IR 05000390/2002001

Annual Assessment Letter - Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (Report 50-390/02-01 and 50-391/02-01)

ML23196A000
Person / Time
Site:	Watts Bar
Issue date:	03/04/2002
From:	Fredrickson P Reactor Projects Region 2 Branch 6
To:	Scalice J Tennessee Valley Authority
References
IR 2002001
Download: ML23196A000 (1)

Text

March 4, 2002

SUBJECT:

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER - WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT (REPORT 50-390/02-01 AND 50-391/02-01)

Dear Mr. Scalice:

On February 5, 2002, the NRC staff completed its end-of-cycle plant performance assessment of the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant. The end-of-cycle review for Watts Bar involved the participation of all technical divisions in evaluating performance indicators (PIs) and inspection results for the period from April 1 through December 31, 2001. 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 will provide you with the opportunity to prepare for these inspections and to inform us of any planned inspections which may conflict with your plant activities.

As discussed in our previous annual assessment letter dated May 30, 2001, this inspection and assessment cycle consisted of three quarters (i.e., the second, third, and fourth quarters of calendar year 2001) instead of the usual four quarters. This change was implemented in order to align the inspection and assessment cycle with the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2002.

Overall, Watts Bar 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 two 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 only baseline inspections at your facility through March 31, 2003, as well as continue to inspect the layup and preservation of Unit 2 safety-related equipment on an annual basis.

The enclosed inspection plan details the inspections scheduled through March 31, 2003. The inspection plan is provided to minimize the resource impact on your staff and to allow for scheduling conflicts and personnel availability to be resolved in advance of inspector arrival onsite. Routine resident inspections are not listed due to their ongoing and continuous nature.

The last six months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised at the mid-cycle review meeting.

TVA 2 With respect to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, immediately following the attacks, the NRC issued safeguards advisories recommending that nuclear power plant licensees go to the highest level of security, and all promptly did so. With continued uncertainty about the possibility of additional terrorist activities, the Nation's nuclear power plants, including Watts Bar, remain at a high level of security. On February 25, 2002, the NRC issued an Order to all nuclear power plant licensees, requiring them to take certain additional interim compensatory measures to address the generalized high-level threat environment. These additional compensatory requirements will provide the NRC with reasonable assurance that public health and safety and the common defense and security continue to be adequately protected in the current generalized high-level threat environment. These requirements will remain in effect pending notification from the Commission that a significant change in the threat environment occurs, or until the Commission determines that other changes are needed following a more comprehensive re-evaluation of current safeguards and security programs. To date, we have monitored the Tennessee Valley Authoritys actions in response to the terrorist attacks through a series of audits. With the issuance of the Order, in addition to the inspections described in the enclosed plan, we will evaluate Watts Bars compliance with these interim requirements.

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 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 me at 404-562-4530 with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.

Sincerely,

//RA//

Paul E. Fredrickson, Chief Reactor Projects Branch 6 Division of Reactor Projects Docket Nos. 50-390, 50-391 License No. NPF-90 and Construction Permit No. CPPR-92 Enclosure: Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/encl: (See page 3)

TVA 3 cc w/encl: County Executive Karl W. Singer Rhea County Courthouse Senior Vice President 375 Church Street, Suite 215 Nuclear Operations Dayton, TN 37321-1300 Tennessee Valley Authority Electronic Mail Distribution County Executive Meigs County Courthouse Jon R. Rupert, Vice President (Acting) Decatur, TN 37322 Engineering and Technical Services Tennessee Valley Authority Lawrence E. Nanney, Director Electronic Mail Distribution TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation Division of Radiological Health William R. Lagergren Electronic Mail Distribution Site Vice President Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Ann Harris Tennessee Valley Authority 341 Swing Loop Road Electronic Mail Distribution Rockwood, Tennessee 37854 General Counsel John D. White, Jr., Director Tennessee Valley Authority Tennessee Emergency Management Agency Electronic Mail Distribution Electronic Mail Distribution Robert J. Adney, General Manager Nuclear Assurance Tennessee Valley Authority Electronic Mail Distribution Mark J. Burzynski, Manager Nuclear Licensing Tennessee Valley Authority Electronic Mail Distribution Paul L. Pace, Manager Licensing and Industry Affairs Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority Electronic Mail Distribution Larry S. Bryant, Plant Manager Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Tennessee Valley Authority Electronic Mail Distribution

Page 1 of 1 Watts Bar 03/04/2002 16:34:21 Inspection / Activity Plan Report 22 03/04/2002 - 03/31/2003 Unit No. of Staff Planned Dates Inspection Number Inspection Activity Title on Site Start End Type EB2-ISI - INSERVICE INSPECTION 1 1 IP 7111108 Inservice Inspection Activities 03/06/2002 03/08/2002 Baseline Inspections PS-RP - RADIATION PROTECTION 3 1 IP 7112101 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas 03/11/2002 03/15/2002 Baseline Inspections 1 IP 7112102 ALARA Planning and Controls 03/11/2002 03/15/2002 Baseline Inspections 1 IP 7112202 Radioactive Material Processing and Transportation 03/11/2002 03/15/2002 Baseline Inspections 1 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification 03/11/2002 03/15/2002 Baseline Inspections PS-SEC - SECURITY 2 1 IP 7113003 Response to Contingency Events (Protective Strategy and Implementation of Protective Strategy) 04/29/2002 05/03/2002 Baseline Inspections PS-RP - RADIATION PROTECTION AT MUSCLE SHOALS 1 1 IP 7112203 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program 07/10/2002 07/12/2002 Baseline Inspections OL-RQ - REQUAL INSPECTION 2 1 IP 7111111B Licensed Operator Requalification 08/12/2002 08/16/2002 Baseline Inspections PS-SEC - SECURITY 1 1 IP 7113001 Access Authorization Program (Behavior Observation Only) 10/07/2002 10/11/2002 Baseline Inspections 1 IP 7113002 Access Control (Search of Personnel, Packages, and Vehicles: Identification and Authorization) 10/07/2002 10/11/2002 Baseline Inspections 1 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification 10/07/2002 10/11/2002 Baseline Inspections PB6LAYUP - UNIT 2 SYSTEM LAYUP 1 1 IP 92050 Review Of Quality Assurance For Extended Construction Delays 10/21/2002 10/24/2002 Other Routine OL-EP - EMERGENCY PLANNING INSPECTION 1 1 IP 7111402 Alert and Notification System Testing 11/04/2002 11/08/2002 Baseline Inspections 1 IP 7111403 Emergency Response Organization Augmentation Testing 11/04/2002 11/08/2002 Baseline Inspections 1 IP 7111404 Emergency Action Level and Emergency Plan Changes 11/04/2002 11/08/2002 Baseline Inspections 1 IP 7111405 Correction of Emergency Preparedness Weaknesses and Deficiencies 11/04/2002 11/08/2002 Baseline Inspections 1 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification 11/04/2002 11/08/2002 Baseline Inspections PB6-AWP - FREEZE PROTECTION 1 1 IP 7111101 Adverse Weather Protection 11/11/2002 11/15/2002 Baseline Inspections OL-EXAM - INITIAL EXAM 3 1 V23161 WATTS BARR 1/INITIAL EXAMS AT POWER FACILITIES 12/02/2002 12/06/2002 Not Applicable PB6-FP - FLOOD PROTECTION 1 1 IP 7111106 Flood Protection Measures 02/10/2003 02/14/2003 Baseline Inspections This report does not include INPO and OUTAGE activities.

This report shows only on-site and announced inspection procedures.