ML16083A403

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March 22, 2016 Summary of Public Meeting for Watts Bar
ML16083A403
Person / Time
Site: Watts Bar  Tennessee Valley Authority icon.png
Issue date: 03/23/2016
From: Alan Blamey
Reactor Projects Region 2 Branch 6
To: James Shea
Tennessee Valley Authority
References
Download: ML16083A403 (18)
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Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION II 245 PEACHTREE CENTER AVENUE NE, SUITE 1200 ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303-1257 March 23, 2016 Mr. Joseph W. Shea Vice President, Nuclear Licensing Tennessee Valley Authority 1101 Market Street, LP 3D-C Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801

SUBJECT:

PUBLIC MEETING

SUMMARY

FOR WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, DOCKET NO. 50-390 and 50-391

Dear Mr. Shea:

This refers to the meeting conducted at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region II Office on March 22, 2016. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the progress on performance improvements and the dual unit integration work environment initiatives at both Watts Bar Unit 1 and Unit 2, as well as the current status of Watts Bar Unit 2 Startup.

Watts Bar communicated that overall, employees are not reluctant to raise safety concerns for fear of retaliation. However, some employees, in the operations area, fear potential retaliation for raising concerns, creating a degraded work environment within the Operations Department.

Watts Bar has attributed this degraded work environment to communications and a high work load associated with the challenges of transitioning to a dual-unit site. Watts Bar communicated that they understand the issue, and is fully committed to continually improving performance while fostering a strong nuclear safety culture and sustainable positive work environment, and will therefore, take actions to develop a Work Environment Improvement Plan.

A list of attendees and a copy of the presentation handout are enclosed.

J. Shea 2 In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRCs Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter will be made 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).

Should you have any questions concerning this meeting, please contact me at (404) 997-4415.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Alan Blamey, Chief Reactor Projects Branch 6 Division of Reactor Projects Docket No.: 50-390, 50-391 License No.: NPF-90, NPF-96

Enclosures:

1. List of Attendees
2. TVA Meeting Slides cc: distribution via ListServ

ML16083A403 SUNSI REVIEW COMPLETE FORM 665 ATTACHED OFFICE RII:DRP RII:DRP RII:DRP SIGNATURE CRS2 CRK1 AJB3 NAME C. Smith-Standberry C. Kontz A. Blamey DATE 03/23/2016 03/23/2016 03/23/2016 E-MAIL COPY? YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO J. Shea 3 Letter to Joseph W. Shea from Alan Blamey dated March 22, 2016

SUBJECT:

PUBLIC MEETING

SUMMARY

FOR WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, DOCKET NO. 50-390 and 50-391 Distribution:

S. Price L. Gibson OE Mail RIDSNRRDIRS PUBLIC RidsNrrPMWattsBar Resource

NRC ATTENDEES C. Haney, Regional Administrator, Region II L. Wert, Deputy Regional Administrator, Region II L. Dudes, Deputy Regional Administrator, Region II L. Jarriel, Agency Allegations Advisor, NRC Headquarters M. Frankie, Acting Deputy Division Director, DRP, RII A. Blamey, Chief, Reactor Projects Branch 6, DRP, RII J. Nadel, Senior Resident Inspector, Watts Bar Unit 1, DRP, RII M. Franovich, Division Director, DRP, RII C. Kontz, Senior Project Engineer, Branch 6, DRP, RII J. Baptist, Acting Chief, Reactor Projects Branch 8, DRP, RII A. Wilson, Project Engineer, Branch 8, DRP, RII N. Coovert, Senior Construction Inspector, Construction Inspection, Branch 3, DCI, RII E. Patterson, Senior Resident Inspector, Watts Bar Unit 2, DRP, RII A. Echavarria, Senior Investigator, OI, RII M. Checkle, Senior Allegations Coordinator, EICS, RII S. Mendez, Allegations Coordinator, EICS, RII M. Miller, Deputy Division Director, DRS, RII C. Smith-Standberry, Project Engineer, Branch 6, DRP, RII S. Rose, Chief, Reactor Projects Branch 5, DRP, RII J. Graham, Physical Security Inspector, DRS, PSB2, RII R. Hannah, Senior Public Affairs Officer, PA, RII J. Ledford, Public Affairs Officer, PA, RII K. Kirchbaum, Project Engineer, Branch 2, DRP, RII E. Lea, Regional Governmental Liason Officer, RII TVA ATTENDEES S. Connors, Plant Manager, Watts Bar P. Simmons, Vice President, Watts Bar Unit 2 K. Walsh, Site Vice President, Watts Bar M. Skaggs, Senior Vice President, Watts Bar J. Shea, Vice President Licensing, Watts Bar M. Balduzzi, Senior Vice President Operations, Watts Bar P. Summers, Director, Watts Bar B. Dungan, Rotational Development, Watts Bar I. Hagins-Dyer, Senior Manager, Employee Concerns, Watts Bar G. Arent, Director, Watts Bar Licensing J. Grimes, Chief Nuclear Officer OTHER ATTENDEES B. Freebairn, Platts E. Marcum, Knoxville News Sentinel D. Flessner, Chattanooga Times-Free Press M. Bandyk, SNL Engergy P. Collins, member of public L. Evans, member of public Enclosure 1 Watts Bar Nuclear Plant March 22, 2016 Enclosure 3

