IR 05000454/2007502

IR 05000454-07-502; 05000455-07-502; on 06/18/2007-06/22/2007; Byron Station, Biennial Emergency Preparedness Exercise Baseline Inspection

ML071980204
Person / Time
Site:	Byron
Issue date:	07/12/2007
From:	Eric Duncan Plant Support Branch II
To:	Crane C Exelon Generation Co, Exelon Nuclear
References
IR-07-502
Download: ML071980204 (12)

Text

uly 12, 2007

SUBJECT:

BYRON STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2 BIENNIAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE BASELINE INSPECTION REPORT 05000454/2007502(DRS); 05000455/2007502(DRS)

Dear Mr. Crane:

On June 22, 2007, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed an inspection at your Byron Station, Units 1 and 2. The enclosed report documents the inspection findings, which were discussed on June 22, 2007, with Mr. Dave Hoots and other 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 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 System (PARS) component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

Sincerely,

/RA/

Eric Duncan, Chief Plant Support Branch Division of Reactor Safety Docket Nos. 50-454; 50-455 License Nos. NPF-37; NPF-66 Enclosure: Biennial Emergency Preparedness Exercise Baseline Inspection Report 05000454/2007502(DRS); 05000455/2007502(DRS);

w/Attachment: Supplemental Information cc w/encl: Site Vice President - Byron Station Plant Manager - Byron Station Regulatory Assurance Manager - Byron Station Chief Operating Officer Senior Vice President - Nuclear Services Vice President - Operations Support Vice President - Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Director Licensing Manager Licensing - Braidwood and Byron Senior Counsel, Nuclear Document Control Desk - Licensing Assistant Attorney General Illinois Emergency Management Agency State Liaison Officer, State of Illinois State Liaison Officer, State of Wisconsin Chairman, Illinois Commerce Commission B. Quigley, Byron Station W. King, FEMA, Region V

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

IR 05000454/2007502; 05000455/2007502; on 06/18/2007-06/22/2007; Byron Station,

Biennial Emergency Preparedness Exercise Baseline Inspection.

The report covers a 1 week baseline inspection by one regional emergency preparedness inspector, a resident inspector, and a reactor engineer. 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 January 1, 2006, through March 31, 2007.

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 June 20, 2007, 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 quarterly drills and exercises conducted in 2005, 2006, and 2007, to verify that those drills scenarios were sufficiently different from the scenario used in the June 20, 2007 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); 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, and EOF to evaluate the licensees initial self-assessment of its exercise performance. The inspectors later met with the licensees lead exercise evaluators and managers to obtain the licensees findings and 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 of 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 the applicable revision of 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 January 1, 2006, through March 31, 2007. The following three PIs were reviewed:

Common

• ANS;

• ERO Drill Participation; and

• DEP.

These activities completed three of three PI samples.

b. Findings

No findings of significance were identified.

4OA6 Meetings

.1 Exit Meeting

On June 22, 2007, at the conclusion of the on-site inspection activities, the inspectors presented preliminary inspection results to Mr. D. Hoots and other members of licensee management. The inspectors asked the licensee whether any materials examined during the inspection should be considered proprietary. No proprietary information was identified.

.2 Public and Media Briefing

On June 22, 2007, 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 Oregon, Illinois.

ATTACHMENT:

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

KEY POINTS OF CONTACT

Licensee

D. Hoots, Site Vice President

M. Snow, Plant Manager

J. Anderson, Byron Projects Manager

K. Appel, Corporate Emergency Preparedness Manager

D. Drawbaugh, Emergency Preparedness Manager

B. Grundmann, Regulatory Assurance Manager

T. Hulbert, NRC Coordinator

R. Kartheiser, Communications

W. Kouba, Nuclear Oversight Manager

S. Merrell, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator

M. Prospero, Operations Manager

W. Reecher, Chemistry

W. Stoermer, Regional PA Manager

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

B. Bartlett, Senior Resident Inspector

S. Sheldon, Acting Resident Inspector

LIST OF ITEMS OPENED, CLOSED, AND DISCUSSED

Opened, Closed, and Discussed

None.

Attachment