ML071440468

EOC Meeting Slides - NRC

ML071440468
Person / Time
Site:	Braidwood
Issue date:	05/22/2007
From:	NRC/RGN-III
To:
References
FOIA/PA-2010-0209
Download: ML071440468 (23)

Text

Braidwood Annual Assessment Meeting Reactor Oversight Program - CY 2006 Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Region III Braceville, IL May 22, 2007

Purpose of Todays Meeting z Provide a public forum for discussion of the licensees performance z NRC will address the licensee performance issues identified in the annual assessment letter z Licensee will be given the opportunity to respond to the information in the letter and inform the NRC of new or existing programs to maintain or improve their performance

Agenda z Introduction z Review of Reactor Oversight Process z National Summary of Plant Performance z Discussion of Plant Performance Results z Licensee Response and Remarks z NRC Closing Remarks z Break z NRC available to address public questions

Region III Organization James Caldwell Regional Administrator Geoff Grant Deputy Regional Administrator Mark Satorius Cynthia Pederson Director Division of Reactor Projects (DRP) Director Division of Reactor Safety (DRS)

Steve West Anne Boland Deputy Director Deputy Director Richard Skokowski Regional Specialists Branch Chief Braidwood Project Engineer Resident Inspectors Desiree Smith Steven Ray Greg Roach

NRC Representatives z Steven Ray, Senior Resident Inspector

- (815) 458-2852 z Greg Roach, Resident Inspector

- (815) 458-2852 z Robert Kuntz, Project Manager, Nuclear Reactor Regulation

- (301) 415-3733 z Terry Brock, Health Effects Branch, Nuclear Regulatory Research

- (301) 415-2323 z Steven Orth, Health Physics Team Lead, DRS

- (630) 829-9827 z Viktoria Mitlyng, Public Affairs Officer, Region III

- (630) 829-9662 z John Cassidy, Health Physicist, DRS

- (630) 829-9667 z Richard Skokowski, Branch Chief, DRP

- (630) 829-9620

NRC Performance Goals z Safety: Ensure protection of the public health and safety and the environment z Security: Ensure the secure use and management of radioactive materials z Openness: Ensure openness in our regulatory process z Effectiveness: Ensure that NRC actions are effective, efficient, realistic, and timely z Management: Ensure excellence in agency management to carry out the NRCs strategic objectives

Reactor Oversight Process Strategic Performance Areas Safety Cornerstones Baseline Inspection Performance Indicator Results Results Significance Significance Threshold Threshold Action Matrix Regulatory Response

Significance Threshold Performance Indicators Green: Baseline Inspection only White: May increase NRC oversight Yellow: Requires more NRC oversight Red: Requires more NRC oversight Inspection Findings Green: Very low safety issue White: Low to moderate safety issue Yellow: Substantial safety issue Red: High safety issue

Action Matrix Concept Licensee Regulatory Degraded Multiple/Rep. Unacceptable Response Response Cornerstone Degraded Performance Cornerstone Increasing Safety Significance Increasing NRC Inspection Efforts Increasing NRC/Licensee Management Involvement Increasing Regulatory Actions

National Summary of Plant Performance Status at End of CY 2006 Licensee Response 70 Regulatory Response 24 Degraded Cornerstone 6 Multiple/Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone 3 Unacceptable 0 Total 103

National Summary z Performance Indicator Results (at end of CY 2006)

Green 1843 White 11 Yellow 0 Red 0 z Total Inspection Findings (CY 2006)

Green 676 White 13 Yellow 0 Red 0

Examples of Baseline Inspections z Equipment Alignment ~80 hrs/yr z Triennial Fire Protection ~200 hrs every 3 yrs z Operator Response ~125 hrs/yr z Emergency Preparedness ~80 hrs/yr z Radiological Release Controls ~110 hrs every 2 yrs z Worker Radiation Protection ~90 hrs/yr z Corrective Action Program ~250 hrs every 2 yrs z Corrective Action Case Reviews ~60 hrs/yr

Braidwood Assessment Results (Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2006) z Safety performance for Braidwood Units 1 and 2 for the most recent quarter was within the Regulatory Response column of the NRC Action Matrix.

z This assessment was based upon one inspection finding being classified as having low to moderate significance (White) in the public radiation safety cornerstone.

Significant Findings or PIs z One significant finding, in public radiation safety, was identified during this assessment period. This was associated with the licensees failure to perform adequate, timely radiological evaluations following historical leaks.

z On February 2, 2007, the NRC completed a supplemental inspection pursuant to Inspection Procedure 95001 due to the White Performance Issue in the Public Radiation Safety cornerstone. No findings of significance were identified.

Public Radiation Safety Findings z November 2005 - Braidwood staff notified the NRC that tritium was detected in off-site wells.

z Braidwood investigation:

identified the source of tritium was from vacuum breaker valve leaks in 1996, 1998, and 2000 further identified a total of 17 occasions of vacuum breaker valve leaks.

characterized the release of radioactive material z Remediation Plan implemented after coordination with State of Illinois and NRC

Offsite Impact z Braidwood evaluated the potential dose to a member of the public from the releases, based on measurements from onsite and offsite wells and pathway evaluations Drinking water Bathing Cooking Watering gardens (vegetation)

Recreational usage of Exelon Pond and surrounding areas z Potential doses from the contamination were a very small fraction of the NRCs limits and relatively indistinguishable from fluctuations in normal background radiation dose.

NRC Evaluation Inspections encompassed activities from the initial response through evaluating Braidwoods root cause evaluation and corrective actions.

z Initial Response Source of contamination and evaluation Storage of water while repairing the discharge path z Review of remediation actions and resumption of liquid releases Integrity of blowdown line Integrity of modified vacuum breaker valve vaults including leak detection and alarm system z Independent dose calculation z Independent and duplicate analyses of water samples throughout the inspection period z External communications Results -- One WHITE finding and violations of NRC requirements

Braidwood Inspection Activities (Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2006) z 10 findings during this assessment period 2 in initiating events 3 in mitigating systems 2 in barrier integrity 3 in public radiation safety

Braidwood Inspection Activities (Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2006) z Supplemental Inspection 95001 was completed on February 2, 2007 z Unit 1 had a refueling outage from April 16 - May 3, 2006. During this outage the licensee identified a pressurizer heater housing crack which was caused by intergranular stress corrosion cracking, the first case ever identified.

z Unit 2 had a refueling outage from October 15 -

November 2, 2006

Braidwood Annual Assessment Summary (Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2006) z Exelon Nuclear operated Braidwood Units 1 & 2 in a manner that preserved public health and safety z All cornerstone objectives were met with only one White Finding identified for the Public Radiation Safety Cornerstone.

z NRC plans baseline inspections at Braidwood for the remainder of the assessment period. A supplemental 95001 inspection was completed on February 2, 2007.

Licensee Response and Remarks Tom Coutu Site Vice President Braidwood Generating Station

Contacting the NRC z Report an emergency (301) 816-5100 (call collect) z Report a safety concern:

(800) 695-7403 Allegation@nrc.gov z General information or questions www.nrc.gov Select About NRC > Organization and Functions for Public Affairs

Reference Sources z Reactor Oversight Process http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/index.html z Public Electronic Reading Room http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html z Public Document Room 1-800-397-4209 (Toll Free) z Illinois EPA Environmental Emergencies Only 1-800-782-7860 (24 hrs/day, Toll Free) 217-782-7860 (24 hrs/day)