ML19326A446
| ML19326A446 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Davis Besse  |
| Issue date: | 07/25/1975 |
| From: | Gossick L NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Murphy G CONGRESS (JOINT & ROTATING COMMITTEES, ETC.) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19326A444 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8002040603 | |
| Download: ML19326A446 (5) | |
See also: IR 05000346/1975009
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Mr. George F. Purphy, Jr.
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Executive Director
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Joint Comittee on Atomic Energy
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Congress of the United States
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Dear Mr. Murphy:
This is in reply to your letter of July 25, 1975, to the Chairman
requesting a full report on the resarks entered in the July 15, 1975,
Con?,ressional Record by Congressman Motti of Ohio.
The ?GC staff identified six =atters in the renarks made by the
Congressman which they believe should be addressed.
- ~he six ara
listed belov in their order of appearance in the Congressional
accord.
"
1.
. . . nearly half of the vital safeguard systee.s at the
Davis-Besse nuclear power plant were recently found to
be defective."
2.
" ... the probability of an accident is c:tremely re ote.
Obviously, this statement depends upon a 100 percent
efficient operation of the nucient pcuer plant's safety-
related equipment."
3.
"Only a few weeks ago, workers at the nucicar power plant
at Lusby, I'.aryland, vere expose.1 to dangerons radiation
af ter a reactor coolant pump malfunctioned.
4.
"~ne short history of our operation of nuclear power
stations has been replete with malfunctions of the safaty-
related aystems. Luckily, the public has not yet been
subjected to a catastrophic accident."
5.
"It must be stressed that a large nuclear reactor accumu-
lates an enormons amotat of dangerous and highly toxic
materi.?.ls during normal operation, roughly 1-1/2 tons of
such =aterial, nearly one-fifth of which is gaseous or
volatile. The detonation of the nuclear weapon over
Iliroshima produced only about two pounds of these sacerials."
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George F. Nurphy, Jr.
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6.
"I wish . . . to urge more stringent inspections of this
theprojectedPerrynuclearcomplexandallnuclear\\
plant,
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power plants under construction."
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The staff has prepared a response to each of Congressman F.otti's
concerns and each is included as a separate enclosure to this letter.
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Both the newspaper article by Mr. Thomas J. Quinn and the editorial
which Congressman Motti read into the Congressional Record _have to
do with the electrical problems NEC inspectors recently discovered
at the Davis-Eesse Nuclear Power Station. These electrical problems
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are fully described in Enclosure 1.
I trust this will be responsive to your needs.
Sincerely,
($ignsO t.te V. Gossd
Lee 7. Cossick
I?xecutive Director for
Operations
Enclosures (6):
1.
Response to statement concerning
elacerical proble=s at Davis-
Besse with 5 attachnents
2.
Response to statement concerning
necessity for 100% efficient
operation of safety-related
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equipment
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3.
Response to statement concerning
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event at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear
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Station with 3 attacbrents
4.
Response to statacant concerning
malfunctions of safety-related
systers
5.
Response to statenent comparing the
amounts of radioactive materials
in a reactor and an atomic bomb
6.
Response to request for more
stringent inspections at nuclear
power plants
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George F. Murphy, Jr.
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bistribution
w/o incoming - w/ enclosures - w/o attach:nents (w/att 3 to'enci 3)
L. V. Gossich, EDO
W. J. Dircks, EDO
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L. H. Underwood, IE
CCA (3) (w/1 cy of attachments)
SICY (3) (76-0143) (w/1 cy of attachments)
w/inco:1ing and enclosures w/o attachments (w/att 3 to enci 3)
D. F. Knuth, IE
3. C. Rusche, liRR
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3. B. Minogue, SD
W. G. i'cDonald, MIPC
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IE Region III
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w/inconing and enclosures w/actachments
IE Files (50-346) (50-317)
CGatral Files (30-346) (50-317)
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Enclosure 1
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Response to Congressman Mott1's statement that " ... nearly half of
the vital safeguard systems at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant
were recently found to be defective" and to the quoted newspaper
article and editorial concerning recen1 electrical problems found by
the NRC at Davis-Besse, Unit 1.
