ML11241A050

G20110633/LTR-11-0505/EDATS: SECY-2011-0484 - Rep. Ltr. Edward J. Markey Proper Maintenance of Emergency Diesel and Battery Generators

ML11241A050
Person / Time
Site:	North Anna
Issue date:	08/24/2011
From:	Markey E US HR (House of Representatives), US Congress, US SEN (Senate)
To:	Jaczko G NRC/Chairman
Rihm R
Shared Package
ML11256A323	List: ML11241A050
References
G20110633, LTR-11-0505, SECY-2011-0484, CORR-11-0111, SECY-017
Download: ML11241A050 (5)

Text

EDO Principal Correspondence Control FROM: DUE: 09/14/11 EDO CONTROL: G20110633 DOC DT: 08/24/11 FINAL REPLY:

Representative Edward J. Markey TO:

Chairman Jaczko FOR SIGNATURE OF : ** GRN ** CRC NO: 11-0505 Chairman Jaczko DESC: ROUTING:

Proper Maintenance of Emergency Diesel and Battery Borchardt Generators (EDATS: SECY-2011-0484) Weber Virgilio Ash Mamish OGC/GC DATE: 08/26/11 Leeds, NRR Burns, OGC ASSIGNED TO: CONTACT: Schmidt, OCA EDO Rihm SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:

Please prepare a response in accordance with OEDO Notice 2009-0441-02 (ML093290179). NRR to provide input to Roger Rihm, OEDO, if required. Roger will coordinate response with OGC and OCA.

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SDATS Number: SECY-201.1-0484 Source: SECY kenr Inorato6 Wssigned To: OEDO OEDO Due Date: 9/14/2011 11:00 PM

)ther Assignees: SECY Due Date: 9/16/2011 11:00 PM 5ubject: Proper Maintenance of Emergency Diesel and Battery Generators

)escription:

XC Routing: NRR; OGC, OCA

,DAMS Accession Numbers - Incoming: NONE Response/Package: NONE thrInformaio 7ross Reference Number: G20110633, LTR- 11-0505 Staff Initiated: NO lelated Task: Recurring Item: NO File Routing: EDATS Agency Lesson Learned: NO OEDO Monthly Report Item: NO formtio kction Type: Letter Priority: Medium Sensitivity: None

'ignature Level: Chairman Jaczko Urgency: N( )

%pprovalLevel: No Approval Required

)EDO Concurrence: YES

)CM Concurrence: NO

)CA Concurrence: NO 5pecial Instructions: Please prepare response in accordance with OEDO Notice 2009-0441-02 (ML093290179). NRR o provide input to Roger Rihm, OEDO, if required. Roger will coordinate response with OGC and OCA.

pgumn Infrmaio

)riginator Name: Representative Edward J. Markey Date of Incoming: 8/24/2011 3riginating Organization: Congress Document Received by SECY Date: 8/25/2011

%,ddressee:Chairman Jaczko Date Response Requested by Originator: NONE

ncoming Task Received: Letter

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET Dale Printed: Aug 25, 2011 13:50 PAPER NUMBER: LTR-1 1-0505 LOGGING DATE: 08/25/2011 ACTION OFFICE: EDO AUTHOR: REP Edward Markey AFFILIATION: CONG ADDRESSEE: Gregory Jaczko

SUBJECT:

Concerns emergeny diesel and battery generators ACTION: Signature of Chairman DISTRIBUTION: RF, OCA to Ack LETTER DATE: 08/24/2.011 ACKNOWLEDGED No SPECIAL HANDLING: Commission Correspondence NOTES:

FILE LOCATION: ADAMS DATE DUE: 09/16/2011 DATE SIGNED:

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http://tnarkey.house.yov August 24,W201 The Honorable Greg Jaczko Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission Rockville Pike r1555 Rockville, MD 20852

Dear Chairman Jaczko:

I write to urge the Commission to include regulatory requirements for the proper maintenance of emergency diesel and battery generators in light of yesterday's earthquake whose epicenter was centered in Mineral, Virginia, about 10 miles from the North Anna nuclear power plant. While most of the plant's emergency diesel generators worked to provide cooling power to the reactor cores and their spent fuel pools when offsite electricity was lost, one diesel generator reportedly failed to operate.

This illustrates a long-standing concern related to the adequacy of maintenance of emergency diesel generators that must be addressed in order to be certain that any loss of external electricity - be it caused by an earthquake, tornado, flood or terrorist attack - does not lead to the same sort of catastrophic meltdowns that occurred in Japan. The Fukushima meltdown was a long-distance warning to the U.S. nuclear industry to bolster its safety systems, including backup power reliability and redundancy. The Virginia earthquake is now our local 911 call to stop delaying the implementation of stricter safety standards.

In May, I released a report entitled "Fukushima Fallout"' that found that "despite decades of reported problems and NRC warnings, a review of NRC documents conducted by the staff of Congressman Edward J. Markey indicates that there have been recurrent and prolonged malfunctions of emergency diesel generators (EDGs) at nuclear power plants in the U.S. In the past eight years there have been at least 69 reports of emergency diesel generator inoperability at 33 nuclear power plants. A total of 48 reactors were affected including 19 failures lasting over two weeks and 6 that lasted longer than a month." A cursory search of NRC event reports 2 that have been submitted since May 2011 found an additional 4 reports, which, when combined with yesterday's failure at North Anna, brings the eight year total to 74.

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.I..tt.i.al...ll .l.tf 2 To determine cases of Emergency Diesel Generator inoperability staff used the U.S. NRC Licensee Event Report (LER) Search (https://lersearch.inl.gov). Staff searched between the dates 5/1/2011 and 8/23/2011 using keyword criteria "emergency diesel generators."

As the report also notes, the NRC has twice - in both 19893 and 2007 - warned its licensees regarding diesel generator failures. However, no regulatory requirements have been imposed on licensees to ensure that the generators are properly maintained and operational. I urge the Commission to remedy that as part of its regulatory revisions it plans to take to enhance the ability of reactors to cope with prolonged electricity outages as recommended by the NRC's Near-Term Task Force Report on Fukushima. Having emergency diesel generators and secondary battery generators onsite is not sufficient; the Commission must prescribe and enforce maintenance requirements to ensure that the generators operate as intended.

Thank you very much for your consideration of this important matter. If you have any questions or~concerns, please have your staff contact Dr. Michal Freedhoff of my staff at 202-225-2836.

Sincerely, Edward J. Markey S n.-i/o-oIctos3i-oi/ nto-noi ices!/ 19X9!inSGOO7.html 4 ~

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