Agenda Opening Remarks Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Guiding Principles Operational Performance Overview Work Environment Key Work Environment Initiatives Unit 2 Readiness Summary Balduzzi Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 2

Watts Bar Guiding Principles

  • Ensure the continued safe and reliable operation of Unit 1
  • Safely complete the Unit 2 Power Ascension Test Program
  • Effectively transition to a dual-unit site
  • Continually improve performance while fostering a strong nuclear safety culture and sustainable positive work environment Walsh Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 3

Watts Bar Operational Performance

  • Activities significantly increased in 2015 Continued to safely operate Unit 1 Successfully licensed Unit 2 Completed Unit 1 refueling Conducted initial Unit 2 fuel load and began power ascension testing Took actions to evolve a healthier accountability culture
  • Evaluated performance Experienced operational issues during high activity periods Performed causal analysis Identified and implemented actions to improve and then sustain top industry levels of performance Connors Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 4

Operational Performance Improvement Initiatives

  • Gold Bar standard established by Operations Shift Managers
  • Additional oversight provided by internal and external sources
  • Focus on Fundamentals (e.g., questioning attitude and rigor)
  • Teamwork and leadership courage, with Operations leading site
  • Monitoring and metrics used to show progress Connors and areas to place additional attention Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 5

Watts Bar Work Environment

  • Overall, employees are not reluctant to raise safety concerns for fear of retaliation
  • Degraded work environment exists in Operations Operations personnel indicate they will raise safety issues, some fear potential retaliation Perception of retaliation for raising concerns
  • Independent reviews conducted, causes understood Did not identify concerns with ability to safely operate Unit 1 or startup Unit 2 Issue limited to Operations Work Environment Improvement Plan will ensure employees will feel comfortable raising nuclear safety concerns without fear of retaliation Walsh Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 6

Key Work Environment Initiatives

  • Communicating commitment to maintaining a work environment where individuals feel comfortable for raising issues

- Chief Nuclear Officer communication

- Senior Vice President meeting with licensed operators

- Site Vice President and Plant Manager meetings with shift managers

- Unit 2 Vice President discussion with Outage Control Center Staff

  • Providing outlets and a sustainable environment for raising concerns
  • Conduct Safety Conscious Work Environment, adverse action, and protected activity refresher training for first line supervisors and above
  • Conduct team building activities for Operations crews
  • Improve communication skills
  • Conduct pulse surveys to measure effectiveness Connors Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 7

Watts Bar Unit 2 Readiness

  • Safety performance remains strong
  • Quality of work remains high
  • Continuing with preparations for initial criticality Successfully loaded fuel and entered Mode 5 Successfully completed Mode 5 testing requirements Successfully achieved Mode 4 Simmons Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 8

Site Readiness for Unit 2 Power Ascension People

  • December 2015 Pause
  • Operations Department aligned
  • Outage Control Center appropriately staffed
  • Operations Department training Oversight
  • Corporate Oversight
  • Plant Operations Review Committee Simmons Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 9

Unit 2 Power Ascension Testing Simmons Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 10

