ML19059A139
| ML19059A139 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/13/2019 |
| From: | Mary Anderson NRC/NRR/DIRS/IRGB |
| To: | |
| Anderson M, 415-7126, NRR/DIRS | |
| References | |
| Download: ML19059A139 (13) | |
Text
NRC Regulatory Information Conference Session W15 - Optimizing the Reactor Oversight Process Ho Nieh Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation March 13, 2019
Background
- The Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) enhancement initiative began in 2018 as part of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissions (NRCs) overall effort to transform and innovate agency activities.
- The agency received nearly 100 recommendations from internal and external stakeholders to improve the ROP.
- A multidisciplinary team was established to evaluate and disposition recommendations with extensive industry involvement.
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Goals for ROP Enhancement
- Better risk-inform the ROP, taking advantage of improved risk tools and industry initiatives.
- Improve performance-based aspects of the ROP considering the current nuclear landscape.
- Ensure proposed changes are consistent with the NRC Principles of Good Regulation.
3
Objectives for ROP Enhancement
- Focus resources on issues of higher safety significance; provide for more timely resolution of issues of relatively low safety significance.
- Enhance the Significance Determination Process through improved risk assessment.
- Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of ROP inspection programs.
- Improve communications between the NRC and industry oversight matters.
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Key Areas for Enhancement
- Optimize the regulatory response to White inspection findings.
- Identify and implement efficiencies for the ROP inspection program.
- Improve the process and tools to characterize the significance of inspection findings.
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Project Plan and Deliverables
- Assign thematic area leads and develop specific project plans.
- Establish the Regional Advisory Panel.
- Develop a Commission paper by June 2019 consistent with SRM/COMSECY-16-022.
- Continue ongoing improvement efforts beyond June 2019.
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Panelist Opening Remarks 7
SALP transformed into the ROP TMI-2 Industry SALP Scram SALP+SMM Watch-List Rate PPR+PIM IRAP ROP Treatment of Whites is Large Area of We put a lot of Gain in Efficiency resource and effort in the discussion around very low and low safety significance issues 99% 1.3% 0.12% 0.03%
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UCS Talking Points on Changing the ROP Edwin Lyman Acting Director, Nuclear Safety Project
- The ROP is a critical tool for ensuring
- Accurate and timely communication of nuclear plant safety issues to the public
- Appropriate and effective regulatory responses
- UCS opposes changes to the ROP that would
- Raise the bar for issuing greater-than-Green findings, therefore lowering the standards for good performance
- Diminish the regulatory treatment of greater-than-Green findings
- Changes that UCS opposes include
- Eliminating or diminishing the impact of White findings
- Combining Action Matrix columns 1 and 2, explicitly or implicitly
- Reducing baseline inspections for sustained column 1 performers
- Further weakening the force-on-force SDP
Reactor Oversight Process Enhancement Initiative
- ROP assessment performance over 20 years.
- Program improvement built into the ROP.
- Recent ROP change initiatives.
- ROP enhancement improvements align with the Principles of Good Regulation.
- Feedback from across the NRC in 8 thematic areas with strong Regional participation.
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Reactor Oversight Process Enhancement Initiative
- Inclusion of Regional Perspectives is an integral part of the Initiative
- Regional Advisor Panel: focus on efficiency and effectiveness of implementation of proposed changes
- Solicitation of Resident Inspector and Region based inspector insights on proposed changes
- Regional feedback used to shape the enhancement proposals 11
Panelist Session 12
Question and Answer Session 13