ML17306A677
| ML17306A677 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palo Verde  |
| Issue date: | 04/09/1992 |
| From: | Martin J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION V) |
| To: | Conway W ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE CO. (FORMERLY ARIZONA NUCLEAR |
| Shared Package | |
| ML17306A678 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9204240005 | |
| Download: ML17306A677 (7) | |
See also: IR 05000528/1992007
Text
FQRD
1
REGULATORY INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (RIDS)
ACCESSION NBR:9204240005
DOC.DATE: 92/04/09
NOTARIZED:
NO
DOCKET
FACIL':STN-50-528 Palo Verde Nuclear Station,
Unit 1, Arizona Publi
05000528
STN-50-529 Palo Verde Nuclear Station,
Unit 2, Arizona Publi
05000529
STN-50-530 Palo Verde Nuclear Station, Unit 3, Arizona Publi
05000530
AUTH.NAME
AUTHOR AFFILIATION
MARTIN,J.B.
Region
5 (Post
820201),
RECIP.NAME
RECIPIENT AFFILIATION
CONWAYPW.F.
Arizona Public Service
Co. (formerly Arizona Nuclear
Power
SUBJECT:
Forwards
SALP repts
50-528/92-07,50-529/92-07
& 50-530/92-07
on Dec
1990
Feb 1992.Board
found performance
of licensed
activities at plant to be generally
good
& directed
toward
safe facility operation.
DISTRIBUTION CODE:
IE40D
COPIES
RECEIVED:LTR /
ENCL /
SIZE: 4 7 2K
-TITIE: Systematic
Assessmeit
of Licensee
Performance
(SALP) Report
NOTES:STANDARDIZED PLANT
Standardized
plant.
Standardized
plant.
X
05000528
05000529
05000530
RECIPIENT
ID CODE/NAME
LA
TRAMMELL,C
TERNAL: ACRS,
AEOD/DSP/TPAB
DEDRO
NRR/DLPQ/LHFBll
NRR/DOEA/OEAB11
NRR/DREP/PRPB11
NRR/DRIS/RSIB9A
NUDOCS-ABSTRACT
'GC/HDS1
RGN5
FILE
Ol
EXTERNAL
EG&G/BRYCE'gJ
~ H ~
NRC
COPIES
LTTR ENCL
1
0
1
1
2
2
l.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
RECIPIENT.
ID CODE/NAME
THOMPSON,M
AEOD/DOA
COMMISSION
NRR SHANKMAN,S
NRR/DLPQ/LPEB10
NRR/DREP/PEPB9D
NRR/DRIS/RSGB9D
NRR/PMAS/ILRB12
OE DIR
REG~~FZDB~".0.
L ST
LOBBY WARD
COPIES
LTTR ENCL
1
1
1
'1
, 1
1
5
5
1
1
1
1
1
-1
'1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES
REQUIRED:
LTTR
32
ENCL
31
yah hfOgl~ fp
O~
0
I
~
V/
Cy
+%*4+
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORYCOMMISSION
REGION V
APR
9 59P.-
1450 MARIALANE
WALNUTCREEK, CAUFORNIA94596-5368
Docket Nos. 50-528,
50-529 and 50-530
Ariz'ona Public Service
Company
P. 0.
Box 53999, Station
9012
Phoenix, Arizona
85072-3999
Attention:
Mr. M. F.
Conway
Executive Vice President,
Nuclear
Gentlemen:
SUBJECT:
SYSTEHATIC ASSESSMENT
OF LICENSEE
PERFORHANCE
(REPORT
NUHBERS 50-528/92-07,
50-529/92-07
AND
50-530/92-07)
The
NRC Systematic
Assessment
of Licensee
Performance
(SALP) Board has
completed its periodic evaluation of the performance of the Palo Verde Nuclear
Generating
Station
(Palo Verde) for the period December I, 1990,
through
February 29,
1992.
The performance of Palo Verde was evaluated
in the functional
areas of Plant
Operations,
Radiological Controls, Maintenance/Surveillance,
Emergency
Preparedness,
Security,
Engineering/Technical
Support,
and Safety Assess-
ment/quality Verification.
The criteria used in conducting this assessment
and the
SALP Board's evaluation of your performance in these functional areas
are contained in NRC Hanual Chapter
0516,
"Systematic
Assessment
of Licensee
Performance,"
dated
September
28,
1990.
Based
upon discussions
with your staff,
a management
meeting to discuss
the
results of the
SALP Board's
assessment
has
been scheduled for Hay 7,
1992, at
the Palo Verde site.
Arrangements for.the management
meeting will be dis-
cussed further with your staff in the near future.
Overall, the
SALP Board found the performance of licensed activities at Palo
Verde to be generally
good
and directed toward safe facility operation.
Continued performance
improvements
since the previous period were noted in
some functional areas.
Category
1 ratings were assigned
to Emergency
Pre-
paredness
and to Radiological Controls,
and Category
2 ratings were assigned
to all other functional areas.
In particular,
management
involvement in the
radiation protection
and chemistry areas,
together with the overall efforts of
your entire staff,
have demonstrated
superior control of radiation exposure,
effluent releases,
radioactive waste
and water chemistry during the assessment
period.
