ML24149A322
| ML24149A322 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000754 |
| Issue date: | 05/22/2024 |
| From: | Greg Warnick NRC/RGN-IV/DRSS/DIOR |
| To: | Martinez C GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy |
| Anderson S | |
| References | |
| IR 2024001 | |
| Download: ML24149A322 (7) | |
Text
OFFICIAL USE ONLY - SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION OFFICIAL USE ONLY - SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION May 22, 2024 Carlos Martinez, Site Manager Vallecitos Nuclear Center GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy 6705 Vallecitos Road Sunol, CA 94586
SUBJECT:
GE HITACHI NUCLEAR ENERGY - NRC INSPECTION REPORT 070-00754/2024-001
Dear Carlos Martinez:
This letter refers to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspection conducted from April 29 - May 2, 2024, at the Vallecitos Nuclear Facility in Sunol, California. The purpose of the inspection was to determine whether licensed activities were being conducted safely and in conformance with the NRC requirements. The final inspection results were discussed with you and members of your staff at the conclusion of the onsite inspection on May 2, 2024.
During this inspection, NRC staff examined activities conducted under the NRC Materials License SNM-960 as they relate to public health and safety, and to confirm compliance with the Commissions rules and regulations, with the conditions of your license. Within these areas, the inspection consisted of selected examination of procedures and representative records, observations of activities, and interviews with personnel. No violations were identified and no response to this letter is required.
This letter will be made available for public inspection and copying at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the NRC Public Document Room in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding.
The enclosed report contains Security-Related Information, so the enclosed report will not be made publicly available in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 2.390(d)(1). If you choose to provide a response that contains Security-Related Information, please mark your entire response Security-Related Information-Withhold from public disclosure under 10 CFR 2.390 in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390(d)(1) and follow the instructions for withholding in 10 CFR 2.390(b)(1). The NRC is waiving the affidavit requirements for your response in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390(b)(1)(ii).
OFFICIAL USE ONLY - SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION C. Martinez 2
OFFICIAL USE ONLY - SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION If you have any questions regarding this inspection report, please contact Stephanie Anderson at 817-200-1213, or the undersigned at 817-200-1249.
Sincerely, Gregory G. Warnick, Chief Decommissioning, ISFSI, and Operating Reactor Branch Division of Radiological Safety and Security Docket No. 070-00754 License No. SNM-960
Enclosure:
NRC Inspection Report 070-00754/2024-001 : Publicly Available : Non-Publicly Available Signed by Warnick, Gregory on 05/22/24
OFFICIAL USE ONLY - SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION C. Martinez 3
OFFICIAL USE ONLY - SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION GE HITACHI NUCLEAR ENERGY-NRC INSPECTION REPORT 070-00754/2024-001 -
DATED MAY 22, 2024 DISTRIBUTION:
JMonninger, ORA JLara, ORA TBloomer, DRSS JGroom, DRSS RAlexander, ORA DCylkowski, ORA VDricks, ORA NWarnek, NMSS JParrott, NMSS LWilkins, OCA AMoreno, RIV/OCA FGaskins, RIV/OEDO TA MSimmons, RIV/OEDO TA R4-DRSS-DIOR-DECOM GE Vallecitos ListServ GE Test Reactor ListServ DOCUMENT NAME: GE HITACHI NUCLEAR ENERGY - NRC INSPECTION REPORT 070-00754/2024-001 Non-Public Designation Category: MD 3.4 Non-Public (A.3 - A.7 or B.1)
ADAMS ACCESSION NUMBER: ML24149A322 (Cover letter)
Non-Public Designation Category: MD 3.4 Non-Public (A.3 - A.7 or B.1)
ADAMS ACCESSION NUMBER: ML24137A320 (Cover letter w/ enclosure(s ))
Cover Letter Only:
SUNSI Review By: SGA Non-Sensitive Sensitive Publicly Available
Non-Publicly Available Keyword NRC-002 Entire Report:
SUNSI Review By: MTJ Non-Sensitive Sensitive Publicly Available Non-Publicly Available Keyword NRC-002 OFFICE SHP:DRSS/DIOR SHP:DRSS/DIOR HP:DRSS/DIOR C:DRSS/DIOR NAME SGAnderson MTJohnson CRDennes GGWarnick SIGNATURE
/RA/
/RA/
/RA/
/RA/
DATE 05/21/24 05/22/24 05/21/24 05/22/24 OFFICAL RECORD COPY
OFFICIAL USE ONLY - SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION OFFICIAL USE ONLY - SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION Report Details Summary of Plant Status The NRC approved a 10-year license renewal for SNM-960, on August 9, 2017 (ADAMS Accession Number ML17097A188). Consistent with Confirmatory Order EA-14-144, dated April 22, 2015 (ML14269A172), the NRC addressed the appropriate categorization (i.e.,
Category I, II, or III) of the facility during the review of the license renewal application. The NRC staff concluded that due to the uniqueness of the facility and the type and form of the licensed material, the licensee will not be categorized at this time. As a result of the license renewal, the NRC re-assigned the facility program code to 22155, SNM greater than critical mass for commercial products and other non-fuel-cycle activities. Since the program code was changed, the inspection manual chapter was changed to 2800 and the following inspection procedures were determined to be utilized for the facility starting in Fiscal Year 2018 (ML18023A453):
Inspection Procedure 71130.11, Material Control and Accounting (MC&A), will be used for MC&A inspections on a triennial frequency.
