ML042910002

CAL 4-30-001- Letter Informing of Plans to Conduct Additional Inspection Followup to Assess the Effectiveness of Action Taken in Response to the long-standing Performance Issues Addressed in Confirmatory Action Letter

ML042910002
Person / Time
Site:	Cooper
Issue date:	10/15/2004
From:	Howell A NRC/RGN-IV/DRP
To:	Edington R Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD)
References
CAL 04-30-001
Download: ML042910002 (4)

Text

October 15, 2004 Randall K. Edington, Vice President - Nuclear and CNO Nebraska Public Power District P.O. Box 98 Brownville, NE 68321

Dear Mr. Edington:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of our plans to conduct additional inspection followup to assess the effectiveness of your actions taken in response to the long-standing performance issues addressed in our Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL). In a letter dated September 2, 2004, Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of their satisfactory completion of actions listed in CAL 4-03-001. The purpose of the CAL, issued on January 30, 2003, was to confirm the commitments made by NPPD regarding completion of actions developed to address regulatory performance issues at Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS).

NPPD actions confirmed in the CAL addressed long-standing performance issues in the areas of emergency preparedness, human performance, material condition and equipment reliability, plant modification and configuration control, the corrective action program, and engineering programs.

Your letter documented the results of an independent assessment conducted at CNS from May 17-28, 2004, to determine whether CNS was ready for release from the CAL. Readiness was determined by evaluating the extent to which sustainable performance improvement through the Strategic Improvement Plan (TIP) implementation had occurred in each of the six major CAL areas, as well as the extent to which CNS completed the CAL-related actions committed to in the TIP. An NRC inspection team observed the conduct of your assessment at CNS and conducted independent inspection activities. The results of your assessment were discussed at a public meeting on August 18, 2004.

On the basis of the results of the assessment, including the actions taken in response to it, NPPD concluded that actions in the CAL have been completed and that these actions have been effective in addressing long-standing performance issues. As a result, NPPD recommended that the NRC lift the CAL and concluded that CNS no longer requires the additional NRC oversight commensurate with the Multiple/Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone column of the NRC Action Matrix to ensure regulatory performance and plant reliability.

The NRC has reviewed the results of NPPDs independent assessment, as well as the results of independent NRC inspections at CNS, and has determined that additional inspection is required to assess the effectiveness of the actions taken at CNS in resolving the long-standing performance issues in three of the six areas addressed by the CAL. Specifically, the NRC plans to conduct additional inspection of NPPDs actions taken to address the areas of human performance, material condition and equipment reliability, and the corrective action program.

Nebraska Public Power District The inspection will begin on October 25, 2004, and the results of this inspection, including our inspection of the conduct of your assessment, will be documented in NRC Inspection Report 05000298/2004013.

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRCs "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRCs 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).

Sincerely,

/RA/

Arthur T. Howell III, Director Division of Reactor Projects Docket: 50-298 License: DRP-46 cc:

Clay C. Warren, Vice President of Strategic Programs Nebraska Public Power District 1414 15th Street Columbus, NE 68601 John R. McPhail, General Counsel Nebraska Public Power District P.O. Box 499 Columbus, NE 68602-0499 P. V. Fleming, Licensing Manager Nebraska Public Power District P.O. Box 98 Brownville, NE 68321 Michael J. Linder, Director Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality P.O. Box 98922 Lincoln, NE 68509-8922

Nebraska Public Power District Chairman Nemaha County Board of Commissioners Nemaha County Courthouse 1824 N Street Auburn, NE 68305 Sue Semerena, Section Administrator Nebraska Health and Human Services System Division of Public Health Assurance Consumer Services Section 301 Centennial Mall, South P.O. Box 95007 Lincoln, NE 68509-5007 Ronald A. Kucera, Deputy Director for Public Policy Department of Natural Resources P.O. Box 176 Jefferson City, MO 65101 Jerry Uhlmann, Director State Emergency Management Agency P.O. Box 116 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0116 Chief, Radiation and Asbestos Control Section Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Air and Radiation 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 310 Topeka, KS 66612-1366 Daniel K. McGhee Bureau of Radiological Health Iowa Department of Public Health 401 SW 7th Street, Suite D Des Moines, IA 50309 William J. Fehrman, President and Chief Executive Officer Nebraska Public Power District 1414 15th Street Columbus, NE 68601

Nebraska Public Power District Jerry C. Roberts, Director of Nuclear Safety Assurance Nebraska Public Power District P.O. Box 98 Brownville, NE 68321

Nebraska Public Power District Electronic distribution by RIV:

Regional Administrator (BSM1)

Deputy Regional Administrator (TPG)

DRP Director (ATH)

DRS Director (DDC)

RIV Public Affairs Officer (VLD)

OEDO RIV Coordinator (MAM4)

H. Berkow, NRR (HNB)

Senior Resident Inspector (SCS)

Branch Chief, DRP/C (KMK)

Senior Project Engineer, DRP/C (WCW)

Staff Chief, DRP/TSS (KMK)

RITS Coordinator (KEG)

RidsNrrDipmLipb ADAMS: / Yes

• No Initials: _ATH_____

/ Publicly Available

• Non-Publicly Available

• Sensitive / Non-Sensitive R:\_CNS\2004\CAL 4-03-001.wpd AI04-262 RIV:C:DRP/C D:DRP KMKennedy;mjs;dlf ATHowell

/RA/ /RA/

10/15/04 10/15/04 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY T=Telephone E=E-mail F=Fax