The
SALP Board identified the following three principle areas of concern:
~
In the area of Safety Assessment/guality
Verification, the Board
recognized that the guality Assurance
(gA) organization
had produced
a
9204240005
920409
ADOCK 05000528
8
Pg Q.o
~ ~
Arizona Public Service
Co.
APR
9 1992
number of strong, performance
based audits.
However,
management
did not
always react to these audits in a forceful manner,
thereby missing
opportunities to preclude
problems that later grew in significance.
following the crane =and refueling events, it was-noted that previous
gA
audits in these
areas
had identified precursor
examples of the
same
weaknesses
which led to escalated
enforcement
action.
A third example
involved problems found in the security area that went unresolved until
the issues
were highlighted by an
NRC enforcement
conference.
In a
similar fashion,
Palo Verde has not always reacted appropriately in
response
to industry experience.
One clear example involved the loss of
power event at Unit 3 due to a mobile crane striking a power line.
A
second example,
which occurred after the end of the assessment
period,
appears to be the failure of a reactor trip breaker at Unit 3 in a
fashion that had occurred elsewhere
previously.
To improve in this
area, all levels of management
must assess
specific audit findings and
industry experience
from a broad perspective,
and take meaningful action
to address
the broader issues.
In the Maintenance/Surveillance
area,
the issue of work control
was
specifically identified as warranting management
attention.
This
concern
was underscored
by the Unit 2 refueling event,
wherein contrac-
tors started to remove all of the control element
assemblies
from the
reactor
core without APS oversight
and in violation of your procedures.
.The Unit 3 event,
where lack of control over crane operations
caused
a
partial loss of offsite power,
was
a second
example.
In the Plant Operations
area,
the Board found that overall operator
perfonnance
continued to be generally good.
Nonetheless,
the
Board
recennended
that operator coamunications,
and
command
and control
practices
receive increased
attention.
In both the simulator and in the
control room, instances
have been
observed indicating weaknesses
in this
area.
Me recoaeend
that you formulate clear expectations
concerning
these practices,
so that management direction and feedback to the
operators is consistent.
In several functional areas it was apparent that management. expectations
regarding work planning/control,
communications,
and procedural
adherence
were
not effectively communicated to or adopted at all levels of the
PVNGS organi-
zation.
Ne recommend that management
work to assure that their expectations
are being effectively communicated vertically to the working levels.
An overview of this assessment
is provided in Section II of the enclosed
report.
Perceived
strengths
and weaknesses
and the
SALP Board's
recommenda-
tions. are discussed
in Section III, Performance Analysis.
, Since
mo functional area
was assessed
Category 3,
a written response
to the
enclosed initial report is not required.
However, you may submit comments to
the enclosed
SALP report, if desired,
within 30 days of the Hay 7,
1992,
meeting.
In accordance
with Section 2.790 of the. NRC's Rules of Practice,
Part 2, Title
10,
Code of federal Regulations,
a copy of this letter, the enclosed
report,
and your response will be placed in the NRC's Public Document
Room.
0
Arizona Public Service
Co.
APR
9
1992
~
~
~
~
Should you have
any questions
concerning the
SALP report,
we will be pleased
to discuss
them with you.=
Sincerely,
o
o
r ln
Regional Admin'or
Enclosure:
SALP Report No. 50-528/92-07,
529/92-07,
530/92-07
cc w/enclosure:
Mr. 0. Mark DeMichele,
Mr. James
M. Levine,
Mr. E. C. Simpson,
Mr. S. Guthrie,
Hr. Thomas
R. Bradish,
Mr. Robert
M. Page,
Mr. Arthur C. Gehr,
Esq.,
Snell
5 Milmer
Mr. Al Gutterman,
Newman
8 Holtzinger P.
C.
Mr. Charles
R. Kocher, Esq., Assistant Council,
SCE Company
Mr. James
A. Boeletto,
Esq., Assistant Council,
SCE Company
Mr. Charles
B. Brinkman, Combustion Engineering,
Inc.
Mr. Milliam A. Mright, Interim Acting Director
Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency
Chairman, Naricopa County Board of Supervisors
Mr. John.
M. Norman, Chief, Arizona Corporation
Commission
Institute for Nuclear
Power Operations
(INPO)
Arizona Publ ic Servi ce Co.
-3-
bcc w/enclosure:
The Chairman
Commissioner
Rogers
Commissioner Curtiss
Commissioner
Remick
Commissioner
de Planque
J. Taylor,
J. Sniezek,
T. Hurley,
J. Partlow,
H. Virgilio, NRR
B. Boger,
P.
Ray,, NRR
R. Heyer,
OEDO
J.
Lieberman,
C. Trammell,
K. Thompson,
T. quay,
C. Holden,
J. Hartin
B. Faulkenberry
R.
Zimmerman
Project Inspector
Resident
Inspector
G.
Cook
SALP Board Hembers
LPDR
Docket File
bcc
w/I'o enclosure:
J. Zollicoffer
H. Smith
J.
Bianchi
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