ML102440092

Mid-Cycle Performance Review and Inspection Plan - Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant

ML102440092
Person / Time
Site:	Prairie Island
Issue date:	09/01/2010
From:	Stephanie West Division Reactor Projects III
To:	Schimmel M Northern States Power Co
References
Download: ML102440092 (6)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION III 2443 WARRENVILLE ROAD, SUITE 210 LISLE, IL 60532-4352 September 1, 2010 Mr. Mark A. Schimmel Site Vice President Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Northern States Power Company, Minnesota 1717 Wakonade Drive East Welch, MN 55089

SUBJECT:

MID-CYCLE PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND INSPECTION PLAN -

PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2

Dear Mr. Schimmel:

On August 5, 2010, the NRC staff completed its performance review of Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2. Our technical staff reviewed performance indicators (PIs) for the most recent quarter and inspection results for the period from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of our assessment of your safety performance during this period and our plans for future inspections at your facility.

This performance review and enclosed inspection plan do not include security information. A separate letter designated and marked as "Official Use Only--Security Information" will include the Security Cornerstone review and resultant inspection plan.

Overall, Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2, operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety and fully met all cornerstone objectives. Plant performance for the most recent quarter for Prairie Island Unit 1 was within the Licensee Response column of the NRCs Action Matrix, based on all inspection findings being classified as having very low safety significance (Green) and all PIs indicating performance at a level requiring no additional NRC oversight (Green). Therefore, we plan to conduct reactor oversight process (ROP) baseline inspections at your facility.

Plant performance for Prairie Island Unit 2 for the most recent quarter was within the Regulatory Response Column of the NRCs Action Matrix based on one inspection finding in the Mitigating Systems Cornerstone being classified as having low-to-moderate safety significance (White).

This finding from the third quarter of 2009 was related to inadequate design of the component cooling water system. A supplemental inspection (95001) was performed the week of June 14-18, 2010. The results of this inspection will be documented in a future inspection report.

M. Schimmel Since the 2009 mid-cycle assessment letter, dated September 1, 2009 (ADAMS Ref. ML092440367), we have advised you of a substantive cross-cutting issue (SCCI) in the area of human performance (HP) with cross-cutting themes in the aspects of systematic process (H.1(a)), conservative assumptions (H.1(b)), procedural adequacy (H.2(c)),

and procedural compliance (H.4(b)). During this assessment period there were 16 findings documented with cross-cutting aspects in the HP area. Of these 16 findings, three shared a common cross-cutting aspect of systematic process, two findings with conservative assumptions, three findings with procedural adequacy, and three findings with procedural compliance.

With respect to the SCCI in conservative assumptions, H.1(b), both the NRC and your organization have noted an improvement in this area. Your staff has identified corrective actions that should reasonably address the SCCI. Additionally, the number of findings with a cross-cutting aspect in conservative assumptions has been reduced. For these reasons, the NRC has gained confidence in your ability to correct the concerns identified and sustained improvement has been observed in this aspect. Therefore, the SCCI aspect in conservative assumption (H.1(b)) is closed.

For the SCCI in the HP area related to the aspects of systematic process (H.1(a)), procedural adequacy (H.2(c)), and procedural compliance (H.4(b)), although the number of findings in all these SCCI themes decreased during this assessment, the overall number of findings related to HP has remained high. We recognize that you have initiated comprehensive measures to address this issue and improvement has been observed, but the high number of HP related findings indicates that these actions have not yet resulted in positive sustainable improvement in mitigating the cross-cutting themes. As a result, the SCCI will remain open. To clear each of the themes, we will assess whether your corrective actions have resulted in a positive sustainable improvement in the area and will consider the number of findings in the theme.

In addition, because you have had a substantive cross-cutting issue in the area of HP for three consecutive assessment cycles, we will be reviewing your recently completed independent safety culture assessment during the upcoming Problem Identification & Resolution inspection, which is scheduled for September 20 through October 8, 2010. Please notify us of your readiness to conduct the review of the safety culture assessment during this inspection.

Additionally, we are requesting to meet with you to discuss your progress in addressing the SCCI. A public meeting will accommodate this discussion at an agreed upon time and location.

Please contact us within 30 days of receipt of this letter to discuss arrangements for this meeting.

The enclosed inspection plan details the inspections, less those related to physical protection, scheduled through December 31, 2011. We also plan on performing several special and infrequently performed inspections that include: Inspection Procedure (IP) 92709, Licensee Strike Contingency Plans, and IP 60855.1, Operation of an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation at Operating Plants. The inspection plan is provided to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issues well in advance of inspector arrival onsite. Routine resident inspections are not listed due to their ongoing and continuous nature.

The inspections in the last 9 months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised at the end-of-cycle review.

M. Schimmel In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC=s ARules of Practice,@ a copy of this letter and its enclosure 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).

