ML081280796

EOC Meeting Slides

ML081280796
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	05/12/2008
From:	NRC/RGN-III
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Download: ML081280796 (33)

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Palisades Annual Assessment Meeting CY2007 Reactor Oversight Program South Haven, MI May 12, 2008

Purpose of Todays Meeting A public forum for discussion of the licensees performance NRC will discuss the licensee performance issues identified in the annual assessment letter 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 Introduction About the NRC Review of the Reactor Oversight Process National Summary of Plant Performance Discussion of Palisades Plant Performance Licensee Response and Remarks NRC Closing Remarks Break NRC available to address public questions

Who We Are The Atomic Energy Commission was established by Congress in 1946 to encourage the use of nuclear power and regulate its safety In 1974 Congress divided the AEC into two parts U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Department of Energy The NRC is headed by a Chairman and four Commissioners, all appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for staggered five-year terms.

Vacant Commissioner Commissioner Chairman Commissioner Kristine L. Svinicki Gregory B. Jaczko Dale E. Klein Peter B. Lyons

Region III Organization James L. Caldwell Regional Administrator Mark A. Satorius Deputy Regional Administrator Division of Reactor Safety Division of Reactor Projects Division of Nuclear Materials Safety K. Steven West, Director Cynthia D. Pederson, Director Steven C. Reynolds, Director Anne T. Boland, Deputy Director Gary Shear, Deputy Director John Madera, Deputy Director Christine Lipa Regional Specialists Regional Specialists Branch 4 Chief Palisades Resident Inspection Staff Branch Staff John Ellegood, Senior Resident Inspector Robert Lerch, Project Engineer Jack Geissner, Resident Inspector Alex Garmoe, Reactor Engineer Cammie Hernandez, Office Assistant Frank Tran, Reactor Engineer

NRC Representatives Christine Lipa, Branch Chief (630) 829-9619 John Ellegood, Senior Resident Inspector (269) 764-8971 Jack Geissner, Resident Inspector (269) 764-8971 Mahesh Chawla, Project Manager, NRR (301) 415-8371

Who We Are The NRC employs approximately 3,500 people NRC inspectors are assigned full-time to each nuclear power plant and fuel cycle facility

Who We Are The NRC Mission:

To license and regulate the nations civilian use of byproduct, source and special nuclear materials to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety, promote the common defense and security, and protect the environment.

Nuclear Power Facts 104 nuclear plants at 65 sites produce approximately 20%

of U.S. electricity Nuclear electrical generation in 2006 totaled 787 billion kilowatt-hours World-wide, there are 439 nuclear plants in 31 countries (as of 2006)

Nuclear Materials Facts Nuclear materials are used in medicine for cancer treatment and diagnosis Nuclear materials are widely used in industry, such as in density gauges, flow measurement devices, radiography devices and irradiators Approximately 22,000 licenses are currently issued for academic, industrial, medical, and other uses of nuclear material

Nuclear Waste Facts Nuclear fuel spends 4-6 years in the reactor until it cannot be used anymore Fuel is removed from the reactor and placed in large water pools that ensure adequate cooling and shielding After time in the pool fuel can be moved to gas-filled steel and concrete casks that continue to ensure adequate cooling and shielding If a license application is submitted, NRC would review the application and regulate a geologic repository

NRC Primary Functions Establish Rules and Regulations Evaluate license applications and issue licenses if appropriate Provide oversight through inspection of facilities, enforcement of regulatory violations, and evaluation of industry operational experience Conduct research to provide technical support for regulatory decisions Respond to events and emergencies at licensed facilities

NRC Regulatory Functions What We Regulate What We DONT Regulate Nuclear Reactors Nuclear Weapons Commercial power, research, Military Reactors test, and new reactor designs Space Vehicle Reactors Nuclear Material Naturally Occurring Radon or X-Reactor fuel, radioactive rays material for medical, industrial, and academic uses These are regulated by other federal agencies Nuclear Waste Transportation, storage, disposal, and facility decommissioning Nuclear Security Facility physical security

How NRC Regulates Oversight and Inspection Full-time Resident Inspectors at each nuclear plant and fuel facility Regional Inspection Specialists Assessment Inspection results are assessed to provide a comprehensive picture of facility performance NRC adjusts inspection effort Enforcement NRC Issues Findings and Violations Investigation of allegations of wrong-doing Emergency Response NRC Inspectors are on-call 24/7 to respond to events at any nuclear plant and fuel facility

NRC Performance Goals Safety Ensure adequate protection of public health and safety and the environment Security Ensure adequate protection in the secure use and management of radioactive materials

Ensuring Nuclear Safety Defense-in-Depth design philosophy Safety systems must be fully independent and redundant Multiple physical barriers Routine testing of licensee Emergency Plans Ensure Compliance with Regulations and License NRC inspectors perform daily on-site inspections Reporting requirements for certain plant issues and safety data Maintenance Programs Equipment reliability, unavailability, and failures are tracked and verified Continuing Training Nuclear Plant Operators are required to undergo continuing training to retain their Operating License

Ensuring Nuclear Security Well-armed and well-trained security forces Surveillance and perimeter patrols State-of-the-art site access equipment and controls Physical barriers and detection zones Intrusion detection systems and alarm stations

