IR 05000026/2008001

Annual Assessment Letter - Oconee 2007 End-of-Cycle Letter (IR 0500026-08-001, 05000270-08-001, & 05000287-08-001)

ML080630016
Person / Time
Site:	Oconee, 07200040, 05000026
Issue date:	03/03/2008
From:	Mccree V Region 2 Administrator
To:	Baxter D Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Power Co
References
IR-08-001
Download: ML080630016 (8)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

REGION II

rch 3, 2008

SUBJECT:

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER - OCONEE NUCLEAR STATION NRC INSPECTION REPORT 05000269/2008001, 05000270/2008001, AND 05000287/2008001

Dear Mr. Baxter:

On February 5, 2008, the NRC staff completed its performance review of Oconee Nuclear Station. Our technical staff reviewed performance indicators (PIs) for the most recent quarter and inspection results for the period from January 1 through December 31, 2007. 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 security information. A separate letter designated and marked as "Official Use Only - Security-Related Information" will include the security cornerstone review and resultant inspection plan.

Overall, Oconee Units 1, 2, and 3 operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety and fully met all cornerstone objectives. Plant performance for the most recent quarter was within the Licensee Response Column of the NRCs Action Matrix, based on all inspection findings being classified as having very low safety significance (Green) and all PIs indicating performance at a level requiring no additional NRC oversight (Green). Therefore, we plan to conduct reactor oversight process (ROP) baseline inspections at your facility.

While plant performance for the most recent quarter is within the Licensee Response column of the Action Matrix, plant performance for all three Oconee Units during the first two quarters of the assessment period was within the Degraded Cornerstone Column of the NRCs Action Matrix. This was the result of a fourth quarter 2006 Mitigating Systems cornerstone PI reflecting performance at a level that required additional NRC oversight (White), in conjunction with a third quarter 2006 Mitigating Systems cornerstone finding of low to moderate safety significance (White), affecting all three units. The White Mitigating Systems cornerstone PI (Emergency AC Power System) was the result of an extended forced outage on Keowee Hydroelectric Unit 2.

The third quarter 2006 White finding involved the failure to effectively control maintenance

DPC 2 activities, and therefore assess and manage the risk associated with breaching the standby shutdown facility (SSF) external flood protection barrier. In addition, the Degraded Cornerstone performance of Oconee Unit 3 was also reflective of the aforementioned White finding (or PI) in conjunction with a fourth quarter 2006 White Mitigating Systems finding involving the failure to implement adequate foreign material exclusion controls for the Unit 3 reactor building emergency sump (RBES).

During the third quarter of the assessment period, the aforementioned White findings and PI were inspected and the White findings were closed, as documented in 95002 Supplemental Inspection Report 05000269,270,287/2007009. Subsequent to the 95002 Supplemental Inspection in August 2007, the Emergency AC Power PI turned from White to Green (due to calculational changes) in the third quarter for all three Oconee Units. Consequently, third quarter performance of Oconee Units 1 and 2 went from the Degraded Cornerstone Column to the Regulatory Response Column of the NRCs Action Matrix, since the above mentioned third quarter 2006 White SSF finding remained in effect until the fourth quarter 2007. For the same reason, this White SSF finding and the previously mentioned fourth quarter 2006 White Unit 3 RBES finding resulted in the Oconee Unit 3 third quarter performance remaining in the Degraded Cornerstone Column of the NRCs Action Matrix.

For your information, the following issue is still under staff review as part of the Significance Determination Process and may warrant additional supplemental inspections if it is determined to be of greater than very low risk significance:

Unresolved Item (URI) 05000269,270,287/2006002-03, concerning excessive cycling of main steam safety valves (MSSVs) during standby shutdown facility-related events and the potential effects of a resulting stuck open MSSV.

Additionally, the staff is also continuing its review of licensing basis issues associated with tornado mitigation and high energy line break analysis.

The enclosed inspection plan details the inspections, less those related to physical protection, scheduled through June 30, 2009. In addition to ROP baseline inspection activities, the plan currently includes non-ROP inspection activities involving: operator licensing examinations; reactor coolant system dissimilar metal butt welds; and implementation of B.5.b mitigating strategies. 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 mid-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).

DPC 3 If circumstances arise which cause us to change the inspection plan, we will contact you to discuss the change(s) as soon as possible. Please contact Robert Carroll at (404) 562-4511 with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.

