IR 05000220/1997005
| ML17059B934 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Nine Mile Point  |
| Issue date: | 03/13/1998 |
| From: | Wiggins J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Mueller J NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER CORP. |
| References | |
| 50-220-97-05, 50-220-97-09, 50-220-97-5, 50-220-97-9, 50-410-97-05, 50-410-97-09, 50-410-97-5, 50-410-97-9, EA-97-228, NUDOCS 9803230229 | |
| Download: ML17059B934 (8) | |
Text
CATEGORY 2 REGULATORY INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (RIDS)
ACCESSION NBR:9803230229 DOC.DATE: 98/03/13 NOTARIZED: NO DOCKET I FACIL:50-220 Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit 1, Niagara Powe 05000220 50-410 Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Unit 2, Niagara Moha 05000410 AUTH.NAME AUTHOR AFFILIATION WIGGINS,J.T.
Region 1 (Post 820201)
RECIP.NAME RECIPIENT AFFILIATION MUELLER,J.H.
Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
SUBJECT: Discusses insp repts 50-220/97-05,50-410/97-05,50-220/97-09 S 50-410/97-09 on 970310-14 6 0414-18
& 970804-29.
DISTRIBUTION CODE:
IE01D COPIES RECEIVED:LTR ENCL SIZE:
TITLE: General (50 Dkt)-Insp Rept/Notice of Violation Response NOTES:
RECIPIENT ID CODE/NAME PD1-1 PD COPIES
. LTTR ENCL RECIPIENT ID CODE/NAME HOOD,D COPIES LTTR ENCL INTERNAL: ACRS AEOD TTC C UXE NRR DRPM/PECB NUDOCS-ABSTRACT OGC/HDS3 EXTERNAL: LITCO BRYCE,J'
NRC PDR AEOD/SPD/RAB DEDRO NRR/DRCH/HHFB NRR/DRPM/PERB OE DIR RGN1 FILE
NOAC NUDOCS FULLTEXT D
E N
NOTE TO ALL "RIDS" RECIPIENTS:
PLEASE HELP US TO REDUCE WASTE.
TO HAVE YOUR NAME OR ORGANIZATION REMOVED FROM DISTRIBUTION LISTS OR REDUCE THE NUMBER OF COPIES RECEIVED BY YOU OR YOUR ORGANIZATION, CONTACT THE DOCUMENT CONTROL DESK tDCD)
ON EXTENSION 415-2083 TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES REQUIRED:
LTTR
ENCL
~g RKay
+<
.
o~i
. i~
nO Ir/I O~
/4,
+a*++
'I EA 97-228 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
REGION I
475 ALLENDALEROAD KING OF PRUSSIA, PENNSYLVANIA19406-1416 March 13, 1998 L
Mr. John H, Mueller Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer
- Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation (NMPC)
'perations 'Building 2nd 'Ffoor
~ Post. Office Box 63
'ycomihg, New York 13093 SUBJECT:.
EXERCISE OF. ENFORCEMENT DISCRETION (NRC Inspe'etio(1 Report Nos. 50-220/97.-05, 50'-410/97-05;. 50-220/97-09, and 50%10/97-09)
Dear Mr. Mueller:
This letterrefers to the NRC inspections conducted from March 10-14 and April 14-1'8, 1997,
'and from August 4-29, 1997, at the Nine Mile Point Nucfear StatIo'n,'nits 1'nd 2, the findings 'of which were discussed with members of your staff during exit meetings held on April 18, 1997, and August 29, 1997. The firstinspection was conducted t'o review(1) your corrective actions in response to your identification of multiple motor-operated valves (fUIOVs)
at both Units 1 and 2 being vulnerable to mechanical damages caused by fire induced hot shorts during a postulated control room fire; (2) your corrective actions following your identification, on two separate occasions, that isolation switches were not provided to the control circuitry for the Unit 2 Division I and II emergency service water outlet valves; (3) your corrective actions in resolving the issue associated with the service lives of Unit 2 Agastat GP relays; and (4) your corrective actions taken to resolve several previously identified inspection items. The second inspection was conducted to review, in part, the susceptibility of certain reactor water cleanup (RWCU) system valves to fire-induced short circuits. The inspection reports were sent to you previously on July 17, 1997, and November 4, 1997, respectively.
