ML113390031

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Response to October 02, 2011, Letter Regarding Fort Calhoun Station Recovery Action Plan and Facility Restart
ML113390031
Person / Time
Site: Fort Calhoun Omaha Public Power District icon.png
Issue date: 12/04/2011
From: Collins E
Region 4 Administrator
To: Taylor W
Sierra Club, Iowa Chapter
References
Download: ML113390031 (3)


Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGI ON I V 612 EAST LAMAR BLVD, SUITE 400 ARLINGTON, TEXAS 76011-4125 December 4, 2011 Mr. Wallace L. Taylor, Legal Chair Sierra Club Iowa Chapter 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280 Des Moines, IA 50310

SUBJECT:

RESPONSE TO OCTOBER 2, 2011, LETTER REGARDING FORT CALHOUN STATION RECOVERY ACTION PLAN AND FACILITY RESTART

Dear Mr. Taylor:

I am responding to your October 2, 2011, letter concerning the Fort Calhoun Station Action Plan and the steps necessary for restart of the facility. Overall, I want to assure you that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) continues to monitor the conditions at the Fort Calhoun Station (FCS) and Omaha Public Power Districts actions to prepare for restart.

In your letter, you requested the NRC periodically monitor the activities of the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) as they complete required actions for facility restart. We regularly monitor and inspect activities at the facility with two resident inspectors who are permanently assigned to FCS and with additional inspectors from the Region IV and Headquarters offices.

Fort Calhoun Station will be required to obtain NRC approval before the reactor is allowed to be restarted. Before providing this approval, the NRC will confirm that the actions described in Fort Calhouns post-flood recovery plan and additional NRC inspections needed to address the technical and performance issues at the site have been satisfactorily completed. The NRC issued a Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL 4-11-003 ML112490164) on September 2, 2011, to track the actions and confirmatory inspections required for restart.

You also expressed an interest in the NRC making a report available to the public before the plant is allowed to restart. This is part of the NRCs process for confirming completion of actions required by the CAL. Prior to restart, the NRC will conduct a public meeting to discuss the results of inspections and reviews required of OPPD. Shortly after this meeting, the NRC will issue an inspection report detailing results of our inspections.

Our inspection reports are available for public review in the NRC Public Document Room or from the NRCs document system (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Additionally, you may consider subscribing to the NRCs electronic distribution system at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html to automatically receive public documents related to FCS.

Enclosure

In your letter, you also addressed a number of specific issues and concerns. You raised the issue of a potential lack of rigor in the inspections and assessments being performed by OPPD to address and close the CAL items. Citing several examples, you stated that the reviews and forms used by OPPD appeared to be merely go/no-go or checklist actions. NRC staff has been observing and inspecting the actions listed in the post-flood recovery plan and the CAL as they occur since the CAL was issued on September 2, 2011. OPPD has detailed plans to satisfy each of the CAL actions. In addition, the NRC verifies that OPPDs actions are completed to an appropriate level to ensure reasonable assurance that the plant will operate in a manner that provides adequate protection of public health and safety. In a number of instances, we have already addressed the need for additional rigor with OPPD. The NRC will review each of OPPDs closure packages and document our method of acceptance. The NRC will not permit restart of the facility until all applicable items for heatup and startup have been completed and we have reasonable assurance of safe plant operation.

If you have any further questions regarding the ongoing reviews and inspections being conducted at FCS, please contact our branch chief responsible for inspection activities at FCS, Jeff Clark, at 817-860-8147.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Elmo E. Collins Regional Administrator Enclosure

ML113390031 File location: S:\DRP\PBF SUNSI Rev Compl. Yes No ADAMS Yes No Reviewer Initials JAC Publicly Avail Yes No Sensitive Yes No Sens. Type Initials JAC DRP:PBF RIV: SLO RIV/PAO RIV:DRP RIV JClark WMaier VDricks KKennedy ECollins

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

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