Sincerely,

/CAC RA for/

Victor M. McCree Acting Regional Administrator Docket Nos.: 50-269, 50-270, 50-287, 72-04, 72-40 License Nos.: DPR-38, DPR-47, DPR-55 Enclosure: Oconee Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/encl: (See page 4)

_________________________

OFFICE RII:DRP RII:DRP RII:DRP RII:DRP RII:DRP SIGNATURE REC /RA/ KDW /RA/ JWS /RA/ CAC /RA/ CAC /RA for/

NAME RCarroll KWeaver JShea CCasto VMcCree DATE 02/08/2008 02/19/2008 01/22/2008 02/26/2008 02/26/2008 E-MAIL COPY? YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO

DPC 4 cc w/encls: R. L. Gill, Jr., Manager B. G. Davenport Nuclear Regulatory Issues Compliance Manager (ONS) and Industry Affairs Duke Power Company LLC Duke Power Company LLC.

d/b/a Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC d/b/a Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC Electronic Mail Distribution 526 South Church Street Charlotte, NC 28201-0006 Lisa F. Vaughn Associate General Counsel Charles Brinkman and Managing Attorney Director, Washington Operations Duke Energy Corporation Westinghouse Electric Company 526 South Church Street-EC07H 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 330 Charlotte, NC 28202 Rockville, MD 20852 Kathryn B. Nolan Senior Counsel Duke Energy Corporation 526 South Church Street -EC07H Charlotte, NC 28202 David A. Repka Winston & Strawn LLP Electronic Mail Distribution Beverly Hall, Chief Radiation Protection Section N. C. Department of Environmental Health & Natural Resources Electronic Mail Distribution Henry J. Porter, Assistant Director Div. of Radioactive Waste Mgmt.

S. C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Electronic Mail Distribution R. Mike Gandy Division of Radioactive Waste Mgmt.

S. C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Electronic Mail Distribution County Supervisor of Oconee County 415 S. Pine Street Walhalla, SC 29691-2145 Lyle Graber, LIS NUS Corporation Electronic Mail Distribution

DPC 5 Letter to David Baxter from Victor M. McCree dated March 3, 2008 SUBJECT: ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER - OCONEE NUCLEAR STATION NRC INSPECTION REPORT 05000269/2008001, 05000270/2008001, AND 05000287/2008001 Distribution w/encl:

L. Olshan, NRR C. Evans, RII L. Slack, RII ROP Reports INPO OE Mail RIDSNRRDIRS PUBLIC NRC Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 7812B Rochester Hwy Seneca, SC 29672

Page 1 of 2 Oconee 03/03/2008 06:29:40 Inspection / Activity Plan Report 22 03/01/2008 - 06/30/2009 Unit No. of Staff Planned Dates Inspection Number Inspection Activity Title on Site Start End Type EB1-CDBI - COMPONENT DESIGN BASES INSPECTION 8 1, 2, 3 IP 7111121 Component Design Bases Inspection 03/10/2008 03/14/2008 Baseline Inspections EB3TI172 - TI-172 1 1, 2, 3 IP 2515/172 Reactor Coolant System Dissimiliar Metal Butt Welds 03/17/2008 03/21/2008 Generic Safety Inspectio PSB1-EP - EP EXERCISE 3 1, 2, 3 IP 7111401 Exercise Evaluation 03/31/2008 04/04/2008 EP Baseline Inspection 1, 2, 3 IP 7111404 Emergency Action Level and Emergency Plan Changes 03/31/2008 04/04/2008 EP Baseline Inspection 1, 2, 3 IP 71151-EP01 Drill/Exercise Performance 03/31/2008 04/04/2008 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 71151-EP02 ERO Drill Participation 03/31/2008 04/04/2008 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 71151-EP03 Alert & Notification System 03/31/2008 04/04/2008 Baseline Inspections EB3-ISI - U-1 INSERVICE INSPECTION 2 1 IP 7111108P Inservice Inspection Activities - PWR 04/21/2008 04/25/2008 Baseline Inspections EB3SGISI - U1 SG ISI 2 1 IP 7111108P Inservice Inspection Activities - PWR 04/21/2008 04/25/2008 Baseline Inspections PSB1-RP - RADIATION PROTECTION PREINSPECTION VISIT 1 1, 2, 3 IP 7112101 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas 06/16/2008 06/18/2008 Baseline Inspections EB2-TFP - TRIENNIAL FIRE PROTECTION 6 1, 2, 3 IP 7111105P Fire Protection-NFPA 805 Transition Period [Triennial] 07/21/2008 07/25/2008 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 7111105P Fire Protection-NFPA 805 Transition Period [Triennial] 08/04/2008 08/08/2008 Baseline Inspections PSB1-RP - RADIATION PROTECTION PUBLIC BASELINE 4 1, 2, 3 IP 7112101 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas 07/14/2008 07/18/2008 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 7112103 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation and Protective Equipment 07/14/2008 07/18/2008 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 7112201 Radioactive Gaseous and Liquid Effluent Treatment and Monitoring Systems 07/14/2008 07/18/2008 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 7112203 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program (REMP) And Radioactive Material Control Program 07/14/2008 07/18/2008 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 71151-OR01 Occupational Exposure Control Effectiveness 07/14/2008 07/18/2008 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 71151-PR01 RETS/ODCM Radiological Effluent 07/14/2008 07/18/2008 Baseline Inspections TI-171 - B.5.B PHASE 2&3 3 1, 2, 3 IP 2515/171 Verification of Site Specific Implementation Of B.5.b Phase 2 & 3 Mitigating Strategies 09/15/2008 09/19/2008 Generic Safety Inspectio EB3ISI - U2 ISI 1 2 IP 7111108P Inservice Inspection Activities - PWR 10/27/2008 10/31/2008 Baseline Inspections EB3SGISI - U2 SG ISI 1 2 IP 7111108P Inservice Inspection Activities - PWR 11/03/2008 11/07/2008 Baseline Inspections EB3-HS - HEAT SINK 2 1, 2, 3 IP 7111107B Heat Sink Performance 02/16/2009 02/20/2009 Baseline Inspections This report does not include INPO and OUTAGE activities.

