ML20062C961

Provides Commission W/Update on Current Status of Tech Spec Improvement Program

ML20062C961
Person / Time
Issue date:	10/29/1990
From:	Taylor J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:
References
SECY-90-366, NUDOCS 9011050057
Download: ML20062C961 (4)

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f care POLICY ISSUE October 29, 1990 (InfOrmatiO'n);

'SECY-90-36L For:

The Comissioners From:

James M. Taylor Executive Director for Operations-

Subject:

REPORT ON THE STATUS OF ThE TECHNICklLSPECIFICATIONS=

IMPROVEMENT PROGUM'

Purpose:

To provide the tc mission with an update on the current-status of the Technical Specifications Improvement Program.

Sumary:

The staff has previously briefed the Comission on the status of the Technical Specifications Improvement Program. At the last briefing the staff tolc' the Comission that it expected the new-standard technical-specifications 'to be completed by April:1990.

Several unanticipated problems have; prevented the industry:and the staff from meeting this schedule:

(1) The number of changes proposed by the industry was greater than anticipe.ted, and (2) a very large-and time-consuming word processing and' editing effort has been required.-

The staff expects to complete the development of the new standard technical specifications and present the resultsLto ACRS before' the end of 1950. A complete draft will be' ready in A review and approval: process-willithen takelNovember 1990.

several more months to complete. The: staff now expects to complete work on the new standard technical: specifications in spring 1991. The staff and the industry groups (the owners groups and.NUMARC) are all giving high priority to completionjof the new Standard Technical Specificctions.

Backg~round:

Because the Technical Saecifications Improvement Program is a

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major NRC initiative,. tie staff has briefed the Comission several times on the-status of this. program. This paper provides yet another update on the staff and the industry offort to bring this program to fruition.

On February 6,1987, the Comission issued the interim Policy Statement on technical specifications improvement. This' document served as the basis for identifying improvements to be made to the existing standard technical specificationst(STS).

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The Commissioners specified cr iteria to be used to decide which requirements were to be retaintd in the technical specifications and which require-ments were to be relocated to licensee-controlled documents.

It also called for a strong program to implement 10 CFR 50.59 requirements for those items relocated froci the technical specifications.. Using these criteric, on May 9, 1908, after.

discussions with the industry, the staff issued' letters-to the owners groups listing those specifications tole relocated'from the STS and those to remain.= Based on the guidance of these i

letters, the cuners groups prepared and submitted to the steff proposed new STS. These proposed r.ew STS not Jnly reflected the policy of relocating requirements that did.not meet the criteria of the interim' Policy Statement but hiso were written in an improved format-from a human factors viewpoint._ 'In addition, the owners groups'~submittals-contained numerous substantive-technical changes that were not'part of the original plan for the Technical Specifications Improvement Program.-

Throughout this process, the staff briefed the Commission several times. At the most recent briefing, on June 2, 1989, the staff gave the Commission the dates for each owners group submittal and the date the staff anticipated producing the:

safety evaluation report (SEC) for' each submittal. The safety 1

evaluations for-the now standard technical specifications were -

to be issued no later than spring 1990. -

Since the June 2, 1989, briefing, the staff revised the original schedule.

i This pc)er provides the Consnission with the: current status of.

the Tecinical Specifications Improvement Program. and in particular, c'

.the progress made to date and the current schedule for completion.

Discussion:

The staff now plans to complete its review of the five sets of-new STS in the spring of 1991., A' complete draft for' each set will be ready-in November 1990. This has been a major staff effort. There are currently 15 members in the' Technical SpecifI-i cations Branch, one senior reactor operator instructor.(a foreign-assignee working with the branch), approximately 20 technical experts in other branches (on a part-time-basis), and.

approximately 10 contractors working on the review.

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The staff has reviewed approximately 4,100 proposed changes to the technical specifications, held approximately 90 meetings with the owners groups to discuss these' changes,.and is now l-preparing approximately 13,000 pages'of written text which will comprise the 5 sets =of the new STS. A number of these pages'are.

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chan ed and have required' retyping several times as a result of cont nuing discussions between the staff and the owners groups.,

The staff, through contractors,Lis doing all the word processing _

l and editorial work as well as.the technical review.

The staff evaluated operator ecceo+ance of:the new STS at the NRC Technicel Training Center sinh 1ator. in Chattanooga. - (The l

l operators enthusiastically accepted ~the new STS). The' staff' l

also performed its own major'-review of surveillanc @ required by I

the technical' specifications. The-iesults of this study 1re incorporated in the new STS ar.d will also be issued to:the.,

industry as.a 111ne-item improvement. As a parallel effort, t

1 as directed by the Comission,;the staff is developing guidelines for reviews conducted by licensees under 10'CFR 50.59. Following tce NRC staff review, the industry... issued a report (f. SAC-125)'

which provides guidance on the; performance of.' reviews required by 10 CFR 50.59. Working with the industry, menters of.the-Technical !occifications Branch briefed all five regions on'the work done to dcte on these 10 CFE 50'59 guidelines.-

The staff has also completed its review of'all limiting conditions i

for operation (LCOs) and surveillance requirenients. The last major effort, the review,of the bases,Lis now nearing completion." This review has required a large aniount _of rewriting,but should be l

completed within the:next nonth.

Before reaching agreement on.the various technica1xissues, the steff has held lengthy discussions with the industry. 'These efforts have been very productive in> reducing; the number of open-issues. Hotever, some open issues will remain between the staff' and industry at the tir,e thel staff publishes the complete draft STS for coment. These residual open' issues will continue to be~

addressed during the period of public ACRS and CRGR review.

A lead plant from each owners group has'been participating in.

the' review of the new STS. The-purpose-of this participation.is-to validate the new STS for that plant ~, that is, to obtain-assurance that the generic STS can. effectively be applied to an operating reactor.of that. design.

Following the completion of the generic'new STS and the validation l

i effort, the review of the application of.the'new STS to each of.

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the lead plants will be completed._ The-staff anticipates that l

this task will require several nonths _after. the work _on the.new STS is finished.

i In sumary, because of (1) the. large' number of technical issues i

to be resolved that were not originally anticipated, and (2) the large volume of clerical (word processing and editing) work to be completed, the~ staff has had to. revise the schedule a

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'l The Commissioners originally provided to the Come:ission. = The ' staff has: nearly completed the review of the new STS for each owners group.

In-Nover.ber 1990, draf ts (for each owners group) of the new STS are schecaled to be completed. The' staff-expects to resolve anyt public comment, com)1ete ACRS and CRGR review and publish the fincl versions of t1e new STS-in'the spring of 1991.

j Throughout this. effort, the staff has emph'asized )roducing a high quality product. The industry also shares tais view.. With the task of producing' the new STS close to completion, the_ staff will take the time required to ensure that the final product l

vill be of high quality.

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