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant

  • Ensure the continued safe operation of Unit 1 while safely and methodically conducting power ascension testing on Unit 2
  • Recognize challenges of transitioning to a dual-unit site
  • Taking actions to foster a sustainable strong nuclear safety culture and positive work environment for all employees Balduzzi Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 11

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION REGION II 245 PEACHTREE CENTER AVENUE NE, SUITE 1200 ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303-1257 March 23, 2016 Mr. Joseph W. Shea Vice President, Nuclear Licensing Tennessee Valley Authority 1101 Market Street, LP 3D-C Chattanooga, TN 37402-2801

SUBJECT:

PUBLIC MEETING

SUMMARY

FOR WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, DOCKET NO. 50-390 and 50-391

Dear Mr. Shea:

This refers to the meeting conducted at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region II Office on March 22, 2016. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the progress on performance improvements and the dual unit integration work environment initiatives at both Watts Bar Unit 1 and Unit 2, as well as the current status of Watts Bar Unit 2 Startup.

Watts Bar communicated that overall, employees are not reluctant to raise safety concerns for fear of retaliation. However, some employees, in the operations area, fear potential retaliation for raising concerns, creating a degraded work environment within the Operations Department.

Watts Bar has attributed this degraded work environment to communications and a high work load associated with the challenges of transitioning to a dual-unit site. Watts Bar communicated that they understand the issue, and is fully committed to continually improving performance while fostering a strong nuclear safety culture and sustainable positive work environment, and will therefore, take actions to develop a Work Environment Improvement Plan.

A list of attendees and a copy of the presentation handout are enclosed.

J. Shea 2 In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRCs Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter will be made 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).

Should you have any questions concerning this meeting, please contact me at (404) 997-4415.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Alan Blamey, Chief Reactor Projects Branch 6 Division of Reactor Projects Docket No.: 50-390, 50-391 License No.: NPF-90, NPF-96

Enclosures:

1. List of Attendees
2. TVA Meeting Slides cc: distribution via ListServ

ML16083A403 SUNSI REVIEW COMPLETE FORM 665 ATTACHED OFFICE RII:DRP RII:DRP RII:DRP SIGNATURE CRS2 CRK1 AJB3 NAME C. Smith-Standberry C. Kontz A. Blamey DATE 03/23/2016 03/23/2016 03/23/2016 E-MAIL COPY? YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO J. Shea 3 Letter to Joseph W. Shea from Alan Blamey dated March 22, 2016

SUBJECT:

PUBLIC MEETING

SUMMARY

FOR WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, DOCKET NO. 50-390 and 50-391 Distribution:

S. Price L. Gibson OE Mail RIDSNRRDIRS PUBLIC RidsNrrPMWattsBar Resource

NRC ATTENDEES C. Haney, Regional Administrator, Region II L. Wert, Deputy Regional Administrator, Region II L. Dudes, Deputy Regional Administrator, Region II L. Jarriel, Agency Allegations Advisor, NRC Headquarters M. Frankie, Acting Deputy Division Director, DRP, RII A. Blamey, Chief, Reactor Projects Branch 6, DRP, RII J. Nadel, Senior Resident Inspector, Watts Bar Unit 1, DRP, RII M. Franovich, Division Director, DRP, RII C. Kontz, Senior Project Engineer, Branch 6, DRP, RII J. Baptist, Acting Chief, Reactor Projects Branch 8, DRP, RII A. Wilson, Project Engineer, Branch 8, DRP, RII N. Coovert, Senior Construction Inspector, Construction Inspection, Branch 3, DCI, RII E. Patterson, Senior Resident Inspector, Watts Bar Unit 2, DRP, RII A. Echavarria, Senior Investigator, OI, RII M. Checkle, Senior Allegations Coordinator, EICS, RII S. Mendez, Allegations Coordinator, EICS, RII M. Miller, Deputy Division Director, DRS, RII C. Smith-Standberry, Project Engineer, Branch 6, DRP, RII S. Rose, Chief, Reactor Projects Branch 5, DRP, RII J. Graham, Physical Security Inspector, DRS, PSB2, RII R. Hannah, Senior Public Affairs Officer, PA, RII J. Ledford, Public Affairs Officer, PA, RII K. Kirchbaum, Project Engineer, Branch 2, DRP, RII E. Lea, Regional Governmental Liason Officer, RII TVA ATTENDEES S. Connors, Plant Manager, Watts Bar P. Simmons, Vice President, Watts Bar Unit 2 K. Walsh, Site Vice President, Watts Bar M. Skaggs, Senior Vice President, Watts Bar J. Shea, Vice President Licensing, Watts Bar M. Balduzzi, Senior Vice President Operations, Watts Bar P. Summers, Director, Watts Bar B. Dungan, Rotational Development, Watts Bar I. Hagins-Dyer, Senior Manager, Employee Concerns, Watts Bar G. Arent, Director, Watts Bar Licensing J. Grimes, Chief Nuclear Officer OTHER ATTENDEES B. Freebairn, Platts E. Marcum, Knoxville News Sentinel D. Flessner, Chattanooga Times-Free Press M. Bandyk, SNL Engergy P. Collins, member of public L. Evans, member of public Enclosure 1 Watts Bar Nuclear Plant March 22, 2016 Enclosure 3

