ML20058E389
| ML20058E389 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png |
| Issue date: | 11/18/1993 |
| From: | Cooper R NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Reid D VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER CORP. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20058E391 | List: |
| References | |
| EA-93-279, NUDOCS 9312060301 | |
| Download: ML20058E389 (4) | |
See also: IR 05000271/1993029
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NOV 1 8 1993
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Docket No, 50-271
License No. DPR-28
Mr. Donald A. Reid
Vice President, Operations
Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation
RD 5, Box 169
Ferry Road
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Brattleboro, Vermont 05301
Dear Mr. Reid:
SUBJECT:
VERMONT YANKEE INSPECTION 93-29
TI'is refers to the special safety inspection conducted by Mr. P. Harris on November 8-10,1993,
at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station, Vernon, Vermont. The preliminary results were
discussed with Mr. R. Wanczyk on November 10. The purpose of this inspection was to assess
your evaluation and corrective action for three issues initially addressed in NRC Inspection
Report 50-271/93-21. Specifically, the topics important to public health and safety were: (1) the
safeguards class 1E electrical buses being in a degraded operability state because ofinsufficient
seismic attachments between the electrical switchgear and embedded floor channel; (2) the
alternate cooling tower subsystem of the service water system being inoperable because of the
accumulation of an excessive amount of silt in the cooling tower basin; and, (3) the core spray
system being inoperable because of undersized pump suction strainers located in the suppression
chamber.
This inspection consisted of a review of the information contained in Vermont Yankee Licensee
Event Report (LER) Nos.93-013,93-014 and 93-015, selective examinations of procedures and
representative records, and interviews with personnel. We acknowledge that your staff had
identified these issues, and that your investigations concluded certain proximate causes. These
causes included analyses based upon as-built estimates, lack of original construction drawings,
and inadequate preventive maintenance and surveillance. Your subsequent immediate actions
corrected the seismic anchorage de6ciencies of the electrical switchgear, cleaned the cooling
tower basin and replaced the core spray pump suction strainers prior to resumption of reactor
power operation after the recent refueling outage.
However, apparent violations of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B and of your Technical
Specifications occurred because of these relatively long-standing deficiencies. These findings
collectively suggest potentially more widespread problems with design basis documentation and
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weak industry experience reviews, particularly for events prior to 1991. Specifically, design
controls failed to assure that the safeguards electrical switchgear met the plant seismic design
basis; test controls failed to establish acceptance criteria and explicit corrective actions that
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Mr. Donald Reid
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assured the operability of the alternate cooling tower subsystem; and, design controls also failed
to assure that the core spray system met its design basis. The reactor had been operated with
these seismic deficiencies of electrical switchgear over the life of the plant. The alternate
cooling tower subsystem became inoperable sometime during reactor operations since the cooling
tower basin was last cleaned in the Spring of 1989. And, the core spray system would have
become inoperable because of the expected generation of fibrous debris resulting from a potential
loss-of-coolant accident (refer to NRC Generic Letter 85-22 and Bulletin 93-02) following
insulation replacement in 1986. We are also concerned about the depth and quality of your
LERs. Our independent review of your LER analyses of the safety signi6cance of these events
found these to be ofinsufficient detail, and your committed-to long-term currective actions were
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narrowly focused.
In accordance with the " General Statement of Policy and Procedure for NRC Enforcement
Actions" (Enforcement Policy),10 CFR Part 2, Appendix C (1992), an enforcement conference
to discuss the apparent violation (s) is scheduled for December 2,1993 in the NRC Region 1
Of6ce in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Since an enforcement conference will be held, no
Notice of Violation is presently being issued for this finding. The purposes of this conference
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are to discuss the causes and safety s'gnificance of the apparent violation (s), to review your
completed short-term actions and your proposed long-term corrective actions, to provide you the
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apportunity to point out any errors in our report. and to discuss any other information that will
help us determine the appropriate enforcement action in accordance with the Enforcement Policy.
In particular, we expect you to discuss: (1) the full impact on plant safety caused by these
deficiencies; (2) more definitive corrective actions you plan to take to address the programmatic
issues identined: (3) the schedule for completion of those actions; (4) your design control
process as it relates to assurance that the plant conforms to its design basis; and (5) the integrity
of the existing plant design basis in regard to changes made without verified plant data. No
response regarding the apparent violation (s)is required at this time.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and
its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room.
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Sincerely,
Richard W. Cooper, II, Director
Division of Reactor Projects
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Enclosure:
NRC Region i Inspection Report No. 50-271/93-29
0FFICIAL RECORD COPT
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Mr. Donald Reid
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cc w/ encl:
R. Wanczyk, Plant Manager
J. Thayer, Vice President, Yankee Atomic Electric Company
L. Tremblay, Senior Licensing Engineer, Yankee Atomic Electric Company
J. Gilroy, Director, Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Inc.
D. Tefft, Administrator, Bureau of Radiological Health, State of New Hampshire
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Chief, Safety Unit, Of6ce of the Attorney General, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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R. Gad, Esquire
G. Bisbee, Esquire
R. Sedano, Vermont De rtment of Public Service
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T. Rapone. Massack
- Executive Office of Public Safety
Public Document Rc..
(PDR)
Local Public Document Room (LPDR)
Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)
K. Abraham, PAO (2 copies)
NRC Resident Inspector
State of New Hampshire, SLO Designee
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State of Vermont, SLO Designee
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts, SLO Designee
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Mr. Donald Reid
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bec w/ encl:
Region I Docket Room (with concurrences)
E. Kelly, DRP
J. Shedlosky, DRP
M. Oprendek, DRP
bec w/enci (VIA F-MAIL):
V. McCree, OEDO
D. Dorman, NRR
W. Butler, NRR
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