Based on the information developed during the inspections, as well as information described in License Event Report (LER) No. 96-10 for Unit 1, issued on December 2, 1996, and LER 96-15 for Unit 2, issued on January 16, 1997, and supplemented on March 27, 1997, the NRC has determined that five violations occurred. The violations include the failure to appropriately consider the possibility of electrical "hot shorts" in your fire protection analysis, to determine whether such hot shorts could affect safe shutdown of the reactor in the event of a fire in the control room.
Reanalysis indicated that fire-induced hot shorts or shorts to ground could prevent certain MOVsfrom performing the intended safe shutdown function. Additionally, fire induced spurious maloperation of air-operated valves in the RWCU system created the potential for overpressurization of low pressure piping by the reactor coolant system.
These violations could be considered for escalated enforcement and subject to a civil penalty.
However, after consultation with the Director, Office of Enforcement, and the Regional Administrator, I have been authorized to not issue a Notice of Violation and not propose a civil penalty in this case in accordance with the provisions provided in Section VII.B.3of the NRC's 9803230229'803'i3 PDR ADGCK 05000220
PDR lllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllll
Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation Enforcement Policy. This decision was made after consideration that: (1) the violations were identified by your staff; (2) corrective actions taken were comprehensive and timely once the de'ficiencies were identified; (3) the conditions were subtle in nature and not likely to be disclosed. through routine surveillance or quality assurance activities; arid (4)the violations.al'e
- not reasonably linked to current performance.
The exercise of discretion. also recognizes that the industry, in general, had an apparent misunderstanding of the regulatory and design requirements associated with the potential for fire-induced circuit failures, and had inappropriately relied on a 1992,'recommendation from the Nuclear Management and
'Resources'Council,'which was.not endorsed by the NRC.
Similarly, the NRC has decided'o exercise discretion and.not cite your failure to identify;
'durin'g,your review of information Notice 92-18 in'.992,'he""hot short" problems as
'onditions adverse to quality.
Finally, Unresolved item 50-410/96-15-0:I, which questioned the'adequacy of Nine MilePqint Unit 2 design basis assumptions regarding multiple hot shorts, remains. open. pending furttier NRC review'f your licensing basis.
Upon resolution of this Unresolved Item, NRC willrgake
.
a separate enforcement decision associated with that njatter.
No response to this letter is required.
'I ln accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's "Rufes of Practice," a copy of this letter, and your response, ifyou choose to provide one, willbe placed in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR).
Sincerely, l
~
~
J es T. W gns, Director Division of Reactor Safety Docket Nos. 50-220; 50-410 License Nos. DPR-63; NPF-69
Niagara Mohawk Power.Corporation CC:
B. Ralph Sylyia, Executive Vice President R. Abbott,.Vice President 5. General Manager - Nuclear.
'C: Terry; Vice President-Safety Assessment'.and Suppo'rt '.
J. Conway, Vice President - Nuclear Engineering K. Dahlberg, Vice President - Nuclear Operations
. D. Wolniak, Manager, L'icensing
. G, Wil'son, Senior Attorney M. Wetterhahn, Wiriston and Strawn J. Rettberg, New York'State Electric and Gas Corporation
'.
Eddy, Electric Division,. Department of.Public Service, State of New York C. Donaldson, Esquire, Assistant Attorney'General, New York Department of L'aw"
.
J. Vinquist, MATS, Inc, F.'ValenfIno, Pr'esident, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
.J. Spath, Program. Director, New York State Energy Reseaich and Development Authority
Niagara lVlohawk Power Corporation DISTRIBUTION:
PUBLIC
. SECY "
CA
'Cailan, EDO AThadani, DEDE JLieberman, OE HMiller, Rl FDavis, OGC.
.. Enfor'cement Coordinators RI, RII, RIII, RIV
~ BBeecher, GPA/PA
...GCap'uto,'OI
~ DBangart, OSP.
~
'Be)l, GIG TMartin, AEOD OE:EA,(2 copies) (Also by E-Mail)
OE:Chron'UDOCS DScrenci, PAO-RI
'Sheehan, PAO-Rl Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)
Resident Inspector - Nine Mile
0