ML19321B098
| ML19321B098 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Wolf Creek  |
| Issue date: | 07/07/1980 |
| From: | Stello V NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| To: | Christy W AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19321B099 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8007250633 | |
| Download: ML19321B098 (6) | |
Text
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JUL 7 1980 IIuP2 Hs. Wanda Christy 515 N. 1st Street Burlington, Kansas 66839
Dear Ms. Christy:
This is in response to your letter dated September 4, 1979, to the Secretary of the Department of Energy regarding construction problems associated with the nuclear power plant being built by the Kansas Gas and Electric Company at the Wolf Creek site near Burlington, Kansas.
After the response to you dated October 2,1979 from the Department of Energy your letter was forwarded to the NRC for action.
One of your major concerns invnived the adequacy of the concrete in the base mat.
The enclosure to my letter to you dated July 18, 1979, contained specific information in support of the NRC's conclusion that the bast mat as completed and re-analyzed using the actual low result values of the 90-day test cylinders was adequate to meet the loading combinations and stress limits set forth for the Wolf Creek plant. Appendix E to my letter was very specific in how this determination was made.
With regard to your suggestion that "an investigation of the NRC concerning this particular problem, and particularly an investigation of Region IV in Arlington, Texas"'should be completed we want to provide the following informa-tion.
A similar request was made on July 30, 1979 by the Kansas State Building and Construction Trades Council of the Comptroller General of the United States (See Enclosure 1).
The General Accounting Office has completed its actions and a copy of the letter that was sent to the Trades Council is enclosed (Enclosure 2).
I also responded to the items that were contained in the Trades Council's letter.
My response is enclosed as Enclosure 3.
One of your other concerns related to Daniel International and their involvement in the construction of the plant.
Some clarifications are necessery on this issue.
Daniel International does not hold a construction permit issued by the NRC.
That permit is held by the utility, Kansas Gas and Electric Company.
Daniel International is under contract to the utility as the constructor of the Wolf Creek plant.
Regarding the quality assurance program there have been numerous inspections which included reviews of the licensee's quality assurance program conducted in the period from May of 1974 until the construction permit was issued in May of 1977.
Various nonconformances were found in the licensee's program as well as that of Daniel International by NRC inspectors.
All problems that the NRC were able to detect or anticipate were corrected prior to the NRC making a finding of an acceptable application for the construction permit.
The problems that have arisen in the area of quality assurance relate to the implementation of the program.
It is our opinion that your characterization that the unit is being built "through trial and error method" is incorrect.
80 07250633
Y.
Ms. Wanda Christy With regard to the items contained in the news article addressing the construc-tion activities at Wolf Creek, I wish to pro' vide the following information.
The reference material which was apparently used by Mr. Max McDowell consisted, at least in part, of IE Inspection Reports STN 50-482/79-04 through 79-09.
. addresses the ten separate subjects included in the article.
The uncertainty referred to regarding the acceptability of the base mat concrete has already been addressed.
Under the requirements of 10 CFR 2.206, a supplement to,the denial was sent to you and other petitioners in a letter dated January 31, 1980.
By action SECY-A-80-32 the Commission sustained the denial (See Enclosure 4).
It is our opinion that the quality assurance program at the Wolf Creek site is adequate to control the safety related construction which is being completed.
If you have further questions, please contact us.
Sincerely, b
Victor Stello, Jr.
Director Office of Inspection and Enforcement
Enclosures:
1.
Ltr. from Kansas State Building Trades Council (KSBTC) to Elmer Staats, 7/30/79 with ltr.
i of 8/8/79 to Chairman Hendrie.
2.
Ltr. to Mr. Thompson (KSBTC) from Dexter Peach, GAO, 10/13/79.
3.
Ltr. to Mr. Thompson (KSBTC) from Victor Stello, NRC 10/2/79.
4.
Memo from Chilk addressing action i
on SECY-A-80-32, dated 3/31/80 5.
Comments on McDowell article of 8/23/79 6.
Appendix A Distribution: w/ incoming & enclosures:
W. J. Dircks, EDO D. Thompson, IE PDR (50-482)
H. R. Denton, NRR H. D. Thornburg, IE LPDR (50-482)
H. K. Shapar, ELD G. W. Reinmuth, IE IE Files (50-482)
J. P. Murray, ELD K. V. Seyfrit, RIV Central Files J. Cook, MPA R. E. Shewmaker, IE EDO Reading V. Stello, IE L. N. Underwood, IE (EDO-7492)
R. C. DeYoung, IE (H11-002067-H06)
IE Reading SEE PREVIOUS YELLOW FOR CONCURRENCES s
WPU:SM RCI:IE RCI:IE RCI:IE ELD DD:
/
7/2/.80 REShewmaker GWReinmuth HDThornburg JPMurray R
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Ms. Wanda Christy.
With regard to the items contained in the news article ad. dressing the construc-tion activities at Wolf Creek I wish to provide.the following information.
The reference material which was apparently used by Mr. Max McDowell consisted, at least in part, of IE Inspection Reports STN 50-482/79-04 through 79-09.
yncloQpire 5 addresses the ten separate subjects included in the article. The uncertainty referred to regarding the acceptability of the base mat concrete has already been addressed.
