IR 05000263/2015005
| ML15239B403 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Monticello  |
| Issue date: | 09/01/2015 |
| From: | Pederson C D Region 3 Administrator |
| To: | Gardner P A Northern States Power Co |
| References | |
| IR 2015005 | |
| Download: ML15239B403 (6) | |
Text
P UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION III 2443 WARRENVILLE RD. SUIT E 210 LISLE, IL 60532
-4352 September 1, 2015 Mr. Peter A. Gardner Site Vice President Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant Northern States Power Company, Minnesota 2807 West County Road 75 Monticello, MN 55362
-9637
SUBJECT: MID-CYCLE ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR MONTICELLO NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT (REPORT 05000263/2015005)
Dear Mr. Gardner
On August 1 3 , 2015, the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed its mid
-cycle performance review of Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant (MNGP). The NRC reviewed the most recent quarterly performance indicators (PIs) in addition to inspection results and enforcement actions from July 1, 20 14 through June 30, 20 1 This letter informs you of the NRC's assessment of your facility during this period and its plans for future inspections at your facilit The NRC determined the performance at MNGP during the most recent quarter was within the Regulatory Response Column of the NRC
's Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Action Matrix because of one or more greater
-than-green Security Cornerstone inputs as described in Inspection Report 05000263/2015403 (ML15057A401)
sent on February 26, 201 This letter stated the greater
-than-green finding was effective starting in the fourth quarter of 201 With both an existing Yellow finding associated with flood mitigation strategy and the greater-than-green security finding, MNGP met the definition of a Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone. Specifically, a Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone is one that is degraded for more than four consecutive quarters with at least one of the quarters having: (1) three or more white inputs (the additional white input(s) can be from any cornerstone), or (2) one yellow and one white input (the additional white input can be from any cornerstone).
With the Yellow inspection finding in the Mitigating Systems Cornerstone open for seven consecutive quarters and the greater-than-green inspection finding in the Security Cornerstone, Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 0305, "Operating Reactor Assessment Program," specifies that MNGP should be moved from Column 3 to Column 4 of the Action Matrix in the fourth quarter of 201 However, by letter dated February 27, 2015, (ML15049A132), you were notified that the NRC's Executive Director for Operations had approved a deviation from the NRC's ROP Action Matrix for MNG Therefore, MNGP was placed in the Regulatory Response Column, Column 2 of the ROP Action Matri As stated in the deviation letter, you agreed to perform an independent safety culture assessment with a focus on human performanc The deviation will remain open until MNGP has successfully completed the actions prescribed by Column 2 of the NRC Action Matrix and P. Gardner
-2- upon completion of the NRC assessment of your safety culture evaluatio Should these criteria not be met and/or another greater-than-green finding occurs while this deviation is open, the NRC will reassess the licensee's placement in the Action Matrix consistent with the criteria contained in IMC 030 In the mid
-cycle assessment letter dated September 2, 2014, (ML14245A144), the NRC opened a substantive cross
-cutting issue (SCCI) associated with Human Performance, Conservative Bias aspect (H.14).
The closure criteria were
- (1) a reduction in the number of findings assigned the H.14 aspect such that the total no longer met the definition of cross
-cutting theme as described in IMC 0305, "Operating Reactor Assessment Program," dated November 20, 2014; (2) the corrective actions taken to mitigate the cross cutting theme prove effective; and (3) sustained performance improvement is observed in the H.14 aspect of the human performance are During the 201 4 End of Cycle (EOC) assessment, the S CCI was sustained, as the NRC had not had sufficient time to evaluate the effectiveness of your recently implemented corrective action Since the 201 4 EOC assessment, there has been sustained improvement noted in this aspec In particular, only one finding associated with the H.14 aspect has been identified since the third quarter of 201 The other findings associated with H.14 have rolled off and are no longer included in the current assessment perio As a result, the number of findings associated with this aspect is below the threshold required for a SCC Further, your staff has implemented measures to trend corrective action program issues related to conservative bias since the issuance of the S CC Inspectors have been engaged in monitoring these trends and the trends in conservative bias issues have consistently been decreasin We understand you intend to continue monitoring performance in this are Therefore, the closure criteria were met for this issue and SCCI is close The enclosed inspection plan lists the inspections scheduled through December 3 1 , 201 Routine inspections performed by resident inspectors are not included in the inspection pla The inspections listed during the second half of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised at the end
-of-cycle performance revie The NRC provides the inspection plan to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issue The NRC will contact you as soon as possible to discuss changes to the inspection plan should circumstances warrant any change This inspection plan does not include security related inspections, which will be sent via separate, non
-publicly available correspondenc In response to the accident at Fukushima, the Commission issued Order EA
-12-049, "Order Modifying Licenses with Regard to Requirements for Mitigation Strategies for Beyond-Design-Basis External Events," which requires licensees to develop, implement, and maintain guidance and strategies to maintain or restore core cooling, containment, and spent fuel pool cooling capabilities following a beyond
-design-basis external even Additionally, the Commission issued Order EA
-12-051, "Order Modifying Licenses with Regard to Reliable Spent Fuel Pool Instrumentation," which requires licensees to have a reliable means of remotely monitoring wide
-range Spent Fuel Pool levels to support effective prioritization of event mitigation and recovery actions in the event of a beyond
-design-basis external even The NRC is conducting audits of licensee efforts towards compliance with these Order The audit has been completed at Monticello, and the information gathered will aid staff in development of the ultimate Safety Evaluation for the sit After the NRC staff receives the Final Compliance letter for the site, the Final Safety Evaluation will be issue Then, the NRC staff will confirm through inspections the full implementation of the orders mentioned above performing Temporary Instruction 191 , "Inspection of the Implementation of Mitigation Strategies and Spent Fuel Pool P. Gardner
-3- Instrumentation Orders and Emergency Preparedness Communication/Staffing/Multi
-Unit Dose Assessment Plans
." In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 2.390 of the NRC
's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRC's Age ncywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading
-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).
Please contact Kenneth Riemer at 630-829-9628 with any questions you have regarding this lette
Sincerely,
/RA/ Cynthia D. Pederson Regional Administrator Docket No License No DPR-22 Enclosure:
Monticello Nuclear Generation Plan t Inspection/Activity Plan cc w encl: Distribution via LISTSERV