ML18089A168
| ML18089A168 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem  |
| Issue date: | 04/07/1983 |
| From: | Markey E HOUSE OF REP., INTERIOR & INSULAR AFFAIRS |
| To: | Palladino N NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18089A167 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8306060392 | |
| Download: ML18089A168 (3) | |
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C_OMMIITEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRSSENr/>.llWS WASHINGTON. D.C. 20Slli Si AN'.!\\' SCQ\\111.LE
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Honorable Nunzio J. Palladino
- Chairman, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1717 H Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
20555
Dear Mr. Cha:
l.rm.an:
Follo'W'ing the March 25 Energy and Environmen.t Subcommittee hearing on the anticipated transient ~ithout scram events at Salem, it has come to my attention that in recent years there have been other reactor trip breaker failures *. These events were less serious because they were in response to testing and not actual transients.
However, I am very concerned that a number of these incidents were not previously reported to the NRC.
Informa.tion that you have supplied to me indicates that unreported incidents have cc.curred at Arkansas Unit l,. McGui'r-e Unit**2, San Onofre.Units 2 and 3, Calvert Cliffs Units t and 2, Three Mile I-sl and Unit l, and Oconee Unit 3.
I am aware that some of these incidents may have occur~ed prior to the licensee receiving an operating license.
Obviously, the Licensee Event Report (LER) system is only as good as the information provided by utilities.
The LER system cannot do its job of analyzing operational data and preventing accidents bas~d on precursor.information unless the NRC is provided with accurate data in a timely fashion.
The failure of several utilities to report breaker failure incidents. that: took. -[.>'lace before the Salem mishaps is especially troubling..... si:nce. the NRC *has. *concluded that the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island *Unit 2 could have been averted had its precursors
.b~en properly. identified.
I have also noted that changes in the LER system and its reporting requirements is one of the TMI "lessons learnea** thzi. t has suffered delay.
So that l can better understand this issue, please answer the following questions:
l.*
Please provide a list of breaker failures not previously re?orted to the NRC.
,r-ea:uov.6~07 6~03~9~2;;:--::a=-=3=0-5-16--~
- * *PDR COMMS NRCC.
CORR:E~PONDENCE PDR..
I' Honc*:~ble Nunzio J. Pa~dino
' A!>ril 7, 1983 Pag-e Two
- 2.
Is it possible that there have been additional reactor trip b~eaker failures not reported to the NRC than those identified in response to question*l?
- 3.
Specify what, if any, reporting requirements applied to the repqrting of the incidents identified in response quastion 1 at the respective sites where.they occurred
{taking into account when they.took place).
- 4.
Does the NRC believe that its reporting requi~ements were violated by the failure to report any of* these incidents? Is any enforcement action being contemplated?
- 5.
Docs ¢e NRC believe that the history -of test failures calls into question either the reliability of the 25 cycle pre-startup testing or the reliability of this component?~
Additionally, I would like to call the Commission's attention to the response of Southern California Edison to NRC's* IE Bulletin_
Number S3-0l:
Failure of Reactor Trip Breakers (Westinghouse DB-50) to Open on Automatic Trip Signal.
A March 8, 19B3 letter from Mr.
Robert Dietch to Mr. R. H. Engelken, NRC's Regional Acii""ninist:rator, states that "San Onofre Units 2 and 3 are not affected by IE Bulletin_
83-01." However, another letter from the utility dated March 22, 1983 acknowledges that reactor_trip breaker failures occurred during testing on Ma1-*ch l and March 8.
I can only conclude from this that the utility..
wus less than forthcoming in its March 8 letter to the NRC or that itsr management was not informed.
While it is true that San Onofre Units 2
- and 3 use a General Electric breaker and NRC 1 s bulletin focused on Westi.ngho.use breakers, I cannot help but think that the utility should
- hu.ve volunteered th.is in formation.
Instead, the utility initially issued a misleading statement.
'\\*1hen the NRC found out about the breaker failures on March 10 (according to PNO-V-83-11) it issued another IE Bulletin (33-04).
In advance, thank y~u for your attention to this matter.
EJM:rau Sincerely, J.
- Chairman, oversight
~-,---
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY NOTE FOR:
FROM:
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY-COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 Document Control Desk Correspondence & Records Branch Th~ enclosed document{s) are to be entered into the DCS.
An advanced has been sent to the Public Document Room.
-I