In a separate letter sent to you and the other petitioners under the requirements of 10 CFR 2.206 a supplement to the denial was sent on January 1,1980.
By action SECY-A-80-32 the Commission sustained the denial (See Enclosure 4).
It is our opinion that the quality assurance program at the Wolf Creek site is adequate to control the safety-related construction which is being completed.
If you have further questions, please contact us.
Sincerely, Victor Stello, Jr.
Director Office of Inspection and Enforcement
Enclosures:
1.
Ltr. from Kansas State Building Trades Council (KSBTC) to Elmer Staats, 7/30/79 with ltr.
of 8/8/79 to Chairman Hendrie.
2.
Ltr. to Mr. Thompson (KSBTC) from Dexter Peach, GAO, 10/13/79.
3.
Ltr. to Mr. Thompson (KSBTC) from Victor Stello, NRC 10/2/79.
4.
Memo from Chilk addressing action on SECY-A-80-32, dated 3/31/80 5.
Comments on McDowell article of 8/23/79 6.
Appendix A Distribution: w/ incoming & enclosures:
W. J. Dircks, EDO-D. Thompson, IE PDR (50-482)
H. R. Denton, NRR H. D. Thornburg, IE LPDR (50-482)
H. K. Shapar, ELD G. W. Reinmuth, IE IE Files (50-482)-
J. P. Murray, ELD K. V. Seyfrit, RIV Central Files J. Cook, MPA R. E. Shewmeker, IE EDO Reading V. Stello, IE L. N. Underwood, IE (ED0-7492)
R. C. DeYoung, IE (H11-002067-H06)
IE Reading j
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UNfrED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE
.s i
3 WASHINGTON. D.C.
20548 0GT 131379
~ ~ ~ ~ = =
Er. Allen Thompson, President The Kansas State Building and Trades. Council 1231 Eugene St., P.O. Box 8129 Topeka, Kansas 66608
Dear Mr. Tho=pson:
Thank you for your July 30, 1979, letter which requested our office, to investigate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, particularily its action with regard to the acceptability of the concrete base mat at the Wolf Creek nuclear powerplant.
Your request has been referred to me for reply.
Since the Nuclear Regulatory Commission came into exist-ence in January 1975, the General Accounting Office has is-sued over 30 reports on various Commission programs and opera-tions.
Last year, for instance, we completed a comprehensive study of the Co==ission's inspection program for nuclear pow-erplants under construction in which we concluded that the Co=rission has no independent basis to judge the adequacy of
- construction activities.
We found that the Co==ission's in-spection program was primarily a records review--as opposed to direct inspection--and relied heavily on the integrity of the utilities and their contractors to build the clant and to idenrify and correct construction defects.
We re' commended th a t the Com ission expand its inspection activities both in terns of' canpower and the type of inspection performed.
A copy of that report is enclosed for your review.
~
In addition we have several reviews, either ongoing or planned, relating to Commission programs and activities.
We,
th e re f or e, welcome your request and will consider it during th e. cond u c t cf our audit activities.
As my staff has discussed with you, we have looked into the concrete base sat proble: at the Wolf Creek nuclear pow-erolant.
ne have talked with and reviewed the files of the Nu-
~
clear Regulatory Commission and have gorten the verbal perspec-tive of the proble= f rom represenratives of the Eechtel Power Corporatien, the Kansas Gas and Electric Company, and the U.S.
Corps of Engineers.
OCT 181979 o
Kansas Gas and Electric and its contractors have concluGed ~af ter further tests--that the concrete test cyl-inders are above the original 5000 pounds'per square inch (psi) requirement and have some evidence to support that assertion.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, however, has not accepted that~ evidence but has chosen to rely on the original cylinder tests which show that the concrete is 4460 psi instead of 5000 psi.
By.taking this conservative approach, the Commission staff does not believe it is necessary to--take core samples from the base mat, a procedure it feels might affect the in-
- tegrity of the mat.
Instead it has required Kansas Gas and Electric to reanalyze the powerplant design and determine if the base mat is still capable (with the lower strength con-crete) of meeting the powerplant seismic, loading, and other r equir emen ts.
Using what the Commission staf f and Bechtel Po' e'r Corporation described as standard analytical procedures, v
the reanalysis showed that the strength of the concrete was not a c.ritical f actor in the acceptability of the base mat at the Wol'f Cree k s ite.
It seems that the plant was designed to meet the seismic criteria for a number of sites and is well within the design parameters for the Wolf Creek site, even with the lower strength concrete.
I hope that this information will be of help to you and again express my thanks for your confidence in the work of the General Accounting Office.
~
Sincerely yours, c9'. S' @ 4. 0 6
J. Dexter Peach Director Enclosur.e
~
bc:
Mr. McCullough, EMD (w/o enclosure)
Mr. Howard, EMD (w/o enclosure)
Mr. Myslewicz, EMD (w/o enclosure)
' Control Clerk, EMD (MC-79-537, MC-79-513 w/o enclosure)
EATCHER/krr 10/10/79 s
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