ML102730774
| ML102730774 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Fort Calhoun  |
| Issue date: | 09/30/2010 |
| From: | Nick Hilton NRC/OE |
| To: | |
| Bowman G, OE, 415-2939 | |
| References | |
| EA-10-085 EN-10-040 | |
| Download: ML102730774 (2) | |
Text
September 30, 2010 EN 10-040 OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT NOTIFICATION OF SIGNIFICANT ENFORCEMENT ACTION Licensee: Omaha Public Power District EA-10-084 Fort Calhoun Station Docket No. 50-285
Subject:
ISSUANCE OF FINAL SIGNIFICANCE DETERMINATION AND NOTICE OF VIOLATION This is to inform the Commission that a Notice of Violation associated with a Yellow Significance Determination Process finding will be issued on or about October 6, 2010, to Omaha Public Power District as a result of inspections at Fort Calhoun Station. This finding, an issue of substantial safety significance which may require additional NRC inspection, is associated with the Mitigating Systems cornerstone and affects the cornerstone objective of ensuring the availability, reliability, and capability of systems that respond to initiating events to prevent undesirable consequences. NRC inspectors identified that the licensees procedure for coping with external flooding events was inadequate to protect vital facilities and equipment to the level described in the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report. This could have resulted in flooding impacting multiple, redundant trains of equipment required for safe shutdown of the plant.
The Notice of Violation is included based on the licensees failure to meet Technical Specification 5.8.1.a, Procedures, which requires, in part, that the applicable procedures recommended in Appendix A of Regulatory Guide 1.33, Quality Assurance Program Requirements (Operation), be established, implemented, and maintained. Appendix A of Regulatory Guide 1.33 includes procedures for combating emergencies and other significant events, including acts of nature, such as flooding. Contrary to this requirement, the licensee failed to establish, implement, and maintain a procedure to adequately combat external flooding events.
Specifically, the inspectors identified that the licensees strategy of using sandbags stacked on top of floodgates would not be effective in protecting the auxiliary building, intake structure, and turbine building basement because the tops of the floodgates were too small to support the necessary number of sandbags.
A Regulatory Conference was held with the licensee on August 18, 2010. While the licensee agreed that they had violated Technical Specification 5.8.1.a, they disagreed with the staffs evaluation of the significance of the issue and argued that the finding was not of substantial safety significance. The staff considered information provided by the licensee, but determined that the finding and violation are appropriately characterized as discussed above.
It should be noted that the licensee has not been specifically informed of the enforcement action.
The schedule of issuance and notification is:
Mailing of Final Significance Determination October 6, 2010 Telephone Notification of Licensee October 6, 2010 The State of Nebraska will be notified.
Contacts: Greg Bowman, OE, (301) 415-2939 Nick Hilton, OE, (301) 415-3055
Distribution: EN-10-040, September 30, 2010 OWFN OWFN TWFN EBB Regional Offices Chairman Jaczko EDO OCFO NMSS RI RII Comm. Svinicki DEDR OP CENTER RIII RIV Comm. Apostolakis DEDMRS FSME Comm. Magwood OE OIG MAIL Comm. Ostendorff OGC OCIO ADAMS SECY NRR RES OE staff OCA NSIR ACRS PA OI IP Electronic DISTRIBUTION:
R. Zimmerman, OE A. Campbell, OE N. Hilton, OE G. Bowman, OE N. Coleman, OE OE r/f EN binder X PUBLIC X NON-SENSITIVE ADAMS ML102730774 OFFICE OE:ES OE:BC NAME G. Bowman N. Hilton DATE 09/30/10 09/30/10 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY