Information Notice 2007-04, Construction Experience Related to the Assurance of Quality in the Construction of Nuclear Power Plants
| ML063040426 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/05/2007 |
| From: | Tracy G Division of Construction Inspection and Operational Programs |
| To: | |
| References | |
| IN-07-004 | |
| Download: ML063040426 (5) | |
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REACTOR REGULATION
WASHINGTON, DC 20555-0001 February 5, 2007 NRC INFORMATION NOTICE 2007-04: CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE RELATED TO
THE ASSURANCE OF QUALITY IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ADDRESSEES
All current and potential applicants for an early site permit (ESP), combined operating license
(COL), or standard design certification (DC) for a nuclear power plant under the provisions of
Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 52, all current holders of and potential
applicants for construction permits under 10 CFR Part 50, and all licensees and potential
applicants for new fuel cycle facilities under 10 CFR Part 70.
PURPOSE
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing this Information Notice (IN) to alert
addressees to the importance of considering lessons learned from construction experience
when planning for and constructing new nuclear power plants or fuel cycle facilities. Recipients
are expected to review the information for applicability to their planned activities and to consider
actions, as appropriate, to avoid similar problems. However, the suggestions contained in this
IN are not NRC requirements; therefore, no specific action or written response is required.
DESCRIPTION OF CIRCUMSTANCES
Interest in constructing new nuclear power plants is increasing in the United States. Fifteen
utilities have officially notified the NRC of their intent to submit applications to construct more
than 24 new nuclear power plants. One major fuel cycle facility is currently under construction
in the United States with more expected. These events follow a hiatus of more than 20 years in
the construction of new reactors in the United States. Lessons learned during the last period of
plant construction in the United States and during recent international construction offer the
industry the opportunity to understand the causal factors that have led to construction problems.
Developing an appreciation for these factors will decrease the likelihood of repeating past
mistakes and will promote quality in nuclear power plant design and construction. While the
experiences referred to in this IN come from the construction of a new nuclear power plant, the
NRC believes it is also appropriate for consideration in the construction of new fuel cycle
fabrication facilities.
BACKGROUND
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, several nuclear power plant construction projects
experienced major problems related to design and construction quality. The Congress directed
the NRC to conduct a study to improve quality in the construction of future nuclear power
IN 2007- 04 plants. The NRC published the results of the 1984 study as NUREG-1055, Improving Quality
and the Assurance of Quality in the Design and Construction of Nuclear Power Plants
(ADAMS Accession No. ML063000293).
NUREG-1055 focused on what had happened in the past to derive lessons to apply in the
future. The report stated:
The increased industry and NRC experience and the lessons learned, if applied
properly, should decrease the probability of major quality problems in future
generations of nuclear plants. However, there are several conditions under
which major quality problems might recur. These include the following:
- A first-time utility with staffs or an architect/engineer, construction
manager, or constructors (vendors and fabricators) that have inadequate
nuclear design or construction experience;
- A very large growth in the number of nuclear power plants being
constructed that can overwhelm the industrys and NRCs capabilities;
- A long delay before nuclear plant construction activities start again, resulting in a dearth of experience in the industry;
- Regulatory actions at federal and state levels that undercut quality.
The NRC and the nuclear industry need to be aware of the implications for
quality that these possibilities hold.
Several of the conditions identified in NUREG-1055 under which major quality problems might
recur currently exist in the U.S. This fact emphasizes the importance of understanding the
causal factors associated with historical construction problems in order to chart a future course
for assuring quality in new nuclear power plant construction.
DISCUSSION
The nuclear industry is responsible for designing, constructing, and operating reactors and fuel
cycle facilities in a manner consistent with NRC regulations and other applicable federal laws.
Each licensee is responsible for achieving and assuring the quality of a nuclear power plant, beginning with its design and construction. NUREG-1055 identified several causes of
significant quality-related problems that have occurred during the construction of nuclear power
plants:
- An inability of utility management to adequately control all aspects of the construction
project, including planning, scheduling, procurement, and oversight of contractors;
- Inexperience with nuclear plant construction, resulting in utilities and their contractors
not fully appreciating the complexity and difficulty associated with building a nuclear
power plant and therefore the importance of nuclear-related standards;
IN 2007- 04 * A false sense of security growing out of prior successes;
- A failure to establish an atmosphere that encourages problem reporting and resolution
at all levels of the organization;
- A failure to delegate authority commensurate with responsibility; and
- A failure to have clear communication pathways across all project interfaces.
