operator Requalification Program IP 7111111B 1
1 71121
- OCC RAD SAFETY Baseline Inspections 09/25/2006 09/29/2006 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas IP 7112101 1
Baseline Inspections 09/25/2006 09/29/2006 ALARA Planning and Controls IP 7112102 1
Baseline Inspections 09/25/2006 09/29/2006 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation and Protective Equipment IP 7112103 1
Baseline Inspections 09/25/2006 09/29/2006 Performance Indicator Verification IP 71151 1
6 7111121
- SSD&PC Baseline Inspections 10/30/2006 11/03/2006 Safety System Design and Performance Capability IP 7111121 1
Baseline Inspections 11/13/2006 11/17/2006 Safety System Design and Performance Capability IP 7111121 1
Baseline Inspections 11/27/2006 12/01/2006 Safety System Design and Performance Capability IP 7111121 1
Baseline Inspections 12/04/2006 12/08/2006 Safety System Design and Performance Capability IP 7111121 1
3 12/10EXM
- LICENSED OPERATOR INITIAL EXAMS Not Applicable 11/13/2006 11/17/2006 HOPE CREEK INITIAL EXAM (1/06)
U01586 1
Not Applicable 12/10/2006 12/14/2006 HOPE CREEK INITIAL EXAM (1/06)
U01586 1
1 7112201
- PUB RAD SAFETY - RETS Baseline Inspections 11/13/2006 11/17/2006 Radioactive Gaseous and Liquid Effluent Treatment and Monitoring Systems IP 7112201 1
1 71121
- OCC RAD SAFETY Baseline Inspections 01/08/2007 01/12/2007 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas IP 7112101 1
Baseline Inspections 01/08/2007 01/12/2007 ALARA Planning and Controls IP 7112102 1
Baseline Inspections 01/08/2007 01/12/2007 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation and Protective Equipment IP 7112103 1
3 7111117B
- MODS AND 50.59 Baseline Inspections 02/05/2007 02/09/2007 Evaluation of Changes, Tests, or Experiments IP 7111102 1
Baseline Inspections 02/05/2007 02/09/2007 Permanent Plant Modifications IP 7111117B 1
This report does not include INPO and OUTAGE activities.
This report shows only on-site and announced inspection procedures.