Inspection Procedure 87126, Industrial/Academic Research Programs, will be used for all safety operations, radiological controls, and facility support inspections on a triennial frequency. The procedure was revised in 2022 with the new title, Broad Scope Academic and Research & Development Programs.
Inspection Procedure 81700.09, Security Measures for Licensed Facilities, will be used for all physical security inspections on a triennial frequency.
At the time of the inspection, the licensee continued to possess and store special nuclear material (SNM) at the Vallecitos Nuclear Center (VNC). Historically, the licensee performed activities under its license that included fuel examinations within various hot cells. The majority of SNM was consolidated in containers at the designated storage area. The remaining SNM was located in a designated vault and consisted of standards used for creating primary control standards for laboratory analysis and engineering studies.
1 Broad Scope Academic and Research & Development Programs (87126) 1.1 Inspection Scope The inspectors determined if licensed activities were being conducted in a manner that will protect the health and safety of workers and the general public.
1.2 Observations and Findings a.
Observation of Activities At the time of this inspection, there were no activities ongoing at the site that involved SNM material in use.
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b.
Assessment of Dose to Workers and the Public The inspectors reviewed the Environmental Protection program in accordance with licensee procedure, Environmental Monitoring Manual, revision 8, and license requirements. As part of the review, the inspectors conducted onsite inspections, interviewed licensee personnel, and evaluated the training program.
As part of the effluents inspection, the inspectors reviewed the licensees Effluent Monitoring and Environmental Surveillance Programs 2022 Annual Report and the Effluent Monitoring and Environmental Surveillance Programs 2023 Annual Report. All effluent exhaust, weekly air sample analysis, and ground water samples were within acceptable limits. The inspectors determined that the licensee was effectively implementing the Environmental Protection program in accordance with their procedure and regulatory requirements.
c.
Surveys for Contamination and Exposure Control The inspectors observed the licensees radiological controls at the site as defined by licensee procedure CP-27-105, Radiation Protection Program, revision 8. The inspectors determined that the licensee had established adequate written procedures for the Radiation Protection program that implemented regulatory requirements. Based on interviews with licensee personnel and review of procedures, the inspectors determined that the requirements were established and maintained to control radioactive materials and prevent or minimize any associated hazards of radioactivity and radioactive materials.
d.
Safety and Security of Licensed Materials During the SNM evaluation onsite, the inspectors toured the Hillside Storage Facility (HSF), the building 103 vault storage area, and the Waste Evaporator Plant (WEP). The inspectors determined through observations that all SNM storage and process areas were posted and labeled in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements for radiation areas containing radioactive materials. It was also noted that storage containers in all locations were appropriately labeled with the required information.
The inspectors noted that licensee has an onsite fire team, with responsibilities for the buildings license under the SNM-960 licensee. The inspectors reviewed the fire control systems (e.g., detection and suppression) in the radiological laboratory building, building 103, HSF, and WEP, to assess if the licensee had implemented a fire protection program that adequately controlled combustibles and ignition sources within the areas. The inspectors noted that the licensee effectively maintained fire detection and suppression capability and maintained passive fire protection features in a good material condition. The inspectors verified the fire hoses and extinguishers were in good condition and available for immediate use, and that fire detectors and sprinklers were unobstructed. The inspectors noted housekeeping in the facility was adequate and there were no unnecessary transient materials that could impact fire protection controls.
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e.
Management Oversight The inspectors reviewed the management oversight of the SNM license at the site. The site has a SNM custodian who is responsible for the SNM program. Site staffing was adequate to fulfill the requirements of the license. The inspectors determined that licensee staffing met the minimum requirements to ensure reasonable assurance of health and safety in accordance with regulatory requirements and the license.
1.3 Conclusions The inspectors determined if licensed activities were being conducted in a manner that will protect the health and safety of workers and the general public. The licensee provided oversight and control of site activities in accordance with regulatory, license, and procedure requirements. Site staffing was adequate to fulfill the requirements of the license.
2 Exit Meeting On May 2, 2024, the NRC inspectors presented the final inspection results to Carlos Martinez, Site Manager, and other members of the licensees staff. The inspectors asked the licensee whether any materials examined during the inspection should be considered proprietary. The licensee stated that all documents and procedures reviewed during the inspection were marked as proprietary.
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SUPPLEMENTAL INSPECTION INFORMATION - HEALTH AND SAFETY KEY POINTS OF CONTACT C. Martinez, Site Manager, Vallecitos Nuclear Center K. Zanotto, Facilities Manager H. Stuart, Radiation Protection Technician J. Smyly, Environmental Health and Safety Manager INSPECTION PROCEDURE USED IP 87126 Broad Scope Academic and Research & Development Programs ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED Opened/Closed/Discussed None LIST OF ACRONYMS CFR Code of Federal Regulations HSF Hillside Storage Facility MC&A Material Control and Accounting NRC U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission SNM Special Nuclear Material VCN Vallecitos Nuclear Center WEP Waste Evaporator Plant