Agenda Opening Remarks Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Guiding Principles Operational Performance Overview Work Environment Key Work Environment Initiatives Unit 2 Readiness Summary Balduzzi Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 2

Watts Bar Guiding Principles

  • Ensure the continued safe and reliable operation of Unit 1
  • Safely complete the Unit 2 Power Ascension Test Program
  • Effectively transition to a dual-unit site
  • Continually improve performance while fostering a strong nuclear safety culture and sustainable positive work environment Walsh Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 3

Watts Bar Operational Performance

  • Activities significantly increased in 2015 Continued to safely operate Unit 1 Successfully licensed Unit 2 Completed Unit 1 refueling Conducted initial Unit 2 fuel load and began power ascension testing Took actions to evolve a healthier accountability culture
  • Evaluated performance Experienced operational issues during high activity periods Performed causal analysis Identified and implemented actions to improve and then sustain top industry levels of performance Connors Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 4

Operational Performance Improvement Initiatives

  • Gold Bar standard established by Operations Shift Managers
  • Additional oversight provided by internal and external sources
  • Focus on Fundamentals (e.g., questioning attitude and rigor)
  • Teamwork and leadership courage, with Operations leading site
  • Monitoring and metrics used to show progress Connors and areas to place additional attention Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 5

Watts Bar Work Environment

  • Overall, employees are not reluctant to raise safety concerns for fear of retaliation
  • Degraded work environment exists in Operations Operations personnel indicate they will raise safety issues, some fear potential retaliation Perception of retaliation for raising concerns
  • Independent reviews conducted, causes understood Did not identify concerns with ability to safely operate Unit 1 or startup Unit 2 Issue limited to Operations Work Environment Improvement Plan will ensure employees will feel comfortable raising nuclear safety concerns without fear of retaliation Walsh Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 6

Key Work Environment Initiatives

  • Communicating commitment to maintaining a work environment where individuals feel comfortable for raising issues

- Chief Nuclear Officer communication

- Senior Vice President meeting with licensed operators

- Site Vice President and Plant Manager meetings with shift managers

- Unit 2 Vice President discussion with Outage Control Center Staff

  • Providing outlets and a sustainable environment for raising concerns
  • Conduct Safety Conscious Work Environment, adverse action, and protected activity refresher training for first line supervisors and above
  • Conduct team building activities for Operations crews
  • Improve communication skills
  • Conduct pulse surveys to measure effectiveness Connors Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 7

Watts Bar Unit 2 Readiness

  • Safety performance remains strong
  • Quality of work remains high
  • Continuing with preparations for initial criticality Successfully loaded fuel and entered Mode 5 Successfully completed Mode 5 testing requirements Successfully achieved Mode 4 Simmons Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 8

Site Readiness for Unit 2 Power Ascension People

  • December 2015 Pause
  • Operations Department aligned
  • Outage Control Center appropriately staffed
  • Operations Department training Oversight
  • Corporate Oversight
  • Plant Operations Review Committee Simmons Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 9

Unit 2 Power Ascension Testing Simmons Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 10

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant

  • Ensure the continued safe operation of Unit 1 while safely and methodically conducting power ascension testing on Unit 2
  • Recognize challenges of transitioning to a dual-unit site
  • Taking actions to foster a sustainable strong nuclear safety culture and positive work environment for all employees Balduzzi Watts Bar Nuclear Plant l 11
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