NUREG-1055 noted that quality craftsmanship is an absolute necessity for achieving quality in
nuclear construction. Further, it also noted that the failure of management to control certain
conditions, such as the amount of rework because of excessive design changes, the failure to
complete designs sufficiently ahead of construction, uninformed supervision, and a project
environment that emphasizes production to the detriment of quality, can defeat quality
craftsmanship.
Improvements in the performance of operating reactors over the last decade may suggest that
these historical issues will no longer pose a problem. However, recent construction
experiences in Finland indicate that the causal factors identified in 1984 continue to exist in the
current international construction arena. In Investigation Report 1/06, Management of Safety
Requirements in Subcontracting During the Olkiluoto 3 Nuclear Power Plant Construction
Phase, dated July 10, 2006, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK)
identified the following causal factors related to construction problems at the Olkiluoto 3 construction site:
- Poor communication between design and construction organizations and within
organizations participating in construction;
- Overconfidence in personnel with little nuclear industry experience and inadequate
oversight and training;
- Ineffective problem identification, reporting, and inadequate corrective actions;
- Unrealistic and aggressive schedules to complete designs sufficiently ahead of
construction;
- Inadequate assignment of responsibilities and authority to control assigned work,
- Inadequate communication of nuclear power plant specific requirements on quality and
quality control from the plant vendor to subcontractors in the tendering stage and in
purchase agreements;
- Inadequate understanding by vendors and contractors of the special work practices
required for performing work in the nuclear field,
IN 2007- 04 * Inadequate training of the subcontractors at the site and the staff of the manufacturers
about the importance to safety of the work and about the special requirements of
constructing for nuclear power plants; and
- Over reliance on subcontractors by the owner.
STUK has posted the complete report at http://www.stuk.fi/stuk/tiedotteet/en GB/news 419/.
In both Finland and the United States, interest in new reactor and fuel cycle facility construction
is resuming after many years. However, the problems currently being identified in Finland are
very similar to those that occurred in the United States more than 20 years ago. Regardless of
the licensing process and the type of construction, a commitment to quality, instilled early in a
nuclear construction project, is important to ensure that the facility is constructed and will
operate in conformance with its license and the NRCs regulations.
CONTACT
This IN requires no specific action or written response. Please direct any questions about this
matter to the Office of New Reactors contact listed below.
/RA/
Glenn M. Tracy, Director
Division of Construction Inspection
and Operational Programs
Office of New Reactors
Contacts: Mary Ann Ashley, Office of New Reactors
301-415-1073 email: MAB@nrc.gov
Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public Web site, http://www.nrc.gov, under Electronic Reading Room/Document Collections.
IN 2007- 04 * Inadequate training of the subcontractors at the site and the staff of the manufacturers
about the importance to safety of the work and about the special requirements of
constructing for nuclear power plants; and
- Over reliance on subcontractors by the owner.
STUK has posted the complete report at http://www.stuk.fi/stuk/tiedotteet/en_GB/news_419/.
In both Finland and the United States, interest in new reactor and fuel cycle facility construction
is resuming after many years. However, the problems currently being identified in Finland are
very similar to those that occurred in the United States more than 20 years ago. Regardless of
the licensing process and the type of construction, a commitment to quality, instilled early in a
nuclear construction project, is important to ensure that the facility is constructed and will
operate in conformance with its license and the NRCs regulations.
CONTACT
This IN requires no specific action or written response. Please direct any questions about this
matter to the Office of New Reactors contact listed below.
/RA/
Glenn M. Tracy, Director
Division of Construction Inspection
and Operational Programs
Office of New Reactors
Contacts: Mary Ann Ashley, Office of New Reactors
301-415-1073 email: MAB@nrc.gov
Note: NRC generic communications may be found on the NRC public Web site, http://www.nrc.gov, under Electronic Reading Room/Document Collections.
Accession Number: ML063040426
- via-email
OFFICE
DCIP/NRO Tech Editor DPR/NRR Reg II/DRAC DNRL/NRO
NAME MAshley
- CBladey CJackson *LPlisco DMatthews
DATE 01/09/07 10/24/06 02/ /07 01/11/07 01/17/07 OFFICE
OGC DCIP/NRO FCSS/NMSS OIP/ICA
NAME TCampbell GTracy R Pierson JRamsey for CAbrams
DATE 01/11/07 02/5/2007 02/5/2007 02/05/07 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY