IR 05000255/2006007

IR 05000255-06-007; Nuclear Mangagement Company LLC; 09/18/2006 - 09/22/2006; Palisades Nuclear Plant; Emergency Preparedness Specialist Report

ML062790374
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	10/03/2006
From:	Kenneth Riemer Plant Support Branch II
To:	Harden P Nuclear Management Co
References
IR-06-007
Download: ML062790374 (12)

Text

ber 3, 2006

SUBJECT:

PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT NRC EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS INSPECTION REPORT 05000255/2006007(DRS)

Dear Mr. Harden:

On September 22, 2006, the NRC completed an inspection at your Palisades Nuclear Plant.

The enclosed report documents the inspection findings, which were discussed on September 22, 2006, with you and members of your staff.

The inspection examined activities conducted under your license, as they relate to safety, and compliance with the Commissions rules and regulations, and with the conditions of your license. The inspectors reviewed selected procedures and records, observed activities, and interviewed personnel. Specifically, this inspection focused on emergency preparedness, including your staffs determinations of performance indicators for the Emergency Preparedness Cornerstone.

On the basis of the results of this inspection, no findings of significance were identified.

In accordance with 10 CFR Part 2.390 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be 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), accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

Sincerely,

/RA/

Kenneth Riemer, Chief Plant Support Branch Division of Reactor Safety Docket No. 50-255 License No. DPR-20 Enclosure: Inspection Report 05000255/2006007(DRS)

w/Attachment: Supplemental Information cc w/encl: J. Cowan, Executive Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer R. Fenech, Senior Vice President, Nuclear Fossil and Hydro Operations D. Cooper, Senior Vice President - Group Operations L. Lahti, Manager, Regulatory Affairs J. Rogoff, Vice President, Counsel and Secretary A. Udrys, Esquire, Consumers Energy Company S. Wawro, Director of Nuclear Assets, Consumers Energy Company Supervisor, Covert Township Office of the Governor State Liaison Office, State of Michigan L. Brandon, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality -

Waste and Hazardous Materials Division W. King, DHS, Region V

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

IR 05000255/2006007(DRS); 09/18/2006 - 09/22/2006; Palisades Nuclear Plant; Emergency

Preparedness Specialist Report.

The report covers a 1 week baseline inspection by two regional emergency preparedness inspectors, a senior resident inspector, a licensed operator examiner, and a radiation protection inspector. The inspection focused on the Emergency Preparedness cornerstone in the Reactor Safety strategic performance area during the biennial emergency preparedness exercise. This inspection also included a review of records related to the three emergency preparedness performance indicators for the period April 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006.

The NRCs program for overseeing the safe operation of commercial nuclear power reactors is described in NUREG-1649, Reactor Oversight Process, Revision 3, dated July 2000.

A. Inspector-Identified and Self-Revealed Findings None.

Licensee-Identified Violations

None.

REPORT DETAILS

1EP1 Exercise Evaluation

a. Inspection Scope

The inspectors reviewed the September 19, 2006, biennial emergency preparedness exercises objectives and scenario to ensure that the exercise would acceptably test major elements of the licensees emergency plan, and to verify that the exercises simulated problems provided an acceptable framework to support demonstration of the licensees capability to implement its plan. The inspectors also reviewed records of a sample of emergency preparedness drills, which were conducted between August 2004 and August 2006, to verify that those drills scenarios were sufficiently different from the scenario used in the September 2006 exercise.

The inspectors evaluated the licensees exercise performance, focusing on the risk-significant activities of emergency classification, notification, and protective action decision making, as well as implementation of accident mitigation strategies in the following emergency response facilities:

• Control Room Simulator (CRS);

• Technical Support Center (TSC);

• Operations Support Center (OSC); and

• Emergency Operations Facility (EOF).

The inspectors also assessed the licensees recognition of abnormal plant conditions, transfer of responsibilities between facilities, internal communications, interfaces with offsite officials, readiness of emergency facilities and related equipment, and overall implementation of the licensees emergency plan.

The inspectors attended post-exercise critiques in the CRS, TSC, OSC, and EOF to evaluate the licensees initial self-assessment of its exercise performance. The inspectors later met with the licensees lead exercise evaluators to obtain the licensees refined assessments of its exercise participants performances. These self-assessments were then compared with the inspectors independent observations and assessments to assess the licensees ability to adequately critique its exercise performance.

These activities completed one inspection sample.

b. Findings

No findings of significance were identified.

4OA1 Performance Indicator (PI) Verification

.1 Reactor Safety Strategic Area

a. Inspection Scope

The inspectors reviewed the licensees records associated with each of the three emergency preparedness PIs to verify that the licensees program was implemented consistent with the industry guidelines in Nuclear Energy Institute Publication No. 99-02, Regulatory Assessment Performance Indicator Guideline, and related licensee procedures. Specifically, licensee records related to the performance of the Alert and Notification System (ANS), key Emergency Response Organization (ERO) members drill participation, and Drill and Exercise Performance (DEP) were reviewed to verify the accuracy and completeness of the PI data submitted to NRC for the period from April 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006. The following three PIs were reviewed:

• ANS;

• ERO Drill Participation; and

• DEP.

These activities completed three PI samples.

b. Findings

No findings of significance were identified.

4OA2 Identification and Resolution of Problems

The following performance concern, which could have adversely impacted response activities had exercise events been real, was independently identified by the inspectors and the licensee during the September 2006 exercise and was added to the licensees corrective action program:

• Degraded plant conditions associated with the third and fourth emergency declarations were not adequately provided in the associated press releases, while the initial emergency declaration was not mentioned in any press release.

4OA6 Meetings

.1 Exit Meeting

An exit meeting was conducted for:

• Emergency Preparedness with Mr. P. Harden and other members of licensee management and staff at the conclusion of the inspection on September 22, 2006. The licensee acknowledged the information presented. No proprietary information was identified.

.2 Public and Media Briefing

• On September 22, 2006, an inspector summarized NRCs preliminary exercise inspection conclusions at a public and media briefing hosted by Department of Homeland Security Region V Field Office staff in Paw Paw, Michigan.

ATTACHMENT:

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

KEY POINTS OF CONTACT

Licensee

P. Harden, Site Vice President

D. Mims, Site Director

G. Hettel, Plant General Manager

J. Broschak, Engineering Director

L. Blocker, Operations Manager

G. Higgs, Maintenance Manager

T. Blake, Nuclear Safety Assessment Manager

J. Ford, Emergency Preparedness Manager

B. Patrick, Chemistry and Radiation Protection Manager

G. Baustian, Training Manager

D. Rogers, Fleet Optimization Manager

S. Wawro, Consumers Energy/Asset Manager

M. Vonk, Corporate Senior Emergency Preparedness Specialist

C. Morgan, Corporate Emergency Preparedness Specialist

B. Dotson, Regulatory Compliance Specialist

LIST OF ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED

Opened, Closed, and Discussed

None.

Attachment