ML101590249

Assessment Follow-Up Letter - Wolf Creek Generating Station

ML101590249
Person / Time
Site:	Wolf Creek
Issue date:	06/07/2010
From:	Collins E Region 4 Administrator
To:	Matthew Sunseri Wolf Creek
References
Download: ML101590249 (4)

Text

UNITED STATES NUC LE AR RE G UL AT O RY C O M M I S S I O N R E GI ON I V 612 EAST LAMAR BLVD , SU I TE 400 AR LI N GTON , TEXAS 76011-4125 June 7, 2010 Matthew W. Sunseri, President and Chief Executive Officer Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation P.O. Box 411 Burlington, KS 66839

SUBJECT:

ASSESSMENT FOLLOW-UP LETTER - WOLF CREEK GENERATING STATION

Dear Mr. Sunseri:

On June 3, 2010, the NRC staff completed, as part of our continuous review, an updated assessment of Wolf Creek Generating Station performance. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of your safety performance and our plans for future inspections at your facility. This letter supplements, but does not supersede, our annual assessment letter issued on March 3, 2010.

Our review of Wolf Creek Generating Station identified that you have crossed the threshold from Green to White for the Unplanned Scrams with Complications performance indicator as a result of unplanned scrams in 2009 that were the subject of a recently resolved Reactor Oversight Process Working Group Frequently Asked Question. On April 28, 2009, the main feedwater regulating valve controller power supply fuses failed, isolating flow to steam Generator B and resulting in a reactor trip from loss of power to a main feed regulating valve controller. Also, on August 21, 2009, while in Mode 3, operators using an intermittent method of feeding steam generators during shift turnover caused an unanticipated turbine trip signal and feedwater isolation. Based on the resolution of the Frequently Asked Question, you reported both of these reactor trips as Unplanned Scrams with Complications, which caused this performance indicator in the Initiating Events cornerstone to be White starting in the third quarter of 2009.

This White input is in addition to the White inputs already reported for the Unplanned Scrams per 7000 Critical Hours performance indicator in the Initiating Events cornerstone and the Safety System Functional Failures performance indicator in the Mitigating Systems cornerstone. As a result, we have assessed Wolf Creek Generating Station performance to be in the Degraded Cornerstone column of the NRC=s Action Matrix beginning in the first quarter of 2010 based on two White inputs in the Initiating Events cornerstone and three White inputs in the Reactor Safety strategic performance area. Therefore we plan to conduct a supplemental inspection using Inspection Procedure 95002, Inspection for One Degraded Cornerstone or Any Three White Inputs in a Strategic Performance Area, during the current assessment cycle. 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

Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. are sufficient to prevent recurrence, and to independently determine if safety culture components caused or significantly contributed to the individual or collective (multiple white inputs) risk significant performance issues.

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC=s ARules 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 Geoffrey Miller at 817-860-8141 with any questions you may have regarding this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Elmo E. Collins Regional Administrator Docket: 50-482 License: NPF-42 cc:

Vice President Operations Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation P.O. Box 411 Burlington, KS 66839 Jay Silberg, Esq.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP 2300 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 Supervisor Licensing Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation P.O. Box 411 Burlington, KS 66839 Chief Engineer Utilities Division Kansas Corporation Commission 1500 SW Arrowhead Road Topeka, KS 66604-4027

Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. Office of the Governor State of Kansas Topeka, KS 66612-1590 Attorney General 120 S.W. 10th Avenue, 2nd Floor Topeka, KS 66612-1597 Chairman Coffey County Courthouse 110 South 6th Street Burlington, KS 66839 Chief, Radiation and Asbestos Control Section Bureau of Air and Radiation Kansas Department of Health and Environment 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 310 Topeka, KS 66612-1366 Chief, Technological Hazards Branch FEMA, Region VII 9221 Ward Parkway Suite 300 Kansas City, MO 64114-3372

Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp. Electronic distribution by RIV:

Regional Administrator (Elmo.Collins@nrc.gov)

Deputy Regional Administrator (Chuck.Casto@nrc.gov)

Acting Deputy Regional Administrator (Art.Howell@nrc.gov)

DRP Director (Dwight.Chamberlain@nrc.gov)

DRP Deputy Director (Anton.Vegel@nrc.gov)

DRS Director (Roy.Caniano@nrc.gov)

DRS Deputy Director (Troy.Pruett@nrc.gov)

Senior Resident Inspector (Chris.Long@nrc.gov)

Resident Inspector (Charles.Peabody@nrc.gov)

WC Administrative Assistant (Shirley.Allen@nrc.gov)

Branch Chief, DRP/B (Geoffrey.Miller@nrc.gov)

Senior Project Engineer, DRP/B (Rick.Deese@nrc.gov)

Public Affairs Officer (Victor.Dricks@nrc.gov)

Public Affairs Officer (Lara.Uselding@nrc.gov)

Project Manager (Balwant.Singal@nrc.gov)

Branch Chief, DRS/TSB (Michael.Hay@nrc.gov)

RITS Coordinator (Marisa.Herrera@nrc.gov)

Regional Counsel (Karla.Fuller@nrc.gov)

Congressional Affairs Officer (Jenny.Weil@nrc.gov)

OEMail Resource ROPreports DRS/TSB STA (Dale.Powers@nrc.gov)

OEDO RIV Coordinator (Leigh.Trocine@nrc.gov)

R:\_Reactors\WC 2010 Updated Assessment Followup Letter.doc ADAMS ML101590249 ADAMS: No 5 Yes SUNSI Review Complete Reviewer Initials: GM 5 Publicly Available 5 Non-Sensitive Non-publicly Available Sensitive RIV:PE:DRP/B C:DRP/B D:DRS D:DRP RA NMakris GMiller RCaniano DDChamberlain EECollins

/RA/ /RA/ /RA/ /RA/ /RA/

6/4/10 6/4/10 6/4/10 6/7/10 6/7/10 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY T=Telephone E=E-mail F=Fax