ML052630227

Communication Plan & Notification Sequence Regarding Receipt & Docketing of PSEG Assessment Reports

ML052630227
Person / Time
Site:	Salem, Hope Creek
Issue date:	08/23/2005
From:	Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:
References
FOIA/PA-2004-0314
Download: ML052630227 (3)

Text

COMMUNICATION PLAN & NOTIFICATION SEQUENCE REGARDING RECEIPT & DOCKETING OF PSEG ASSESSMENT REPORTS BACKGROUND (Internal Use Only)

A recently issued PSEG letter, dated May 21, 2004, may cause substantial interest among external stakeholders when placed in ADAMs. We are currently placing the letter and its enclosures in ADAMS, and expect it to be declared publically available on Wednesday.

The PSEG letter provides the results of several assessments of the work environment at Salem and Hope Creek and is responsive to the NRC Region I request made in a January 28, 2004 letter to the licensee. PSEG described its assessment plans in a February 27, 2004 letter, as well as at a March 18, 2004 meeting with the NRC, that was open for public observation. The assessment results, provided in the PSEG may 21, 2004 letter, will be discussed by Region I with PSEG at another public meeting scheduled for June 16, 2004.

While the results of the PSEG-sponsored assessments appear consistent with NRC interim findings outlined in the NRC January 28, 2004 letter, the PSEG submittal contains a large amount of detail that is likely to draw renewed or intensified interest. For example, one of the assessments details fourteen events involving operational decision-making and unresolved conflicts within PSEG in the last few years.

NRC STATEMENT FOR EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS The NRC has just received a letter from PSEG, dated May 21, 2004, providing reports of three recent assessments conducted for the licensee. While Region I is still reviewing the reports, the reports appear self critical of the environment at Salem and Hope Creek, including the corrective action and work management programs. The reports consist of: (1) a 57 page Executive Summary Report, dated February 2004, of a 2003 Comprehensive Cultural Assessment performed by Synergy Corporation; (2) a 25 page report, along with 5 Attachments, of a Safety Cultural Assessment conducted by Utility Service Alliance in March 2004; and (3) a 75 page Report, dated May 4, 2004, with 11 Attachments, of an Independent Assessment Team Review responding to the January 28, 2004 NRC letter regarding the safety conscious work environment at Salem and Hope Creek.

The PSEG letter also notes that the reports all provide similar results, and document that the work environment at both Salem and Hope Creek is in need of improvement. The PSEG letter further states that PSEG is developing a comprehensive plan to improve not only the work environment, but also the PSEG corrective action and work management programs, which they view as the principal drivers of the needed improvements in the work environment. The NRC expects that the PSEG May 21, 2004 submittal, in its entirety, will be available in ADAMs sometime on Wednesday, May 26, 2004.

The NRC has scheduled a meeting with PSEG to discuss the assessment findings. The meeting, which will be open to the public, will be held at 7:00pm on June 16, 2004, at the Holiday Inn in Swedesboro, New Jersey. At that meeting, PSEG will also discuss its improvement plan.

Based on our initial review of the PSEG submittal, it appears that the issues in the licensee's self assessments are issues which the NRC was aware of via the inspection program, as well as our ongoing special review of the work environment. The NRC has not identified any serious safety issues, and despite the performance issues at the facility, our overall assessment is that Salem and Hope Creek have operated with good safety margins.

We consider it to be a productive step on the licensee's part to formally submit the detailed reports. We will review them thoroughly in conjunction with our ongoing special review of the work environment at Salem and Hope Creek.

LICENSEE NOTIFICATION PLANS PSEG plans to issue a press release announcing its submittal of the assessment reports to the NRC, after it has received assurance from the NRC that the documents submitted have been made publically available in ADAMs. It also plans the following notifications.

State Local Officials All NJ and Delaware US Senators offices NRC INTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS BY REGION I EDO NRR OEIAAA OPA OCA NRC EXTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS BY REGION I - AFTER PSEG ANNOUNCEMENT State UCS Alleger Congressional Staff by OCA after PSEG notifications

Attachments:

1. PSEG May 21, 2004, letter

2. Brief excerpts from each of the three assessment reports attached to that letter

3. Previous Communication Plan for our January 28, 2004 letter 3