IR 05000255/2008001

Palisades, EOC Annual Assessment Letter (Report 05000255/2008001)

ML080600494
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	03/03/2008
From:	Pederson C Division Reactor Projects III
To:	Schwarz C Entergy Nuclear Operations
References
IR-08-001
Download: ML080600494 (7)

Text

rch 3, 2008

SUBJECT:

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER - PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT (5000255/2008001)

Dear Mr. Schwarz:

On February 12, 2008, the NRC staff completed its performance review of Palisades Nuclear Plant. 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, Palisades Nuclear Plant operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety and fully met all cornerstone objectives. Plant performance for the most recent quarter, as well as for the first three quarters of the assessment cycle, 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.

Additionally, the staff has identified a substantive cross-cutting issue in the area of human performance with a cross-cutting theme in the aspect of error prevention. There were 11 Green findings with a documented cross-cutting aspect in human performance. Four of the findings shared a common cross-cutting aspect of failure to use proper error prevention techniques (H.4(a)). In addition, these findings were from more than one cornerstone. Your staff has initiated actions to improve performance. This cross-cutting issue will remain open until the number of findings with the same cross-cutting aspect is reduced or when the NRC gains confidence your actions to address this adverse trend in human performance. In our mid-cycle assessment letter, dated August 31, 2007, (ADAMS Ref. ML072430433)

we advised you of a substantive cross-cutting issue in the area of problem identification and resolution, based on a number of findings with inadequate evaluations, aspect P.1(c). The end-of-cycle assessment of this cross-cutting issue included a review of the inspection results over the 12-month period of January 1 through December 31, 2007. During this period, the number of findings with the same cross-cutting aspect was reduced, and substantive cross cutting issue criteria in IMC 0305 were not met. Therefore, this substantive cross-cutting issue is closed.

The enclosed inspection plan details the inspections, including baseline and other infrequently conducted inspections, less those related to security, scheduled through June 30, 2009. 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 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).

If circumstances arise which cause us to change this inspection plan, we will contact you to discuss the change as soon as possible. Please contact Christine Lipa at 630-829-9619 with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.

Sincerely,

/RA by Gary L. Shear for/

Cynthia D. Pederson, Director Division of Reactor Projects Docket No. 50-255 License No. DPR-20 Enclosure: Palisades Inspection/Activity Plan DISTRIBUTION:

See next page