ML18038B715

Valley Authority

ATTN:

Hr,. Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr.

President,

TVA Nuclear

and

Chief Nuclear Officer

6A Lookout Place

1101 Harket Street

Chattanooga,

TN

37402-2801

SUBJECT:

NRC

INSPECTION

REPORT

NOS. 50-259/96-05,

50-260/96-05,

AND

50-296/96-05

AND NOTICE OF VIOLATION

This refers to the inspection

conducted

on April 28 - June 8,

1996, at the

Browns Ferry facility.

The purpose of the inspection

was to determine

whether

activities authorized

by the license

were conducted safely and in accordance

with NRC requirements.

At the conclusion of the inspection,

the findings were

discussed

with those

members of your staff identified in the enclosed report.

Areas

examined during the inspection

are identified in the report.

Mithin

these

areas,

the inspection consisted of selective

examinations of procedures

and representative

records,

interviews with personnel,

and observation. of

activities in progress.

Based

on the results of this inspection,

the

NRC has determined that

a

violation of NRC requirements

occurred.

The violation is cited in the

enclosed

Notice of Violation (Notice)

and the circumstances

surrounding it are

described

in detail in the subject inspection report.

You are. required to respond. to this letter and should follow the instructions

specified in the enclosed

Notice when preparing your response.

In your

response,

you should document the specific actions

taken

and

any additional

actions you plan to prevent recurrence.

Your response

may reference

or

include previous docketed

correspondence, if the correspondence

adequately

addresses

the required response.

After reviewing your response

to this

Notice, including your proposed corrective actions

and the results of future

inspections,

the

NRC will determine whether further

NRC enforcement

action is

necessary

to ensure

compliance with the

NRC regulatory requirements.

.Additionally, on the results of this inspection,

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 apparent

violations involve the failure of, the Unit 2 Reactor

Core Isolation Cooling

(RCIC) System to operate

in response

to a Hay 10,

1996,

feedwater transient

and subsequent

reactor

scram.

Accordingly,

no Notice of Violation is

presently

being issued for these

inspection findings.

In addition,

please

be

advised that the number

and characterization

of apparent violations described

in the enclosed

inspection report

may change

as

a result of further

NRC

review.

9607030386

960619

PDR

ADOCK 05000259

6

PDR

4~

p

0

TVA

A predecisional

enforcement

conference

to discuss

these

apparent violations

has

been

scheduled for July ll, 1996.

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 violation sooner,

corrective actions,

significance of the issues

and the need for lasting

and

effective corrective action.

In particular,

we expect you to address

an

apparent

design modification program weakness

which resulted in ineffective..

evaluation of differences

in RCIC System response

to the

new turbine exhaust

check valve,

and the extent of condition of apparent failures to implement

Inservice Test

Program procedural

requirements

following component

modifications.

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

appl.ication .of the factors that the

NRC considers

when it determines

the

amount of a civil penalty that may be assessed

i'n 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 these

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, its enclosures,

and your response will be placed in the

NRC

Public Document

Room (PDR).

To the extent possible,

your response

should not

include any personal

privacy, proprietary,

or safeguards

information so that

it can

be placed in the

PDR without redaction.

The responses

directed

by this letter and the enclosed

Notice are not subject

to the clearance

procedures

of the Office of Management

and Budget

as required

by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980,

Pub.

L. No.96-511.

Sincerely,

(Original signed

by J.

R. Johnson)

Docket Nos.

50-,259,

50-260,

and 50-296

License

Nos.

DPR-33,

DPR-52,

and

DPR-68

Enclosures:

1. Notice of Violation

2. 'NRC Inspection

Report

cc .w/encls:

(See

page 3)

Jon

R. Johnson,

Acting Director

Division of Reactor Projects

!k

~'

TVA

cc w/encls:

Mr. 0. J. Zeringue,

Senior Vice President

Nuclear Operations

Valley Authority,

6A Lookout Place

1101 Market Street

Chattanooga,

TN'7402-2801

Dr. Mark 0. Medford,'Vice Pres.

Technical

Services

Valley Authority

6A Lookout Place

1101 Market Street

Chattanooga,

TN

37402-2801

Mr. R.

R'.. Baron,

General

Manager

Nuclear Licensing

4G Blue Ridge

,1101 Market Street

Chattanooga,

TN

37402-2801

Hr. 'Pedro Salas

Site Licensing Manager

Browns 'Ferry, Nuclear Plant

Valley Authority

P. 0.

Box 2000

Decatur,,AL

35602

Hr.

R.

D., Hachon, Site Vice. President

Browns, Ferry 'Nuclear Plant

Valley Authority

P. 0; 'Box 2000

Decatur,

35602

TVA Representative

Valley Authority

One Massachusetts

Avenue

Suite 300

Washington,

DC

20001

General

Counsel

Valley Authority

ET 10H

400 West Summit Hill Drive

Knoxville,, TN

37902

Chairman

Limestone

County Commission

310 West Washington Street

Athens,

35611

State Health

Officer

AL Dept.,

of, Public Health

434 Monroe 'Street

Montgomery,

36130-1701

Distribution w/encls:

(See

page 4)

11

1

I

TVA

4

Distribution w encls:

J.

Lieberman,

OE

E.

W. Herschoff, RII

H. S. Lesser,

RII

B. Uryc, RII

F. J.

Hebdon,

J.

F. Williams,

G; T. HacDonald,

RII

C.

F. Smith, RII

G.

B. Kuzo, RII

D.

H. Thompson,

RII

J.

H. Hoorman, RII

D. M. Jones,

RII

PUBLIC

NRC Senior Resident

Inspector

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission

10833

Shaw

Road

Athens,

35611

Pf -c rCu s.

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G. T. NacDonald,

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G. S. Kuzo,

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D. H. Thompson, RII

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D,

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PUBLIC

NRC Senhor

ResT'dent

Inspector

U.S.

Nuc1ear

Regulatory

Coaelsshon

10833

Shaw Road

Athens,