IR 05000458/2012001

Annual Assessment Letter for River Bend Station (Report 05000458/2012001)

ML120610414
Person / Time
Site:	River Bend
Issue date:	03/05/2012
From:	Vincent Gaddy NRC/RGN-IV/DRP/RPB-C
To:	Olson E Entergy Operations
References
IR-12-001
Download: ML120610414 (4)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION rch 5, 2012

SUBJECT:

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR RIVER BEND STATION (REPORT 05000458/2012001)

Dear Mr. Olson:

On February 15, 2012, the NRC completed its end-of-cycle performance review of River Bend Station. The NRC reviewed the most recent quarterly performance indicators (PIs) in addition to inspection results and enforcement actions from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

This letter informs you of the NRCs assessment of your facility during this period and its plans for future inspections at your facility. This performance review and enclosed inspection plan do not include security information. A separate letter will include the NRCs assessment of your performance in the Security Cornerstone and its security-related inspection plan.

The NRC determined that overall, River Bend Station operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety and met all cornerstone objectives. The NRC determined the performance at River Bend Station during the most recent quarter was within the Licensee Response Column of the NRC=s Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Action Matrix because all inspection findings had very low (i.e., green) safety significance, and all PIs indicated that your performance was within the nominal, expected range (i.e., green). Therefore, the NRC plans to conduct ROP baseline inspections at your facility.

On August 22, 2011, the NRC issued Entergy Operations Inc., a Confirmatory Order. The Order was issued to confirm actions Entergy had committed to take following the issuance of a letter dated, May 20, 2011, where the NRC identified an apparent violation of 10 CFR 50.7 based on the NRCs Office of Investigations, March 17, 2011 report. Specifically, the NRC reached a preliminary conclusion that an employee at the River Bend Station was rated lower in his/her 2008 annual performance appraisal based in part on the employee questioning the qualifications necessary to perform certain work activities in compliance with applicable plant procedures. In response to the May 20, 2011, letter Entergy requested alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to resolve this matter. The ADR mediation session was held on July 18, 2011, and resulted in a settlement agreement.

As a result of the settlement agreement from the ADR mediation session, Entergy agreed to take a number of fleet-wide actions. A summary of the actions include: (1) reorganizing the quality control organizations reporting structure; (2) reinforcing the companys commitment to a safety conscious work environment through a written communication from a senior Entergy nuclear executive; (3) reviewing and, as necessary, revising the existing general employee training on 10 CFR 50.7 to include insights from the circumstances giving rise to this matter; (4)

reviewing and, as necessary, revising training to new supervisors for 10 CFR 50.7 to include insights from the circumstance giving rise to this matter; and (5) conducting an effectiveness review of the Employee Concern Program enhancements and training that were implemented relating to the underlying matter. Entergy also agreed to conduct a plant wide safety culture survey at the River Bend Station prior to December 31, 2012.

The NRC identified a cross-cutting theme in the Safety Conscious Work Environment component of Environment for Raising Concerns. Specifically, issuance of the Confirmatory Order that involved discrimination constitutes a theme. The cross-cutting aspect was related to behaviors and actions that encourage free flow of information related to raising nuclear safety issues such that personnel raise nuclear safety issues without fear of retaliation (S.1(a)). The NRC determined that a substantive cross-cutting issue (SCCI) associated with S.1(a) does not exist because we do not have concerns with the actions you committed to take to address the theme. The NRC plans to perform additional inspections to verify your implementation of the actions described in the Confirmatory Order. The NRC will continue to monitor your staffs effort and progress in addressing the theme until the theme criteria are no longer met.

The enclosed inspection plan lists the inspections scheduled through June 30, 2013. Routine inspections performed by resident inspectors are not included in the inspection plan. The inspections listed during the last nine months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised at the mid-cycle performance review. The NRC provides the inspection plan to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issues. The NRC will contact you as soon as possible to discuss changes to the inspection plan should circumstances warrant any changes.

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC=s ARules of Practice,@ a copy of this letter will be 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).

Please contact me at 817-200-1144 with any questions you have regarding this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Vincent Gaddy, Chief Project Branch C Division of Reactor Projects Docket: 50-458 License: NPF-47 Enclosure: River Bend Station Inspection/Activity Plan cc: w/enclosure via Electronic Distribution