Congressman Mott1's statement that " ... nearly half of the vital safe-
guard systems at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant were recently
found to be defective" would have been = ore precise if it stated that
" ... nearly half of the electrical control and power cable installations
for vital safeguard systems examined by NRC inspectors at the Davis-Besee
nuclear power plant were recently found to be defective."
sampled 51 out of about/?fScable installations.
The NRC inspectors
On May 19-22, 1975, the Nuclear Regulatory Co= mission's Office of
,
Inspection and Enforcement, conducted an inspection of installed
safety-related electrical work at the Toledo Edison Company's Davis-
Besse Nuclear Power Station construction site.
In a sample of 51
cables examined, NRC inspectors found one or = ore installation
defici6ncies with 24 of the cables.
These installatica problems
included failure to meet separation and seismic criteria, improper
routing, inadequate testing, and damage to cable insulation.
Details
of the inspection and the findings are contained in IE Inspection
Report No. 50-346/75-09 (Attachment 1) and in the letter to Isledc
Edison Company dated August 1,1975 (Attachment 2) .
The problems found were indicative.of a failure in that portion of the
Company's quality assurance program which is intended to make certain
the safety-related conponents are installed in accordance with applicable
specifications and standards.
The pri=ary cause of the problem was
attributed by the NRC Regional inspection staff to Tcledo Edison's
overreliance on its contractors and subcontractors for quality ascurance
inspection without providing an adequate check on the activities.
After discussions with NRC's Region III (Chicago, Illinois) staff,
Toledo Edison agreed to reinspect all previously installed safety-
related wiring beginning in early June (Attachment 3).
The problems
were also discussed in a top management meeting in June between NRC
representatives and utility officials.
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An investigation was conducted by NRC on June,8I 1975, af ter a fermer '
employee of the electrical subcontractor made allegations about the
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electrical installations at the plant.
The allegations, which were
generally verified, were similar to the problems identified in the
earlier NRC inspection. Details of the allegations, the investigation,
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and'the findings are contained in the letter to Toledo Edison Company
dated August 5,1975 (Attachment 4), and in Investigation Report
No. 50-346/75-10 (Attachment 5).
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The Toledo Edison Company has taken steps to augment its own quality
assurance program. The number of Toledo Edison quality assurance inspectors
has been increased from seven to eleven, and the utility has asked all
construction workers to notify it directly of any construction problems
or deficiencies noticed.
The reinspection and corrective action co=mitments are judged to be
appropriate to deal with the problems encountered. Any deficiencies
identified by either Toledo Edison personnel or the NRC will have to be
corrected before the NRC will license the plant to begin operation.
NRC inspectors are monitoring the licensee's electrical reinspection
effort and they (NRC inspectors) will perform additional inspections
of the electrical work. Because of the quality assurance problems
encountered at the plant site, NRC has intensified its inspection
effort. Additional NRC inspections of safety-related construction work
are being scheduled.
In late July one such inspection was made of
safety-related piping. Utilising the same inspection technique that
was used in the wiring inspection - checking a representative sample
of the systems frca beginning to end - the URC inspection team did not
find any significant deficiencies in the piping work.
We believe the problems identified at the Davis-Besse facility are
being dealt with effectively.
Actachments:
1.
IE Inspection Report
No. 50-346/75-09
2.
Letter to Toledo Edison Company
from John G. Davis, dtd 8/1/75
3.
l= mediate Action Letter
to Toledo Edison Company
from James G. Keppler, dtd 5/30/75
4.
Letter to Toledo Edison Company
from D. M. Hunnicutt, dtd 8/5/75
5.
IE Investigation Report
No. 50-346/75-10
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