This report shows only on-site and announced inspection procedures.

Page 2 of 2 Oconee 03/03/2008 06:29:40 Inspection / Activity Plan Report 22 03/01/2008 - 06/30/2009 Unit No. of Staff Planned Dates Inspection Number Inspection Activity Title on Site Start End Type OL EXAM - INITIAL EXAM PREP 3 1 V23301 OCONEE/MARCH 2009 EXAM AT POWER FACILITIES 02/17/2009 02/20/2009 Not Applicable OL EXAM - INITIAL EXAM WEEK 1 3 1 V23301 OCONEE/MARCH 2009 EXAM AT POWER FACILITIES 03/02/2009 03/06/2009 Not Applicable OL EXAM - INITIAL EXAM WEEK 2 3 1 V23301 OCONEE/MARCH 2009 EXAM AT POWER FACILITIES 03/09/2009 03/13/2009 Not Applicable PSB1-RP - RADIATION PROTECTION PREINSPECTION VISIT 1 1, 2, 3 IP 7112101 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas 03/16/2009 03/18/2009 Baseline Inspections OL RQ - REQUAL INSPECTION 3 1, 2, 3 IP 7111111B Licensed Operator Requalification Program 03/16/2009 03/20/2009 Baseline Inspections PSB1EP - EP INSPECTION 1 1, 2, 3 IP 7111402 Alert and Notification System Testing 04/13/2009 04/17/2009 EP Baseline Inspection 1, 2, 3 IP 7111403 Emergency Response Organization Augmentation Testing 04/13/2009 04/17/2009 EP Baseline Inspection 1, 2, 3 IP 7111404 Emergency Action Level and Emergency Plan Changes 04/13/2009 04/17/2009 EP Baseline Inspection 1, 2, 3 IP 7111405 Correction of Emergency Preparedness Weaknesses and Deficiencies 04/13/2009 04/17/2009 EP Baseline Inspection 1, 2, 3 IP 71151-EP01 Drill/Exercise Performance 04/13/2009 04/17/2009 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 71151-EP02 ERO Drill Participation 04/13/2009 04/17/2009 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 71151-EP03 Alert & Notification System 04/13/2009 04/17/2009 Baseline Inspections EB1-MODS - MODIFICATIONS-10CFR50.59 4 1, 2, 3 IP 7111102 Evaluation of Changes, Tests, or Experiments 04/13/2009 04/24/2009 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 7111117B Evaluations of Changes, Tests, or Experiments & Permanent Plant Modifications 04/13/2009 04/24/2009 Baseline Inspections PSB1-RP - RADIATION PROTECTION OCCUPATIONAL WK1 2 1, 2, 3 IP 7112101 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas 04/20/2009 04/24/2009 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 7112102 ALARA Planning and Controls 04/20/2009 04/24/2009 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 7112202 Radioactive Material Processing and Transportation 04/20/2009 04/24/2009 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 71151-OR01 Occupational Exposure Control Effectiveness 04/20/2009 04/24/2009 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 71151-PR01 RETS/ODCM Radiological Effluent 04/20/2009 04/24/2009 Baseline Inspections EB3ISI - UNIT 3 ISI 1 3 IP 7111108P Inservice Inspection Activities - PWR 05/04/2009 05/08/2009 Baseline Inspections PSB1-RP - RADIATION PROTECTION OCCUPATIONAL WK2 2 1, 2, 3 IP 7112101 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas 05/04/2009 05/08/2009 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 7112102 ALARA Planning and Controls 05/04/2009 05/08/2009 Baseline Inspections 1, 2, 3 IP 7112202 Radioactive Material Processing and Transportation 05/04/2009 05/08/2009 Baseline Inspections This report does not include INPO and OUTAGE activities.

This report shows only on-site and announced inspection procedures.