ML073130403
| ML073130403 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Farley  |
| Issue date: | 11/09/2007 |
| From: | Casto C Division Reactor Projects II |
| To: | Jerrica Johnson Southern Nuclear Operating Co |
| References | |
| Download: ML073130403 (6) | |
Text
November 9, 2007 Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
ATTN:
Mr. J. Randy Johnson Vice President - Farley Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant 7388 North State Highway 95 Columbia, AL 36319
SUBJECT:
ASSESSMENT FOLLOW-UP LETTER - JOSEPH M. FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT
Dear Mr. Johnson:
In October 2007, as part of our quarterly review, the NRC staff completed an update of our assessment of the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant. The assessment evaluated performance indicators (PIs) and inspection results. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of our assessment of your safety performance during this period and our plans for additional inspections. This letter supplements, but does not supercede, our annual and mid-cycle assessment letters.
Our review determined that the Unit 1 Mitigating System Performance Index, Cooling Water Systems PI has crossed the threshold from Green to White. This resulted from the additional unplanned unavailability time that occurred when breakers in the Component Cooling Water system failed to close on two separate occasions.
On August 17, 2007, we completed a supplemental inspection for a previous White Mitigating System Performance Index, Cooling Water Systems PI primarily due to Service Water pump breaker failures. During that inspection we identified significant weaknesses relating to the thoroughness and quality of several root cause evaluations that challenged your ability to implement effective overall corrective actions. Therefore, in accordance with Inspection Manual Chapter 0305, Operating Reactor Assessment Program, a White parallel PI inspection finding was opened to allow for additional review of your actions. This White parallel PI inspection finding is applicable to both Units 1 and 2 and will remain open until you have notified us of your readiness for the NRC to review the actions taken to address these issues and reverse the adverse trend in the performance and reliability of safety-related breakers.
As a result of the additional White PI on Unit 1 and the White parallel PI inspection finding, we have assessed Unit 1 performance to be in the Degraded Cornerstone column (two White inputs into the Mitigating System Cornerstone) of the NRCs Action Matrix.
For Unit 2, a Yellow inspection finding and Notice of Violation was issued on October 31, 2007, for the failure of a Residual Heat Removal (RHR) containment sump suction valve to fully open on two separate occasions. Because this finding was first provided to you in a letter dated August 2, 2007, this finding is being used for performance assessment in the NRCs Action Matrix in our quarterly review. As such, this Yellow finding would place Unit 2 in the Degraded Cornerstone column (one Yellow input into the Mitigating System Cornerstone) of the NRCs Action Matrix.
SNC 2
Two additional inputs were also applicable to our review of Unit 2. As previously noted in our mid-cycle assessment letter, the Unit 2 Mitigating System Performance Index, Residual Heat Removal System PI had crossed the threshold from Green to White in the 2nd quarter of 2007.
As a result of the additional White PI on Unit 2 and the White parallel PI inspection finding, Unit 2 would again be in the Degraded Cornerstone column (two White inputs into the Mitigating System Cornerstone) of the NRCs Action Matrix. However, because the RHR containment sump suction valve failures were the primary cause of the PI crossing the White threshold, we did not consider the White PI as an assessment input to the NRC Action Matrix. Therefore, Unit 2 is in the Degraded Cornerstone column based on the Yellow finding for RHR containment sump suction valve failures.
We will conduct a supplemental inspection (Inspection Procedure 95002) when you have notified us of your readiness for the NRC to review the actions taken to address each of these issues. This inspection procedure is conducted to provide assurance that the root and contributing causes for the individual and collective risk significant performance issues are understood, to independently assess the extent of condition, to provide assurance that the corrective actions are sufficient to prevent recurrence, and to independently determine if safety culture components caused or significantly contributed to these risk significant performance issues.
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 NRC's 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).
Please contact Mr. Scott Shaeffer at 404-562-4521 with any questions you may have regarding this letter.
Sincerely;
/RA/
Charles A. Casto, Director Division of Reactor Projects Docket Nos.: 50-348 and 50-364 License Nos.: NPF-2 and NPF-8 cc: (See page 2)
OFFICE RII:DRP RII:DRP RII:DRP SIGNATURE CWR /RA/
CWR /RA for/
CAC /RA/
NAME CRapp SShaeffer CChristensen DATE 11/09/2007 11/09/2007 11/09/2007 E-MAIL COPY?
YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO
SNC 3
cc w/encls:
B. D. McKinney, Licensing Services Manager, B-031 Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
Electronic Mail Distribution L. M. Stinson, Vice President, Fleet Operations Support Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
Electronic Mail Distribution J. T. Gasser Executive Vice President Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
Electronic Mail Distribution David H. Jones Vice President - Engineering Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201-1295 Moanica Caston Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
Bin B-022 P. O. Box 1295 Birmingham, AL 35201-1295 State Health Officer Alabama Department of Public Health RSA Tower - Administration 201 Monroe St., Suite 700 P. O. Box 303017 Montgomery, AL 36130-3017 M. Stanford Blanton Balch and Bingham Law Firm P. O. Box 306 1710 Sixth Avenue North Birmingham, AL 35201 William D. Oldfield Quality Assurance Supervisor Southern Nuclear Operating Company Electronic Mail Distribution
SNC 4
Letter to J. Randy Johnson from Charles A. Casto dated November 9, 2007
SUBJECT:
ASSESSMENT FOLLOW-UP LETTER - JOSEPH M. FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT Distribution w/encl:
K. Cotton, NRR C. Evans, RII L. Slack, RII RIDSNRRDIRS OE Mail PUBLIC