Reactor Oversight Process 3 Strategic Performance Areas are divided into 7 Cornerstones of Safety Inspection Findings and Performance Indicators are assigned to a Cornerstone Inspection Findings can be assigned a cross-cutting aspect (a causal factor for the issue)

Human Performance Problem Identification and Resolution Safety Conscious Work Environment Numerous findings with a common cross-cutting aspect results in a Substantive Cross-Cutting Issue

Reactor Oversight Process Strategic Performance Areas Safety Cornerstones Inspection Performance Indicator Results Results Significance Significance Evaluation Evaluation Action Matrix Regulatory

Response

Baseline Inspections Routine inspection effort performed, as a minimum, at all reactor sites Includes daily unannounced resident inspector activities and periodic regional team inspections Over 2,000 man-hours of direct inspection effort annually Major focus areas Reactor safety Radiation safety Emergency preparedness Security

Beyond Baseline Inspections Special Inspections Inspection response to unusual or unexpected plant issues Conducted during an ongoing event or soon after Focus on the licensees evaluation and response to ongoing plant issues Supplemental Inspections Inspection response to White, Yellow, and Red inspection results and performance indicators Conducted upon completion of licensee actions to address the issue Focus on the licensees evaluation of the issue and adequacy of corrective actions

Significance Threshold Inspection Findings and Performance Indicators Green Implement Baseline Inspection program White Increasingly intrusive supplemental Yellow inspections to ensure causes are Red determined and corrected Significance Definitions Green: Very Low safety significance White: Low to Moderate safety significance Yellow:

Yellow Substantial safety significance Red: High safety significance

Action Matrix Multiple /

Licensee Regulatory Degraded Repetitive Unacceptable Response Response Cornerstone Degraded Performance Cornerstone Increased safety significance of findings and performance indicators results in movement to the right Movement to the right results in:

NRC supplemental inspections Increased management involvement Increased regulatory actions

National Plant Performance Action Matrix Status at End of CY 2007 Licensee Response 87 Regulatory Response 8 Degraded Cornerstone 8 Multiple/Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone 1 Unacceptable Performance 0 TOTAL 104

National Plant Performance Performance Indicator Results (end of CY 2007)

Green: 1942 White: 8 Yellow:

Yellow 1 Red: 0 Total Inspection Findings (CY 2007)

Green: 759 White: 9 Yellow:

Yellow 2 Red: 0

Palisades Inspection Activities January 1 - December 31, 2007 Over 2,200 man-hours of direct inspection 24 Non-Cited Violations (NCV) 1 additional Inspection Finding with no associated violation Feb 5 - 27: Supplemental Inspection Inspection Report 2007003 Conducted in response to White performance indicator from 2nd quarter of CY2006 (high pressure safety injection system) 2 Green non-cited violations May 7 - 25: Triennial Fire Protection Inspection Inspection Report 2007005 No findings or violations

Palisades Assessment Activities January 1 - December 31, 2007 Feb 26 - Mar 6: Forced outage to replace degraded safety-related cables. Leaking control rod drive mechanism seals were also repaired.

May 8: Reactor trip due to inadvertently removing power from a feedwater regulating valve while performing maintenance Sep 9 - Oct 21: Scheduled refueling outage Completed modifications to emergency sump to address the generic sump clogging issue documented in Generic Safety Issue 191

Palisades Assessment Results 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Licensee Licensee Licensee Licensee Response Response Response Response Plant performance for all four quarters of the CY2007 assessment period was within the Licensee Response Column (Column I) of the Action Matrix Human Performance Substantive Cross-Cutting Issue:

Opened in March 2008 due to several examples of failure to use proper error prevention techniques Problem Identification and Resolution Substantive Cross-Cutting Issue:

Opened in August 2007 due to inadequate condition evaluations Closed in March 2008 due to a reduction in findings CY 2007 Regulatory Actions:

24 Non-Cited Violations (NCV) 1 additional Inspection Finding with no associated violation

Palisades Assessment Summary January 1 - December 31, 2007 Entergy operated Palisades in a manner that preserved public health and safety All cornerstone objectives were met with no greater than Green findings or performance indicators identified during the CY2007 assessment period NRC plans baseline inspections at Palisades for the CY2008 assessment period Problem Identification and Resolution Inspection (complete)

Emergency Preparedness Exercise Inspection

Contacting the NRC For general information or questions:

www.nrc.gov Select About NRC then Locations to contact Region III To report a safety concern:

(800) 695-7403 Allegation@nrc.gov To report an emergency:

(301) 816-5100 (collect calls accepted)

Reference Sources Reactor Oversight Process Select Nuclear Reactors then Operating Reactors from NRC website menu Public Electronic Reading Room Link on the left menu of NRC homepage Public Document Room 1-800-397-4209 (Toll Free)

Region III Public Affairs Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663

Licensee Remarks Entergy Representatives

Palisades Annual Assessment Meeting CY2007 Reactor Oversight Program Questions and Comments from members of the public Information on the NRC and our assessment processes is available at this meeting. We encourage you to take copies of this information home with you.