If circumstances arise which cause us to change the inspection plan, we will contact you to discuss the change as soon as possible. Please contact Robert Orlikowski at 630-829-9753 with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Steven West, Director Division of Reactor Projects Docket Nos. 50-282; 50-306;72-010 License Nos. DPR-42; DPR-60; SNM-2506

Enclosure:

Prairie Island Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/encl: Distribution via ListServ

Prairie Island Inspection / Activity Plan 09/01/2010 - 12/31/2011 Planned Dates No. of Staff Start End Inspection Activity Title on Site PI&R - BIENNIAL PI&R INSPECTION 6 09/20/2010 10/08/2010 IP 71152B Identification and Resolution of Problems STRIKE - STRIKE CONTINGENCY-OPS/MAINT/I&C/ENGR/QC 2 08/02/2010 12/31/2010 IP 92709 Licensee Strike Contingency Plans BI RP - RADIATION PROTECTION BASELINE INSPECTION 1 02/21/2011 02/25/2011 IP 71124.05 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation 02/21/2011 02/25/2011 IP 71151-BI01 Reactor Coolant System Activity 02/21/2011 02/25/2011 IP 71151-OR01 Occupational Exposure Control Effectiveness 02/21/2011 02/25/2011 IP 71151-PR01 RETS/ODCM Radiological Effluent BI ENG - INSERVICE INSPECTION - U1 1 04/30/2011 06/04/2011 IP 7111108P Inservice Inspection Activities - PWR BI RP - RADIATION PROTECTION BASELINE INSPECTION 1 05/09/2011 05/13/2011 IP 71124.02 Occupational ALARA Planning and Controls 05/09/2011 05/13/2011 IP 71124.03 In-Plant Airborne Radioactivity Control and Mitigation BI EP - EP ROUTINE INSPECTION / PI VERIFICATION 2 06/13/2011 06/17/2011 IP 7111402 Alert and Notification System Testing 06/13/2011 06/17/2011 IP 7111403 Emergency Preparedness Organization Staffing and Augmentation System 06/13/2011 06/17/2011 IP 7111405 Correction of Emergency Preparedness Weaknesses and Deficiencies 06/13/2011 06/17/2011 IP 71151-EP01 Drill/Exercise Performance 06/13/2011 06/17/2011 IP 71151-EP02 ERO Drill Participation 06/13/2011 06/17/2011 IP 71151-IE03 Unplanned Power Changes per 7000 Critical Hrs BI RP - RADIATION PROTECTION BASELINE INSPECTION 1 06/20/2011 06/24/2011 IP 71124.06 Radioactive Gaseous and Liquid Effluent Treatment 06/20/2011 06/24/2011 IP 71124.07 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program BI ENG - MODIFICATIONS / 50.59 INSPECTION 3 09/12/2011 09/30/2011 IP 7111117T Evaluations of Changes, Tests, or Experiments and Permanent Plant Modifications BI RP - RADIATION PROTECTION BASELINE INSPECTION 1 10/03/2011 10/07/2011 IP 2515/179 Verification of Licensee Responses to NRC Requirement for Inventories of Materials Tracked in NSTS 10/03/2011 10/07/2011 IP 71124.01 Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls BI OL - BIENNIAL REQUAL PROGRAM INSPECTION 2 10/17/2011 10/21/2011 IP 7111111B Licensed Operator Requalification Program

M. Schimmel In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC=s ARules of Practice,@ a copy of this letter and its enclosure 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).

If circumstances arise which cause us to change the inspection plan, we will contact you to discuss the change as soon as possible. Please contact Robert Orlikowski at 630-829-9753 with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Steven West, Director Division of Reactor Projects Docket Nos. 50-282; 50-306;72-010 License Nos. DPR-42; DPR-60; SNM-2506

Enclosure:

Prairie Island Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/encl: Distribution via ListServ DOCUMENT NAME: G:\Branch TSS\ALL MOC\midcycle 2010 to 2011\midcycle letters\Prairie Island 2010 MOC Letter.docx Publicly Available Non-Publicly Available Sensitive Non-Sensitive To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the concurrence box "C" = Copy without attach/encl "E" = Copy with attach/encl "N"

= No copy OFFICE RIII RIII NAME ROrlikowski:dtp SWest DATE 08/27/10 08/27/10 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Letter to M. Schimmel from S. West dated September 1, 2010.

SUBJECT:

MID-CYCLE PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND INSPECTION PLAN -

PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR GENERATING PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 DISTRIBUTION:

Susan Bagley RidsNRRDORlLpl3-1 RidsNRRPMPrairieIsland Resource RidsNrrDirsIpab Resource Steven Reynolds Steven Orth Jared Heck Allan Barker Carole Ariano Linda Linn DRPIII DRSIII Patricia Buckley Tammy Tomczak ROPreports Resource