ML18102A819
| ML18102A819 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Salem, Hope Creek  |
| Issue date: | 01/27/1997 |
| From: | Thompson H NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Ferland E Public Service Enterprise Group |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9702100494 | |
| Download: ML18102A819 (7) | |
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UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Mr. E. James Ferland Chief Executive Officer Public Service Electric and Gas Company 80 Park Plaza Newark, NJ 07101
Dear Mr. Ferland:
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555--0001 January 27, 1997 On January 14, 15, and 17, 1997, NRC senior managers met to evaluate the nuclear safety performance of operat1ng reactors, fuel facilities, and other materials licensees. The NRC conducts this meeting semiannually to determine if the safety performance of various licensees exhibits sufficient weaknesses to warrant increased NRC attention. At the January 1997 Senior Management Meeting (SMM), the Salem and Hope Creek Generating Stations were d1scussed.
In our letter of January 29, 1996, James M. Taylor, the former NRC Executive Director for Operations, advised you that at the January 17-18, 1996 SMM, NRC senior managers concluded that recent trends in performance at Hope Creek raised sufficient concerns that we believed it would be appropriate to meet with you to discuss these concerns.
In that letter we also stated that resolution of our performance concerns at Salem remained to be demonstrated through sustained and reliable operations.
At the January 1997, SMM the discussion regarding Hope Creek considered the additional insights gained from our monitoring of plant performance since the January 1996 SMM.
Based on these discussions it was concluded that the corrective actions you are taking have been effective in addressing our concerns regarding adverse trends in performance at Hope Creek. A summary of NRC discussions related to Hope Creek follows:
Steps taken by management to address both human performance and equipment issues over the past year have resulted in an overall improvement in plant operations.
Management has consistently exhibited a conservative approach to decision making.
Progress has been made in communicating higher standards and lowering significantly the threshold for identification of tfo problems.
Numerous staffing changes and an extensive training and requalification initiative have led to improved control of plant activities by operators. This is significant since the negative trend f'C-tJ\\.
discussed in the January 1996 SMM was most notably evidenced by several 1_.>) v significant events where operators failed to properly control plant evolutions. Overall personnel error rates have declined significantly.
The station is well along in addressing previously identified problems with technical specification and surveillance procedure discrepancies.
Overall material condition of the plant is good as illustrated by
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improved plant operating performance. This improvement stemmed, to a large degree, from work accomplished during an extended outage completed in early 1996.
Maintenance and engineering backlogs are well understood and prioritized but they constitute a continuing challenge to the station. Continuing attention is also needed to improve operator staffing levels which were reduced somewhat during the station's operator requalification initiative.
The senior managers also discussed the Salem facility.
As described in more detail in the following paragraphs, Salem was designated as a Category 2 plant, not due to any performance problems or decline during this evaluation period, but due to a change in senior management judgement as described in the fourth paragraph below. A summary of NRC discussions related to Salem follows:
Both Units 1 and 2 were shut down to address significant equipment and human performance problems in mid-1995.
An NRC Confirmatory Action Letter issued at that time established actions required before restart of the Units.
A strong management team has been assembled by PSE&G; it has been in place for most of the outage. A much lower problem reporting threshold has been established and management has been aggressive in addressing root causes.
Significant staffing changes have been made.
Operations and maintenance staffs have completed extensive training and requalification programs to both reinforce fundamental skills and establish higher safety standards. Steps have been taken to strengthen station self assessment, corrective action and work control processes.
As a result, the number and significance of personnel errors have declined. Operators have demonstrated improved ownership of the plant and conservative decision making.
The outage scope has been extensive.
Numerous plant components have been refurbished or replaced with more reliable equipment in both safety-related and balance-of-plant systems. Operator work-arounds are being addressed. A comprehensive, pre-startup test program is underway to assure repair work has been effective. Engineering organizations are providing stronger support on equipment and design issues as evidenced by completion of a recent licensing basis conformance review.
The senior managers thoroughly discussed current activities at Salem and the basis for past SMM decisions.
The conclusion was that the scope and depth of the problems that existed at Salem prior to the dual unit shutdown warranted categorizing it as a Category 2 facility indicating need for increased NRC attention. Past decisions regarding Salem's status were influenced by current licensee management's recognition of problems and efforts being made to address them.
As a practical matter, given the extent of these problems and the scope of activities, the agency increased its attention to Salem and applied resources commensurate with a plant in a Category 2, status.
As a consequence,
E. James Ferland 3
senior managers reviewed Salem performance using the Category 2 plant removal matrix.
The managers concluded, notwithstanding the significant steps being taken and results achieved to date, Salem would not be removed from Category 2 status if it had previously been categorized as such. A key consideration in the removal matrix is assessment of plant and integrated station performance at power which has yet to occur.
In summary, the decision was made to recognize that Salem should have been placed on the watch list previously and that it would not have been removed at this point.
As such, Salem is being classified as a Category 2 facility at this time. This classification is not intended to suggest that licensee actions underway at Salem to achieve needed improvements are incorrectly targeted.
NRC is satisfied with the overall approach and will be monitoring closely the progress to achieve the planned improvements.
