IR 05000269/2011001

Annual Assessment Letter for Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (IR 05000269-11-001, 05000270-11-001, and 05000287-11-001)

ML110630322
Person / Time
Site:	Oconee
Issue date:	03/04/2011
From:	Mccree V Region 2 Administrator
To:	Gillespie T Duke Energy Carolinas
Shared Package
ML110630308	List: IR 05000269/2011001 ML110630325
References
IR-11-001
Download: ML110630322 (5)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION rch 4, 2011

SUBJECT:

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR OCONEE NUCLEAR STATION UNITS 1, 2, AND 3 (REPORT 05000269/2011001, 05000270/2011001, AND 05000287/2011001)

Dear Mr. Gillespie:

On February 9, 2011, the NRC completed its end-of-cycle performance review of Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS) Units 1, 2, and 3. The NRC reviewed the most recent quarterly performance indicators (PIs) in addition to inspection results and enforcement actions from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2010. This letter informs you of the NRCs assessment of your facility during this period and its plans for future inspections at your facility. This performance review and enclosed inspection plan do not include security information. A separate letter will include the NRCs assessment of your performance in the Security Cornerstone and its security-related inspection plan.

The NRC determined the performance at ONS Units 1, 2, and 3 for the most recent quarter was within the Degraded Cornerstone Column of the NRCs Reactor Oversight Process (ROP)

Action Matrix based on one inspection finding being classified as having substantial safety significance (Yellow) in the Mitigating Systems Cornerstone related to the failure to ensure the Standby Shutdown Facility (SSF) Reactor Coolant Makeup (RCM) subsystem for all three units remained operable as required by Technical Specifications. Additionally, ONS Units 2 and 3 had one inspection finding classified as having low to moderate safety significance (White) in the Mitigating Systems Cornerstone related to a failure to identify and correct ONS Unit 2 and Unit 3 SSF RCM letdown line degradation in a timely manner after similar degradation was identified on ONS Unit 1. On December 17, 2010, the NRC completed a supplemental inspection in accordance with Inspection Procedure 95002, Supplemental Inspection for One Degraded Cornerstone or Any Three White Inputs in a Strategic Performance Area. Based on the results of this inspection, the NRC determined that your staff adequately addressed the causes for both of these findings. Therefore, both findings are considered closed and ONS Units 1, 2, and 3 transitioned to the Licensee Response Column of the NRCs ROP Action Matrix on January 1, 2011.

The NRC identifies substantive cross-cutting issues (SCCIs) to communicate a concern with licensee performance in a cross-cutting area and to encourage the licensee to take appropriate actions before more significant performance issues emerge. The NRC identified a cross-cutting theme in the Work Practices component of the Human Performance cross-cutting area.

DEC 2 Specifically, four NRC-identified violations were identified as having the cross-cutting aspect of procedure use (H.4.(b)). While we recognize that the high level of activities at your site may be a contributor to this theme, the NRC determined that an SCCI exists because the NRC has a concern with your staffs scope of effort and progress in addressing the cross-cutting theme.

Your staff previously identified procedure use and adherence cross-cutting area as needing improvement in 2007, 2008, and 2009. However, your staffs efforts to correct this cross-cutting area were narrowly focused and ineffective as demonstrated by the four NRC-identified findings related to this cross-cutting aspect. The SCCI will remain open until the NRC has confidence that your corrective actions are sufficient, based in part on a reduction in the number of findings below the SCCI threshold. The NRC will monitor your staffs effort and progress in addressing the SCCI by a focused problem identification annual sample to evaluate the planned corrective actions and a review during the biennial Problem Identification and Resolution inspection to verify the effectiveness of the corrective actions.

The enclosed inspection plan lists the inspections scheduled through June 30, 2012. Routine inspections performed by resident inspectors are not included in the inspection plan. We also plan on conducting several infrequently performed inspections which include: Inspection Procedure 52003, Digital Instrumentation and Control Modification Inspection; initial reactor operator licensing examinations; and Temporary Instruction 2515/179, Verification of Licensee Responses to NRC Requirement for Inventories of Materials Tracked in the National Source Tracking System Pursuant to Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20.2207 (10 CFR 20.2207). Additionally, the staff will continue its review of issues associated with fire, tornado, and high energy line break mitigation. The inspections listed during the last nine months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised at the mid-cycle performance review. The NRC provides the inspection plan to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issues. The NRC will contact you as soon as possible to discuss changes to the inspection plan should circumstances warrant any changes.

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).

Please contact Mr. Jonathan Bartley at (404) 997-4607 with any questions you have regarding this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Victor M. McCree Regional Administrator Docket Nos.: 50-269, 50-270, 50-287 License Nos.: DPR-38, DPR-47, DPR-55 cc w/Encl: (See page 3)

Enclosure: Oconee Inspection/Activity Plan (03/01/2011 - 6/30/2012)

_ML110630322___ G SUNSI REVIEW COMPLETE OFFICE RII:DRP RII:DRP RII:DRP RII:ORA RII:ORA SIGNATURE CWR /RA/ JHB /RA/ RXC /RA/ LDW /RA/ VMM /RA/

NAME CRapp JBartley RCroteau LWert VMcCree DATE 03/01/2011 03/01/2011 03/02/2011 02/28/2011 03/03/2011 E-MAIL COPY? YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO

DEC 3 cc w/encl: County Supervisor of Oconee County Division of Radiological Health 415 S. Pine Street TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation Walhalla, SC 29691-2145 Electronic Mail Distribution W. Lee Cox, III David A. Baxter Section Chief Vice President, Nuclear Engineering Radiation Protection Section Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC N.C. Department of Environmental Electronic Mail Distribution Commerce & Natural Resources Electronic Mail Distribution Kent Alter Regulatory Compliance Manager Oconee Nuclear Station Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC Electronic Mail Distribution Sandra Threatt, Manager Nuclear Response and Emergency Environmental Surveillance Bureau of Land and Waste Management Department of Health and Environmental Control Electronic Mail Distribution Scott L. Batson Station Manager Oconee Nuclear Station Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC Electronic Mail Distribution Terry L. Patterson Safety Assurance Manager Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC Electronic Mail Distribution Charles Brinkman Director Washington Operations Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC Electronic Mail Distribution Tom D. Ray Engineering Manager Oconee Nuclear Station Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC Electronic Mail Distribution

DEC 4 Letter to T. Preston Gillespie, Jr. from Victor M. McCree dated March 4, 2011 SUBJECT: ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR OCONEE NUCLEAR STATION UNITS 1, 2, AND 3 (REPORT 05000269/2011001, 05000270/2011001, AND 05000287/2011001)

Distribution w/encl:

C. Evans, RII L. Douglas, RII OE Mail RIDSNRRDIRS PUBLIC RidsNrrPMOconee Resource ROP Reports Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO)