ML12024A377
| ML12024A377 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Calvert Cliffs, Salem, Oconee, Indian Point, Saint Lucie, Grand Gulf, Sequoyah, Susquehanna, Seabrook, San Onofre, LaSalle, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute  |
| Issue date: | 12/28/2011 |
| From: | Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research |
| To: | |
| References | |
| FOIA/PA-2011-0083 | |
| Download: ML12024A377 (4) | |
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State-of-the-Art Reactor Consequence Analyses Staff Interface with Stakeholders I Background This document provides guideance on interacting with licensee for the State-of-the-Art Reactor Consequence Analyses (SOARCA) Project. It is intended to help ensure consistency in the staff's activities. It does not replace the SOARCA Communication Plan (ML071070262).
SOARCA is an ongoing NRC project study to develop the state-of-the-art, more realistic evaluation of severe accident progression, radiological releases and offsite consequences for dominant accident sequences, and to update analyses such as NUREG/CR-2239, "Technical Guidance for Siting Criteria Development," issued November 1982. The staff is committed to performing this study consistent with the Commission's strategic objective of ensuring openness in the regulatory process. A communication plan has been developed to support this objective, public meeting have been held and will continue to be held.
II Protocol For Interfacing with Licensee The strategy and the protocol that NRC staff and management will follow in interacting with licensees that are participating in the SOARCA pilot (participants) or potential participants are discussed below. The staff should always keep in mind that the impact of these efforts on the licensees need to be minimized. The amount of information needed from licensees is largely dependent upon the state of the NRC's computer and PRA (SPAR) models, and the extent to which we are knowledgeable on their procedures and current plant configuration. To have the most realistic, best-estimate analysis possible, we need to accurately model the plant and the way that operators respond to events. This is best accomplished through working with licensees. The NRC also needs to be able to provide the licensees as much information as necessary to help the licensees understand the project. At the same time, the staff should know that the Commission has decided not to make the program SRMs and SECYs publicly available.
A. Communication Strategy The following applications need to be considered when interfacing with licensees regarding the SOARCA project:
NRC management interface with licensee management to identify participants RES staff initial interface with participants regarding project activities RES staff followup interface with participating licensee staff regarding project activities These interface activities are not limited to RES, NRR, and licensees. The Regions and senior resident inspectors (SRIs) need to be notified at appropriate times to ensure effective project communication. NRR, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing (DORL) has designated a staff, Rich Guzman, as the NRR SOARCA project manager (PM) to help facilitate coordination between RES and internal (e.g., Regions, SRIs and site-specific DORL project managers) and external stakeholders (e.g. Licensees).
- 1. NRC management interface with licensee management to identify participants
SOARCA - Stakeholders Interface Protocol RES has prepared a list of plants to solicit as volunteers for the SOARCA project. The list is included in the plant selection strategy in section B. The following protocol will be used by RES and NRR:
The RES SOARCA PM will contact the NRR SOARCA PM with the specific site and time that they would like to contact a licensee.
The NRR SOARCA PM will coordinate with the licensee to confirm the licensee manager to be called and his/her availability. He will arrange for a bridge line for the agreed upon time. This information will be relayed to the RES SOARCA PM.
The NRR SOARCA PM will coordinate participation with his management, the Region, site SRI, and DORL PM for the specific licensee.
The NRR SOARCA PM will coordinate management and/or staff visits to licensees as needed.
- 2. RES staff initial interface with participants regarding project activities The following protocol will be used for initial contact with the licensee:
RES will contact the NRR SOARCA PM with the specific site and time that they would like to contact a specific licensee.
The NRR SOARCA PM will coordinate with the licensee to confirm the licensee manager to be called and his/her availability. This information will be relayed to RES. RES will confirm their availability and arrange for a bridge line for the agreed upon time.
The NRR SOARCA PM will provide the bridge line information to the licensee and coordinate participation with his management, the Region, site SRI, and DORL site-specific project manager.
During the initial conference call, a site visit will be coordinated. If the Region or any NRR staff member can not participate in the initial phone call, the NRR SOARCA PM will inform the appropriate Region and/or NRR staff member of the results of the initial phone call.
RES site-visit team leader will contact the NRR PM and the site SRI before the site visit.
- 3. RES staff followup interface with participating licensee staff regarding project activities The following protocol will be used by RES for followup contact with the licensee regarding the SOARCA:
° Any followup communication between RES and the licensee will be coordinated 2
SOARCA - Stakeholders Interface Protocol through the DORL, site-specific PM.
B. Plant Selection Strategy To secure additional pilot plants for the project the staff will consider options ranging from seeking voluntary participants to selecting participants whether they agree to participate or not.
The Commission directed that the staff conducts the pilot on an initial scope of not more than eight plants that represent the various vendor and containment designs. The Commission also directed that the staff consider population density distribution in making this selection. The current project schedule reflects completing a Boiling Water Reactor and a Pressurized Water reactor by September 2007 and the rest of the initial scope by September 2008.
To adhere to the multiple constraints (i.e., scope, plant type, population distribution, schedule, etc..) for-implementing this project, the staff has developed a list of plants that are best for the project. The staff also considered several factors including the status of the MELCOR model (i.e., how updated is the input deck for the plant), and the availability of information on the plant (i.e., being part of previous studies) in developing the list.
The industry has stated that the lack of detailed information on the project is why the licensees are reluctant to volunteer to participate. Therefore, any option considered by the NRC to select the remaining pilot plants must include providing as much information as possible to the licensees. To facilitate the selection process, RES proposes the following options:
Option 1: NRR and RES management will conduct a conference call with the licensee to discuss the project and solicit their participation.
Option 2: RES and NRR management will meet with the licensee to discuss and solicit their participation in the project.
Option 3: RES, in coordination with NRR, will make a selection of the desired participants and issue a letter requesting the information needed for the project.
Option 4: RES, in coordination with NRR, will select the the participants and conduct the assessment using information available to the NRC.
Option 5: The staff will complete the first two sites and conduct a workshop during which additional volunteers will be sought. The Commission would need to be informed of this plan as it would result in a delay in the current implementation schedule.
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SOARCA - Stakeholders Interface Protocol The following is the current list of licensees, in order of preference, that RES would like to contact to obtain the additional participants for the SOARCA project:
Plant Names Contacts PWR 4-Loop Ice Condenser Sequoyah Bill Mims: 423 751-6116 BWR Mark II LaSalle Darin Benyak/Alison Mackellan: 630 657-2817 Susquehanna No contact identified BWR Mark III Grand Gulf Deepak Rao: 601 368-5427 Combustion engineering Calvert Cliffs No contact identified Babcock and Wilcox TMI-1 Greg Kreuger: 610 765-5973 Combustion engineering San Onofree Michelle Carr: 949 368-6055 St. Lucie Ching Guey 561 694-3137 PWR 4-Loop Indian Point Jay Thayer, 202 739-8112 Combustion Engineering Palisades Deepak Rao: 601 368-5427 Babcock and Wilcox Oconee Duncan Brewer: 704 382-7409 ANO-1 Deepak Rao: 601 368-5427 PWR 4-Loop Salem No contact identified 4