An NRC Commission meeting, open to the public, has been scheduled to be held in the Commissioners' Conference Room in Rockville, Maryland, on January 29, 1997, at 10:00 a.m. to review the results of the latest meeting of NRC senior managers. Mr. Hubert Miller, the Region I Regional Administrator, has discussed the bases for our conclusions with regard to Hope Creek and Salem with members of your staff.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, do not hesitate to call me.
Docket Nos.:
50-272 50-311 50-354 cc:
See next page DISTRIBUTION:
See attached page Sincerely, Original signed bY~
Hugh L. Thompson, Jr.
Acting Executive Director for Operations DOCUMENT NAME:
SALHC197.LTR OFFICE NAME DATE Olt
E. James Ferland 3
to date, Salem would not be removed from Category status if it had previously been categorized as such.
deration in the removal matrix is assessment of plant and tion performance at power which has yet to occur.
In summary, the decision was made to recogn e that Salem should have been placed on the watch list previously ad that it would not have been removed at this point.
As such, Salem is being classified as a Category 2 facility at this time.
This classifi tion is not intended to suggest that licensee actions underway at saze to achieve needed improvements are incorrectly targeted.
An NRC Commission meeting, open to the pu. ic, has been scheduled to be held in the Commissioners' Conference Room in ockville, Maryland, on January 29, 1997, at 10:00 a.m. to review the resul of the latest meeting of NRC senior managers. Mr. Hubert Miller, the Regio I Regional Administrator, has discussed the bases for our conclusio with regard to Hope Creek and Salem with members of your staff.
If you have any questions regarding Docket Nos.:
50-272 50-311 50-354 cc:
See next page DISTRIBUTION:
See a~ached page DOCUMENT NAME:
SALHC197.~R OFFICE Reg Admin:RI NAME HJMiller DATE 01/
/97 do not hesitate to call me.
Hugh L. Thompson, Jr.
Acting Executive Director for Operations EDO HLThompson 01/
/97
- Mr: E. James Ferland Public Service Electric & Gas Company cc:
Mark J. Wetterhahn, Esquire Winston & Strawn 1400 L Street NW Washington, DC 20005-3502 Richard Fryling, Jr., Esquire Law Department - Tower SE 80 Park Place Newark, NJ 07101 Mr. D. F. Garchow General Manager - Salem Operations Salem Generating Station P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. Louis Storz Sr. Vice President - Nuclear Operations Nuclear Department P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038 Mr. Charles S. Marschall, Senior Resident Inspector Salem Generating Station U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Drawer 0509 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Dr. Jill Lipoti, Asst. Director Radiation Protection Programs NJ Department of Environmental Protection and Energy CN 415 Trenton, NJ 08625-0415 Maryland Office of People's Counsel 6 St. Paul Street, 21st Floor Suite 2102 Baltimore, Maryland 21202 Ms. R. A. Kankus Joint Owner Affairs PECO Energy Company 965 Chesterbrook Blvd., 63C-5 Wayne, PA 19087 Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1 and 2 Hope Creek Generating Station Richard Hartung Electric Service Evaluation Board of Regulatory Commissioners 2 Gateway Center, Tenth Floor Newark, NJ 07102 Regional Administrator, Region I U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 Lower Alloways Creek Township c/o Mary 0. Henderson, Clerk Municipal Building, P.O. Box 157 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. David R. Powell, Manager Licensing and Regulation Nuclear Business Unit P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, NJ 08038 Mr. David Wersan Assistant Consumer Advocate Office of Consumer Advocate 1425 Strawberry Square Harrisburg, PA 17120 P. M. Goetz MGR. Joint Generation Atlantic Energy 6801 Black Horse Pike Egg Harbor Twp., NJ 08234-4130 Carl D. Schaefer External Operations - Nuclear Delmarva Power & Light Company P.O. Box 231 Wilmington, DE 19899 Public Service Commission of Maryland Engineering Division Chief Engineer 6 St. Paul Centre Baltimore, MD 21202-6806
- Mr: Elbert Simpson Senior Vice President - Nuclear Engineering Nuclear Department
- P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038 Ms. P. J. Curham MGR. Joint Generation Department Atlantic Electric Company Post Office Box 1500 6801 Black Horse Pike Pleasantville, New Jersey 08232 Hope Creek Resident Inspector U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Drawer 0509 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038 Mr. M. E. Reddemann General Manager - Hope Creek Operations Hope Creek Generating Station P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038
DISTRIB~TION: for let. to E. James Ferland (SALEM a.HOPE CREEK)
Central Files
'Pu6lic Document Room EDD R.F., 0-17 G21 PIPB R.F., 0-12 E4 SECY, 0-16 GlS OPA, 0-2 GS OCA, 0-17 F2 ELJordan, 0-17 G21 VMcCree, 0-17 G21 Jlieberman, 0-7 HS DLMorrison, T-10 Fl2 DFRoss, T-4 Dl8 BWSheron, 0-12 Gl8 RPZimmerman, 0-12 Gl8 FPGillespie, 0-12 Gl8 RWBorchardt, 0-12 E4 MRJohnson, 0-12 E4 PICastleman, 0-12 E4 RWCooper, RI SAVarga, 0-14 E4 JAZwolinski, 0-14 H3 JCStolz, 0-14 E21 DHJaffe, 0-14 E21 LNOlshan, 0-14 E21