ML091350254
| ML091350254 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Prairie Island  |
| Issue date: | 05/13/2009 |
| From: | NRC/RGN-III |
| To: | |
| References | |
| Download: ML091350254 (35) | |
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Prairie Island Annual Assessment Meeting CY2008 Reactor Oversight Program Welch, MN May 13, 2009
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 Di Discussion i off P Prairie i i IIsland l d Pl Plantt P Performance f
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 Mark A. Satorius Regional Administrator Vacant Deputy Regional Administrator Division of Reactor Safety Division of Reactor Projects Division of Nuclear Materials Safety K. Steven West K West, Director Cynthia D.
D Pederson, Pederson Director Steven CC. Reynolds Reynolds, Director Anne T. Boland, Deputy Director Gary Shear, Deputy Director Vacant, Deputy Director Jack Giesnner Regional Specialists Regional Specialists Branch 4 Chief Branch Staff Prairie Island Resident Inspection Staff Robert Lerch, Project Engineer Karla Stoedter, Senior Resident Inspector Diana Betancourt, Reactor Engineer Paul Zurawski, Resident Inspector Frank Tran, Reactor Engineer Susan Brusehaver, Office Assistant Jacob Wingebach, Reactor Engineer
NRC Representatives Cynthia Pederson, DRP Division Director (630)-829-9600 Jack Giessner, Branch Chief (630) 829-9619 Karla Stoedter, Stoedter Senior Resident Inspector (651) 388-8209 Paul Zurawski, Resident Inspector (651) 388-8209 Thomas Wengert, Project Manager, NRR (301) 415-4037
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 b
byproduct, d t source and d special i l 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 2007 totaled 806 billion kilowatt-hours World-wide, there are 437 nuclear plants in 30 countries (as of 2007)
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 gauges, 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 y
material t i l ffor medical, di l iindustrial, d ti l 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 dj t inspection i ti effort ff t 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
, person-hours p of direct inspection p
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 2008 Licensee Response 86 Regulatory Response 14 Degraded Cornerstone 3 Multiple/Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone 1 Unacceptable Performance 0 TOTAL (reactors) 104
National Plant Performance Performance Indicator Results (end of CY 2008)
Green: 1762 White: 6 Yellow:
Yellow 0 Red: 0 Total Inspection Findings (CY 2008)
Green: 776 White: 17 Yellow:
Yellow 0 Red: 0
Prairie Island Inspection Activities January 1 - December 31, 2008 Over 2,860 person-hours of direct inspection 14 Non-Cited Violations (NCV) 1 White Finding with an associated Violation 1 additional Inspection Finding with no associated violation August 4 4- October 6 : Special Inspection Inspection Report 2008008 Conducted in response to the 11 turbine-driven auxiliary feedwater pump (TDAFWP) trip after 40 seconds of operation following a reactor trip on July 31, 2008 1 White Violation November 17 - December 05: 50.59 Inspection Inspection Report 2008007 1 Severity Level IV NCV
Prairie Island Assessment Activities January 1 - December 31, 2008 Feb 12- Mar 28: Unit 1 scheduled refueling outage July 31: Unit 1 reactor trip due to the yellow train of RTS instrumentation being out of service for testing and the red channel failing meeting the 2 of 4 channel logic which caused the reactor trip Aug 3 : Unit 1 declared a Notice of Unusual Event (NOUE) due to a high toxic level condition in the turbine building sump area Sep 19 - Oct 31: Unit 2 scheduled refueling outage
Prairie Island Assessment Results Unit 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Licensee Licensee Licensee Regulatory Unit 1 Response Response Response Response Licensee Licensee Licensee Licensee Unit 2 Response Response Response Response Plant performance for the 4th quarter at Prairie Island Unit 1 was within the Regulatory g y Response p column ((Column 2))
of the Action Matrix based on one inspection finding in the Mitigating Systems cornerstone being classified as having low to moderate safety significance (White).
Plant performance for all four quarters of the CY2008 assessment period for Unit 2 was within the Licensee Response Column (Column I) of the Action Matrix.
A transportation issue, classified White, was assigned earlier this month and will be included for CY 2009 for both units.
Prairie Island Assessment Results Substantive Cross-Cutting Issue:
None CY 2008 Regulatory g y Actions:
14 Non-Cited Violations (NCV) 1 White Finding with an associated Violation 1 additional Inspection Finding with a Severity Level IV violation
Prairie Island Assessment Summary January 1 - December 31, 2008 Northern States Power Company, Minnesota operated Prairie Island in a manner that preserved public health and safety.
Prairie Island Unit 1 was within the Regulatory Response column of the NRCs Action Matrix based on one inspection finding in the Mitigating Systems cornerstone being classified as White.
Supplemental inspection (95001), in addition to the baseline inspection, will be performed for Unit 1.
Baseline inspections will be performed at Unit 2.
Contacting the NRC For general information or questions:
www.nrc.gov Select About NRC then Locations to contact Region III Too report epo t a sa safety ety co concern:
ce (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 Northern States Power Company, Company Minnesota Representatives
Prairie Island Annual Assessment Meeting Closing Comments
Prairie Island Annual Assessment Meeting CY2008 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.