ML18040A159
| ML18040A159 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Nine Mile Point  |
| Issue date: | 03/14/1995 |
| From: | Martin T NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Sylvia B NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER CORP. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML17059A743 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9503270030 | |
| Download: ML18040A159 (10) | |
Text
March 14, 1995 Mr. B. Ralph Sylvia Executive Vice President Nuclear Niagara Mohawk Power.Corporation Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station P.O.
Box 63
- Lycoming, New York 13093
SUBJECT:
Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP) Report Nos. 50-220/93-99 and 50-410/93-99
Dear Mr. Sylvia:
This letter forwards the Nine Mile Point, Units 1 and 2, SALP report for the period August 15, 1993, to January 28, 1995.
This SALP was conducted under the revised SALP process that was implemented by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on July 19, 1993.
The revised SALP process rates licensees in four functional areas:
Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and Plant Support.
The Plant Support area includes:
Radiological Controls, Security, Emergency Preparedness, Fire Protection, Chemistry, and Housekeeping Controls.
Overall, the NRC continued to see good performance at Nine Mile Point.
Operators responded appropriately, with good command and control, to the plant trips and operational transients which occurred during this period.
Management demonstrated a proactive and proper safety perspective and exhibited good oversight, control, involvement in and support of plant activities.
Worthy of particular note was the safety focus demonstrated by management's decision to perform a partial inspection of the Unit 2 reactor vessel core shroud and the response to the Part 21 report on master power connecting rods for the diesel generators.
Improved program performance and effectiveness were demonstrated in Operations.
In most cases, problem identification and resolution of safety issues were timely and effective.
During the latter portion of the assessment
- period, NRC noted improved performance in the identification of strengths and opportunities for improvement by your self-assessments, quality assurance and quality control programs and Independent Safety Engineering Group (for Unit 2).
Notwithstanding the performance strengths and improvements noted
- above, the NRC is concerned with the continuing adverse impact of personnel errors on plant operation.
While no department was immune to personnel
- errors, Maintenance was the most notable source.
Peer evaluation and self-checking were not always effective in preventing personnel
- errors, and the Stop-Think-Ask-Act-Review (STAAR) principle was not well implemented at the individual worker level.
This adverse trend in personnel errors is reinforced by significant operating events which occurred immediately after the close of the assessment period; specifically, the recirculation pump runback at Unit 1 and the recirculation pump trip at Unit 2.
These events were caused by personnel errors in several disciplines.
This demonstrates that the problems with personnel performance in the various functional areas noted during the assessment period have continued beyond the end of the period.
9503270030 9S0314 PDR ADOCK 05000220 6
PDR OFFICIAL RECORD COPY IE:40
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B. Ralph Sylvia We noted improved performance in Operations, and this area was rated Category l.
Operations personnel continued their strong performance in responding to plant events.
Strengths noted included an excellent questioning attitude in challenging situations that had previously been accepted as routine occurrences.
Increased attentiveness and knowledge of system interactions on the part of Operations personnel is an improvement of a weakness identified in the last SALP.
f Maintenance was again rated Category 2.
A weakness noted in the last SALP related to post-maintenance testing was resolved.
While a generally good program for conducting maintenance was noted, recurring problems of inattention to detail, assessment of plant impact of maintenance activities and nonadherence to procedures detracted from overall performance.
Many of the plant transients that operator s responded to resulted from personnel errors related to maintenance.
Engineering performance was rated Category 2.
Management provided strong oversight of engineering activities.
While the quality of most engineering work was very good, there were a number of significant lapses, some of which involved the lack of timely resolution of longstanding plant problems.
Weaknesses were also noted in completeness of license exemption requests and in timeliness of license amendment requests.
Plant Support was again rated Category 2.
While excellent performance in ALARA was observed, continued problems with locked high radiation area access and compliance with radiation work permits were noted.
In addition, although the emergency preparedness program was assessed as good, deficiencies with dose projection and protective action recommendations were noted during the emergency exercise.
While performance in security remained
- good, problems with visitor control continued, and deficiencies were also noted in your conduct of contingency drills and protection of safeguards information.
We have scheduled a management meeting with you, open for public observation, at ll:00 am on March 24, 1995, at the Nine Mile Point Training Center.
At the
- meeting, you should be prepared to discuss our assessment and any initiatives you plan to take to address the weaknesses detailed in our evaluation.
We appreciate your cooperation.
Sincerely, William F. Kane/for Docket Nos.:
50-220 50-410 Thomas T. Martin Regional Administrator
Enclosure:
Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP) Report Nos. 50-220/93-99 and 50-410/93-99.
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B. Ralph Sylvia cc w/encl:
L. Storz, Vice President Nuclear Generation C. Terry, Vice President Nuclear Engineering M. McCormick, Vice President, Safety Assessment
& Support R. Abbott, Unit I Plant Manager K. Dahlberg, Unit 2 Plant Manager D. Wolniak, Manager, Licensing (Acting)
J.
- Warden, New York Consumer Protection Branch G. Wilson, Senior Attorney M. Wetterhahn, Winston and Strawn
- Director, Energy
& Water Division, Department of Public Service, State of New York C. Donaldson, Esquire, Assistant Attorney General, New York Department of Law The Chairman Commissioner Rogers Commissioner de Planque Institute for Nuclear Power Operations (INPO)
D. Screnci, PAO (27)
State of New York, SLO Designee
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B. Ralph Sylvia Distribution w/encl:
Region I Docket Room (with concurrences)
J. Taylor, OEDO J. Milhoan, DEDO SALP Program Manager, NRR/ILPB (2)
Distribution w/encl:
(VIA E-MAIL)
W. Dean, OEDO (WMD)
B. Norris Nine Mile Point L. Marsh, NRR D. Brinkman, NRR M. Campion, RI Inspection Program Branch, NRR (IPAS)
W. Russell, NRR R. Zimmerman, NRR J.
Lieberman, OE C. Holden, NRR/RPEB A. Thadani, NRR
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Nr. B. Ralph Sylvia DOCUMENT NAME:
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