IR 05000346/2006001

(Eco) Annual Assessment Letter (Report 05000346/2006001)

ML060610329
Person / Time
Site:	Davis Besse
Issue date:	03/02/2006
From:	Satorius M Division Reactor Projects III
To:	Bezilla M FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co
References
IR-06-001
Download: ML060610329 (7)

Text

rch 2, 2006

SUBJECT:

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER - DAVIS-BESSE NUCLEAR POWER STATION (REPORT 05000346/2006-001)

Dear Mr. Bezilla:

On February 8, 2006, the NRC staff completed its performance review of Davis-Besse Nuclear Power 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, 2005. 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 physical protection information. A separate letter designated and marked as Exempt from Public Disclosure in accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 will include the physical protection review and resultant inspection plan.

Overall, Davis-Besse 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 Regulatory Response column of the NRCs Action Matrix, based on one White finding associated with EP siren testing and reporting of siren PI data. We conducted supplemental inspection 95001 during the period of October 17 to 21, 2005. No findings of significance were identified concerning your evaluations and corrective actions associated with the White finding and the finding was closed. With the closure of that finding you were positioned to transition to the Licensee Response column of the NRCs Action Matrix at the end of the fourth quarter of 2005.

While plant performance for the most recent quarter and the third quarter of 2005 was within the Regulatory Response column of the Action Matrix, Davis-Besse was not under the Reactor Oversight Program (ROP) from January through June 2005. Therefore, there was no Action Matrix column designation during this time period. In our May 19, 2005, letter, we informed you that the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station would exit the Inspection Manual Chapter 0350 process and return to the ROP on July 1, 2005, in the Regulatory Response Column of the NRCs Action Matrix. Additionally, on April 21, 2005, the NRC issued to FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company a notice of violation and proposed implementation of civil penalties totaling $5.45 million associated with the significant Davis-Besse reactor vessel head damage discovered in March 2002. Your response was submitted on September 14, 2005. While agreeing to pay the total civil penalty, you did deny some of the specifics associated with a violation. On January 23, 2006, you submitted a supplemental reply to the notice of violation and admitted to the previously denied violation. The NRC is continuing to review both responses.

The enclosed inspection plan details the inspections, less those related to physical protection scheduled through September 30, 2007. In addition to the program defined inspection activities, additional oversight activities will be conducted to follow up on the independent assessments required by the March 8, 2004, Confirmatory Order (EA-03-214) in the areas of Operations, Engineering, Corrective Action Program, and Safety Culture/Safety Conscious Work Environment. 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 9 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).

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 Ms. Christine Lipa, Branch Chief, at 630-829-9619 with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Mark A. Satorius, Director Division of Reactor Projects Docket No. 50-346 License No. NPF-3 Enclosure: Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Inspection/Activity Plan See Attached Distribution