ML15118A172
| ML15118A172 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Oconee  |
| Issue date: | 01/27/1997 |
| From: | Jerrica Johnson NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II) |
| To: | Hampton J DUKE POWER CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML15118A173 | List: |
| References | |
| EA-97-035, EA-97-35, NUDOCS 9702100343 | |
| Download: ML15118A172 (4) | |
See also: IR 05000269/1996017
Text
January 27, 1997
EA 97-035
Mr. J. W. Hampton, Vice President
Oconee Nuclear Station
P. 0. Box 1439
Seneca, SC 29679
SUBJECT:
NRC INSPECTION REPORT 50-269/96-17, 50-270/96-17,
50-287/96-17 AND NOTICE OF VIOLATION
Dear Mr. Hampton:
On December 28, 1996, the NRC completed an inspection at your Oconee Nuclear
Station. The enclosed report presents the results of that inspection.
During the six-week period covered by this inspection period, your conduct of
activities at the Oconee facilities was generally characterized by safety
conscious Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering practices. However,
several violations of NRC requirements were identified. Three of these
violations are cited in the enclosed Notice of Violation (Notice), and the
circumstances surrounding the violations are described in detail in the
enclosed report.
The first violation involved two examples of configuration
control problems, one of which resulted in a void in the reactor coolant
system during loop fill. The second violation concerned ASME Code Class 3
welds on Low Pressure Service Water piping that were not examined in
accordance with requirements. The third violation involved a failure to
perform evaluations of out-of-tolerance measuring and test equipment.
You are required to respond to this letter and should follow the instructions
specified in the enclosed Notice when preparing your response. The NRC will
use your response, in part, to determine whether further enforcement action is
necessary to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
In addition, two apparent violations were identified and are being considered
for escalated enforcement action in accordance with the "General Statement of
Policy and Procedure for NRC Enforcement Actions" (Enforcement Policy), NUREG 1600. The first apparent violation (EEI 50-270/96-17-08) involved a Moisture
Separator Reheater Operations Procedure that was not placed on Administrative
Hold to prevent its use prior to being changed. This was a major factor in
the September 24, 1996, Unit 2 water hammer event. The second apparent
violation (EEI 50-269,270.287/96-17-01) concerns a number of examples where
secondary plant piping did not meet the piping code referenced in the Updated
Final Safety Analysis Report and the failure to provide a written safety
evaluation for this condition. The issues raised by these two apparent
/
violations are of concern due to the potential impact of related piping
.
failures on operation of/access to important plant equipment. Accordingly, no
Notice of Viol ation is presently being issued for these inspection findings.
In addition, please be advised that the number and characterization of the
9702100343 970127
PDR ADOCK 05000269
G
Duke Power Company
2
apparent violations described in the enclosed inspection report may change as
a result of further NRC review.
An open predecisional enforcement conference to discuss these apparent
violations has been scheduled for February 12, 1997. The decision to hold a
predecisional enforcement conference does not mean that the NRC has determined
that a violation has occurred or that enforcement action will be taken. This
conference is being held to obtain information to enable the NRC to make an
enforcement decision, such as a common understanding of the facts, root
causes, missed opportunities to identify the apparent violations sooner,
corrective actions, significance of the issues and the need for lasting and
effective corrective action. In addition, this is an opportunity for you to
point out any errors in our inspection report and for you to provide any
information concerning your perspectives on 1) the severity of the violations,
2) the application of the factors that the NRC considers when it determines
the amount of a civil penalty that may be assessed in accordance with Section
VI.B.2 of the Enforcement Policy, and 3) any other application of the
Enforcement Policy to this case, including the exercise of discretion in
accordance with Section VII.
You will be advised by separate correspondence of the results of our
deliberations on this matter. No response regarding the apparent violations
is required at this time.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of
this letter and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room
(PDR).
Sincerely,
Jon R. Johnson, Director
Division of Reactor Projects
Docket Nos. 50-269, 50-270, 50-287, 72-04
License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, DPR-55, SNM-2503
Enclosures:1. Notice of Violation
2. Inspection Report 50-269/96-17,
50-270/96-17, 50-287/96-17
cc w/encls:
(See page 3)
Duke Power Company
3
cc w/encls:
Mr. J. E. Burchfield
Compliance
Duke Power Company
P. 0. Box 1439
Seneca, SC 29679
Mr. Paul R. Newton
Legal Department (PB05E)
Duke Power Company
422 South Church Street
Charlotte, NC 28242-0001
Mr. Robert P. Gruber
Executive Director
Public Staff - NCUC
P. 0. Box 29520
Raleigh, NC 27626-0520
Mr. Robert B. Borsum
Framatome Technologies
1700 Rockville Pike, Suite 525
Rockville, MD 20852
Mr. J.
Michael McGarry, III, Esq.
Winston and Strawn
1400 L Street, NW
Washington, D. C. 20005
Dayne H. Brown, Director
Division of Radiation Protection
N. C. Department of Environmental
Health & Natural Resources
P. 0. Box 27687
Raleigh, NC 27611-7687
Mr. Max Batavia, Chief
Bureau of Radiological Health
South Carolina Department of Health
and Environmental Control
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, SC 29201
County Supervisor of
Oconee County
Walhalla, SC 29621
cc w/encls cont'd:
(See page 4)
Duke Power Company
4
cc w/encls cont'd:
Manager, LIS
NUS Corporation
2650 McCormick Drive
Clearwater, FL 34619-1035
Mr. G. A. Copp
Licensing - EC050
Duke Power Company
P. 0. Box 1006
Charlotte, NC 28201-1006
Ms. Karen E. Long
Assistant Attorney General
N. C. Department of Justice
P. 0. Box 629
Raleigh, NC
27602
Distribution w/encls:
D. LaBarge, NRR
R. Carroll, RII
L. Wert, RII
N. Economos, RII
R. Baldwin, RII
NRC Resident Inspector
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