ML11361A072

EN-11-045, Palisades - Issuance of Final Significance Determination and Notice of Violation - Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc

ML11361A072
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	12/27/2011
From:	Casey L, Aida Rivera-Varona NRC/OE
To:
Casey L
References
EN-11-054
Download: ML11361A072 (3)

Text

December 27, 2011 EN 11-045 OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT NOTIFICATION OF SIGNIFICANT ENFORCEMENT ACTION Licensee:

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

Palisades Nuclear Plant Docket No.: 050-00255

Subject:

ISSUANCE OF FINAL SIGNIFICANCE DETERMINATION AND NOTICE OF VIOLATION This is to inform the Commission that a Notice of Violation will be issued on or about January 3, 2012, to Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (licensee) for a violation associated with a White Significance Determination Process finding identified during an inspection of the Palisades Nuclear Plant. This White finding, an issue of low to moderate safety significance, will require additional U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspections. It involves the failure of Palisades personnel to prescribe maintenance on the safety-related turbine driven auxiliary feedwater (TDAFW) pump, an activity affecting quality, by documented instructions of a type appropriate to the circumstances, as well as a failure to accomplish the maintenance in accordance with their procedure. Specifically, procedure FWS-M-6, Auxiliary Feedwater Turbine Maintenance, failed to prescribe inspections of wear conditions on the knife edge and latch plate, or to replace the trip spring, although these inspections and replacements had been identified as necessary by the turbine vendor. Palisades personnel also failed to perform a step in the surveillance procedure which required lubricating a pin and instead greased the knife edge of the mechanical overspeed/manual trip mechanism during this maintenance on October 17, 2010. As a result, the TDAFW was inoperable from October 29, 2010, to May 11, 2011.

The Notice of Violation is based on the licensees failure to meet 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion V, Instructions, Procedures, and Drawings, which requires, in part, that activities affecting quality be prescribed by documented instructions, procedures, or drawings of a type appropriate to the circumstances and be accomplished in accordance with these instructions, procedures, or drawings.

In response to the preliminary determination letter, the licensee chose not to attend a Regulatory Conference, but provided a written response. After reviewing the information developed during the inspection and the licensees written response, the staff concluded that the inspection finding is appropriately characterized as White. Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

has multiple corrective actions in place and/or planned. Their corrective actions include, in part:

(1) cleaning and inspection of the overspeed trip mechanism; and, (2) revising maintenance procedure, FWS-M-6, "AFW Turbine Maintenance," to incorporate operating experience and other administrative procedural changes.

It should be noted that the licensee has not been specifically informed of the enforcement action. The schedule of issuance and notification is:

Mailing of Final Significance Determination January 3, 2012 Telephone Notification of Licensee January 3, 2012 The State of Michigan will be notified.

Contacts: Lauren Casey, OE, (301) 415-1038 Aida Rivera-Varona, OE, (301) 415-4001

Distribution: EN-11-045, December 27, 2011 OWFN Chairman Jaczko Comm. Svinicki Comm. Apostolakis Comm. Magwood Comm. Ostendorff SECY OCA PA IP OWFN EDO DEDR DEDMRS OE OGC NRR NSIR OI TWFN OCFO OP CENTER FSME OIG RES ACRS EBB NMSS Regional Offices RI RII RIII RIV MAIL ADAMS OE staff Electronic DISTRIBUTION:

R. Zimmerman, OE N. Hilton, OE A. Rivera, OE L. Casey, OE OE r/f EN binder X PUBLIC X NON-SENSITIVE ADAMS ML11361A072 OFFICE OE:ES OE:BC NAME L. Casey A. Rivera DATE 12/22/2011 12/22/2011 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY