ML14245A166

Mid-Cycle Assessment Letter for Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2

ML14245A166
Person / Time
Site:	Point Beach
Issue date:	09/02/2014
From:	Pederson C Region 3 Administrator
To:	Mccartney E Point Beach
References
Download: ML14245A166 (7)

Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION III 2443 WARRENVILLE RD. SUITE 210 LISLE, IL 60532-4352 September 2, 2014 Mr. Eric McCartney Site Vice President NextEra Energy Point Beach, LLC 6610 Nuclear Road Two Rivers, WI 54241

SUBJECT:

MID-CYCLE ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR POINT BEACH NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2

Dear Mr. McCartney:

On August 6, 2014, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed its mid-cycle performance review of Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2. The NRC reviewed the most recent quarterly performance indicators (PIs) in addition to inspection results and enforcement actions from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014. This letter informs you of the NRCs assessment of your facility during this period and its plans for future inspections at your facility.

The NRC determined the performance at Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, during the most recent quarter was within the Degraded Cornerstone Column (Column 3) of the NRCs Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Action Matrix because of two inspection findings classified as having low to moderate safety significance (i.e. White) in the Mitigating Systems Cornerstone. One White finding was associated with a coupling failure on the Unit 1 turbine-driven auxiliary feedwater pump that was identified in the fourth quarter of 2012. The other White finding was associated with your failure to implement external flooding wave run-up protection design features as described in the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) and was identified in the first quarter of 2013. This finding was associated with Unit 1 and Unit 2. By letter dated August 9, 2013, NRC Inspection Report 05000266/2013012 and 05000301/2013012, (ML13221A187) the NRC notified you of the final significance of the failure to implement external flooding features and advised you that Unit 1 was assessed to be in the Degraded Cornerstone column.

The NRC determined the performance at Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Unit 2, during the most recent quarter was within the Regulatory Response Column (Column 2) of the NRCs ROP Action Matrix because of one inspection finding classified as having low to moderate safety significance. (i.e. White) in the Mitigating Systems Cornerstone associated with your failure to implement external flooding wave run-up protection design features as described in the FSAR as of the first quarter of 2013.

E. McCartney By letter dated April 16, 2013 (ML13108A121), you notified the NRC that you had completed the evaluation of the circumstances surrounding the degraded performance associated with the Unit 1 coupling failure and were ready for the NRC to assess your evaluation and subsequent corrective actions. On August 9, 2013, the NRC completed a supplemental inspection pursuant to Inspection Procedure 95001, Supplemental Inspection for One or Two White Inputs in a Strategic Performance Area. The NRC Inspection Report 05000266/2013009 (ML13262A523) was transmitted by letter dated September 19, 2013, and stated that although the turbine driven auxiliary feedwater pump finding would not be considered in the Action Matrix after the third quarter of 2013, closure of the finding did not change the status of Unit 1; Unit 1 would remain in the Degraded Cornerstone Column of the ROP Action Matrix until successful completion of an NRC supplemental inspection using Inspection Procedure 95002, Supplemental Inspection for One Degraded Cornerstone or Any Three White Inputs in a Strategic Performance Area.

By letter dated October 29, 2013 (ML13303B690), your staff advised the NRC of your readiness for an NRC Supplemental Inspection using Inspection Procedure 95002. On March 6, 2014, the NRC completed a follow-up supplemental inspection pursuant to Inspection Procedure 95002. On March 28, 2014, the NRC issued a supplemental inspection report 05000266/2014007 and 05000301/2014007 (ML14087A366) which stated that the performance issues associated with the identified flooding finding will remain open beyond the normal four quarters and will not be removed from consideration in the NRCs assessment program until the identified weaknesses are addressed and corrected. When your staff notifies the NRC of your readiness to resume the supplemental inspection, the NRC will re-perform the supplemental inspection in accordance with Inspection Procedure 95002. Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Unit 2 remains in the Regulatory Response Column of the NRCs ROP Action Matrix and will also be assessed as part of the supplemental inspection. The objective of this supplemental inspection will be to verify that your staff adequately evaluated the root causes, contributing causes, extent-of-condition, or extent-of-cause of the safety-significant finding, and that have or plan to implement adequate corrective actions to address the root causes, contributing causes, extent-of-condition, or extent-of-cause and to prevent recurrence of the safety-significant finding.

During this assessment period, the NRC identified a cross-cutting theme in the Problem Identification and Resolution component. Specifically, there were three findings during the current assessment period in addition to the first quarter 2013 White finding (held open) with the cross-cutting aspect of Evaluation (P.2). The NRC determined that a substantive cross-cutting issue associated with P.2 does not exist because the NRC does not have a concern with your staffs scope of effort and current progress in addressing the cross-cutting theme. All of the findings associated with the P.2 aspect are associated with the White flooding finding and our supplemental inspection of your original efforts to address that finding. Also, you are aware of the issues, have a cause analysis that also considered evaluation issues across the plant, have recently identified corrective actions, and are working to address the identified issues. The NRC will continue to monitor your staffs effort and progress in addressing the theme until the theme criteria are no longer met.

E. McCartney As a result of the Safety Culture Common Language Initiative, the terminology and coding of cross-cutting aspects were revised. All cross-cutting aspects identified during inspections conducted in calendar year 2014 reflect this revision to Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 0310.

Cross-cutting aspects identified in 2013 using the 2013 terminology were converted to the latest revision in accordance with the cross-reference in IMC 0310 during the mid-cycle assessment review and evaluated for cross-cutting themes and potential substantive cross-cutting issues in accordance with IMC 0305.

The enclosed inspection plan lists the inspections scheduled through December 31, 2015.

Routine inspections performed by resident inspectors are not included in the inspection plan.

The inspections listed during the last 9 months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised at the end-of-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. This inspection plan does not include security related inspections, which will be sent via separate, non-publicly available correspondence.

The enclosed plan does include a triennial Evaluations of Changes, Tests and Experiments and Permanent Plant Modifications inspection per procedure 71111.17T; a biennial problem Identification and Resolution, inspection per procedure 71152; and a triennial Component and Design Basis inspection per procedure 7111.21.

In response to the accident at Fukushima, the Commission issued Order EA-12-049, Order Modifying Licenses with Regard to Requirements for Mitigation Strategies for Beyond-Design-Basis External Events, which requires licensees to develop, implement, and maintain guidance and strategies to maintain or restore core cooling, containment, and spent fuel pool cooling capabilities following a beyond-design-basis external event. Additionally, the Commission issued Order EA-12-051, Order Modifying Licenses with Regard to Reliable Spent Fuel Pool Instrumentation, which requires licensees to have a reliable means of remotely monitoring wide-range Spent Fuel Pool levels to support effective prioritization of event mitigation and recovery actions in the event of a beyond-design-basis external event. The NRC is conducting audits of licensee efforts towards compliance with these Orders. This audit includes an onsite component in order for the NRC to evaluate licensee plans for complying with the Orders, as described in site-specific submittals, and to receive and review information relative to associated open items. This onsite activity will occur in the months prior to a declaration of compliance for the first unit at each site, and will aid staff in development of an ultimate Safety Evaluation for the site. The date for the onsite component at your site is being coordinated with your staff. A site-specific audit plan for the visit will be provided in advance to allow sufficient time for preparations.

E. McCartney In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding, of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter, its enclosure, and your response (if any) will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records System (PARS) component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management 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 Jamnes Cameron at 630-829-9833 with any questions you have regarding this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Cynthia D. Pederson Regional Administrator Docket Nos. 50-266; 50-301 License Nos. DPR-24; DPR-27

Enclosure:

Point Beach Nuclear Plant Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/encl: Distribution via LISTSERV

E. McCartney In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 2.390, Public Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding, of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter, its enclosure, and your response (if any) will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records System (PARS) component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management 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 Jamnes Cameron at 630-829-9833 with any questions you have regarding this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Cynthia D. Pederson Regional Administrator Docket Nos. 50-266; 50-301 License Nos. DPR-24; DPR-27

Enclosure:

Point Beach Nuclear Plant Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/encl: Distribution via LISTSERV DISTRIBUTION w/encl:

Anthony Bowers RidsNrrDorlLpl3-1 Resource RidsNrrPMPointBeach RidsNrrDirsIrib Resource Cynthia Pederson Darrell Roberts Steven Orth Allan Barker Carole Ariano Linda Linn DRPIII DRSIII Patricia Buckley Carmen Olteanu ROPassessment.Resource@nrc.gov DOCUMENT NAME: Point Beach 2014 Mid-Cycle Assessment Letter Publicly Available Non-Publicly Available Sensitive Non-Sensitive To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the concurrence box "C" = Copy without attach/encl "E" = Copy with attach/encl "N" = No copy OFFICE RIII NAME BBartlett:mt JCameron ABoland CPederson DATE 08/21/14 08/25/14 08/22/14 08/26/14 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Page 1 of 2 Point Beach 08/22/2014 09:43:49 Inspection / Activity Plan Report 22 09/01/2014 - 12/31/2015 Unit Planned Dates No. of Staff Number Start End Inspection Activity Title on Site BI EPR - EP ROUTINE INSPECTION / PI VERIFICATION 2 1 09/08/2014 09/12/2014 IP 7111402 Alert and Notification System Testing 1 09/08/2014 09/12/2014 IP 7111403 Emergency Preparedness Organization Staffing and Augmentation System 1 09/08/2014 09/12/2014 IP 7111405 Correction of Emergency Preparedness Weaknesses and Deficiencies 1 09/08/2014 09/12/2014 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification ISFSI - ISFSI OPERATION AT A SITE INSPECTION 2 1, 2 09/01/2014 09/30/2014 IP 60855.1 Operation of an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation at Operating Plants BI RP - RADIATION PROTECTION BASELINE INSPECTION 1 1 10/06/2014 10/10/2014 IP 71124.03 In-Plant Airborne Radioactivity Control and Mitigation 1 10/06/2014 10/10/2014 IP 71124.04 Occupational Dose Assessment ISI BI - INSERVICE INSPECTION UNIT 1 1 1 10/05/2014 10/29/2014 IP 7111108P Inservice Inspection Activities - PWR BI EPX - EP EXERCISE INSPECTION / PI VERIFICATION 2 1 10/06/2014 12/12/2014 IP 7111408 Exercise Evaluation - Scenario Review 1 12/08/2014 12/12/2014 IP 7111401 Exercise Evaluation 1 12/08/2014 12/12/2014 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification OL PREP - INIT EXAM/FEB 2015 3 1 01/26/2015 01/30/2015 W90334 OL - INITIAL EXAM - 2015 JAN-FEB - POINT BEACH OL EXAM - INIT EXAM/FEB 2015 3 1 02/23/2015 03/06/2015 W90334 OL - INITIAL EXAM - 2015 JAN-FEB - POINT BEACH BI ENG - COMPONENT DESIGN BASIS INSPECTION 6 1, 2 02/23/2015 03/27/2015 IP 7111121 Component Design Bases Inspection BI RP - RADIATION PROTECTION BASELINE INSPECTION 1 1 03/23/2015 03/27/2015 IP 71124.02 Occupational ALARA Planning and Controls BI RP - RADIATION PROTECTION BASELINE INSPECTION 1 1 05/18/2015 05/22/2015 IP 71124.07 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program 1 05/18/2015 05/22/2015 IP 71151-BI01 1 05/18/2015 05/22/2015 IP 71151-OR01 1 05/18/2015 05/22/2015 IP 71151-PR01 71152B - BIENNIAL PI&R 4 1, 2 06/22/2015 07/10/2015 IP 71152B Problem Identification and Resolution BI EPEX - EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE EVAL 2 1, 2 07/15/2015 09/18/2015 IP 7111408 Exercise Evaluation - Scenario Review This report does not include INPO and OUTAGE activities.

This report shows only on-site and announced inspection procedures.

Page 2 of 2 Point Beach 08/22/2014 09:43:49 Inspection / Activity Plan Report 22 09/01/2014 - 12/31/2015 Unit Planned Dates No. of Staff Number Start End Inspection Activity Title on Site BI EPEX - EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE EVAL 2 1, 2 09/14/2015 09/18/2015 IP 7111407 Exercise Evaluation - Hostile Action (HA) Event 1 09/14/2015 09/18/2015 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification BI MODS - MODIFICATIONS / 50.59 INSPECTION 3 1, 2 08/10/2015 08/28/2015 IP 7111117T Evaluations of Changes, Tests, and Experiments and Permanent Plant Modifications BI RP - RADIATION PROTECTION BASELINE INSPECTION 1 1 08/17/2015 08/21/2015 IP 71124.08 Radioactive Solid Waste Processing and Radioactive Material Handling, Storage, and Transportation BI OLRQ - BIENNIAL REQUAL PROGRAM INSPECTION 2 1, 2 08/17/2015 08/21/2015 IP 7111111B Licensed Operator Requalification Program BI RP - RADIATION PROTECTION BASELINE INSPECTION 1 1 10/05/2015 10/09/2015 IP 71124.01 Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls BI ISI - ISI UNIT 2 INSPECTION 1 2 10/07/2015 11/10/2015 IP 7111108P Inservice Inspection Activities - PWR This report does not include INPO and OUTAGE activities.

This report shows only on-site and announced inspection procedures.