ML20132G004
| ML20132G004 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Cooper  |
| Issue date: | 12/20/1996 |
| From: | Dyer J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION IV) |
| To: | Horn G NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20132G007 | List: |
| References | |
| EA-96-487, EA-96-488, NUDOCS 9612260154 | |
| Download: ML20132G004 (6) | |
See also: IR 05000298/1996030
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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611 RYAN PLAZA DRIVE, sulTE 400
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ARLINGTON, T EXAS 76011-8064
DEC 201996
EA 96-487
EA 96-488
G. R. Horn, Senior Vice President
of Energy Supply
Nebraska Public Power District
141415th Street
Columbus, Nebraska 68601
SUBJECT: NRC INSPECTION REPORT 50 298/96-30 AND NOTICE OF VIOLATION
Dear Mr. Horn:
An NRC inspection was conducted November 4-8, and December 4,1996, at your Cooper
Nuclear Station reactor facility. The inspection focused on the regulatory and safety
significancc of your identification of a design flaw in the reactor core isolation cooling
system ary of your practice of performing full core offloads during refueling operations.
Based on the results of this inspection, three violations of NRC' requirements were
identified. These violations are cited in the enclosed Notice of Violation (Notice) and the
circumstances surrounding the violations are described in detailin the enclosed report. The
first violation, involving failure to meet station blackout requirements, was classified as
Severity Level 111, indicating a significant regulatory concern (EA 96-488). However,
because you independently identified and corrected the concern, as further discussed
below, no civil penalty is being assessed. Further, the NRC has concluded that information
regarding the reason for the violation, the corrective actions taken to correct the violation
and prevent recurrence, is already adequately addressed on the docket in Licensee Event
Report 94-018. Therefore, you are not required to respond to this violation unless the
description in this report does not accurately reflect your corrective actions or your
position. In that case, or if you choose to provide additional information, you should follow
the instructions specified in the enclosed Notice. As discussed with Mr. Brad Houston of
your staff on December 4,1996, the NRC did not believe a predecisional enforcement
conference was necessary to address this issue because no additionalinformation was
needed to make an enforcement decision. The remaining violations, related to design and
operation of your spent fuel pool cooling systems, were classified at Severity Level IV and
do require a response (EA 96-487). These violations are of concern because they are
examples of not maintaining the licensing basis of the plant and not ensuring the facility is
operated in accordance with the licensing basis.
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The violation of 10 CFR 50.63, the station blackout rule (Violation A in the enclosed
Notice), is a significant regulatory coacern not only because the ability of the reactor core
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isolation cooling (RCIC) system to function in a station blackout was adversely affected,
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9612260154 961220
ADOCK 05000298
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but because it was caused, in part, by a f ailure to understand and maintain plant design
configurations. Thus, the fact that an AC motor had been installed on the RCIC trip
throttle valve was not recognized when the station blackout rule was addressed in 1991
and plant personnel erroneously assumed that the RCIC system would function
independently of AC power. Therefore, this violation has been categorized in accordance
with the " General Statement of Policy and Procedure for NRC Enforcement Actions"
(Enforcement Policy), NUREG-1600, at Severity Level 111.
In accordance with the Enforcement Policy, a civil penalty with a base value of $50,000is
considered for a Severity Level 111 violation. Because your f acility was the subject of
escalated enforcement actions within the last 2 years, as well as during the 2 years that
preceded the discovery of this issue, the NRC considered whether credit was warranted for
Identification and Corrective Action in accordance with the civil penalty assessment
process in Section VI.B.2 of the Enforcement Policy. Because this violation was
discovered by your staff as a result of comprehensive surveillance procedure reviews and
resulted in prompt and comprehensive corrective action, as described in Licensee Event
Report 94-018, the NRC has determined that credit is warranted for both factors.
Therefore, to encourage the identification, and prompt and comprehensive correction, of
safety concerns and violations, I have been authorized, af ter consultation with the Director,
Office of Enforcement, not to propose a civil penalty in this case. However, significant
violations of this nature in the future could result in a civil penalty.
In preparing your response to Viciations B and C, you should follow the instructions
specified in the enclosed Notice. The NRC will use your response, in part, to determine
whether further enforcement action is necessary to ensure compliance with regulatory
requirements,
in accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter,
its enclosures, and your response (if you choose to provide one) will be placed in the NRC
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Public Document Room (PDR). To the extent possible, your response should not include
any personal privacy, proprietary, or safeguards information so that it can be placed in the
PDR without redaction.
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Should you have any questions concerning this inspection, we will be pleased to discuss
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them with you.
Sincerely,
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f J. E.
yer, Director
Division of Reactor Projects
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Nebraska Public Power District
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Docket No.: 50-298
License No.: DPR-46
Enclosures:
2. NRC Inspection Report
50-298/96-30
cc w/ enclosures:
John R. McPhail, Generai Counsel
Nebraska Public Power District
P.O. Box 499
Columbus, Nebraska 68602-0499
P. D. Graham, Vice President of
Nuclear Energy
Nebraska Public Power District
P.O. Box 98
Brownville, Nebraska 68321
B. L. Houston, Nuclear Licensing
and Safety Manager
Nebraska Public Power District
P.O. Box 98
Brownville, Nebraska 68321
R. J. Singer, Manager-Nuclear
Midwest Power
907 Walnut Street
P.O. Box 657
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Des Moines, Iowa 50303
Mr. Ron Stoddard
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Lincoln Electric System
.11th and O Streets
Lincoln, Nebraska 68508
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Randolph Wood, Director
Nebraska Department of Environmental
Quality
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P.O. Box 98922
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Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-8922
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Nebraska Public Power District
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Chairman
Nemaha County Board of Commissioners
Nemaha County Courthouse
1824 N Street
Auburn, Nebraska 68305
Cheryl Rogers, LLRW Program Manager
Environmental Protection Section
Nebraska Department of Health
301 Centennial Mall, South
P.O. Box 95007
Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-5007
Dr. Mark B. Horton, M.S.P.H.
Director
Nebraska Department of Health
P.O. Box 950070
Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-5007
R. A. Kucera, Depanment Director
of Intergovernmental Cooperation
Department of Natural Resources
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102
Kansas Radiation Control Program Director
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Nebraska Public Power District
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DEC 201996
E-Mail report to D. Nelson (DJN)
E-Mail report to NRR Event Tracking System (IPAS)
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DRP Director
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Branch Chief (DRP/C)
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Project Engineer (DRP/C)
Leah Tremper (OC/LFDCB, MS: TWFN 9E10) -
G. Sanborn, EA File
W. L. Brown, RC
J. Lieberman, OE, MS: 7-H5
OE:EA File, MS: 7-H5
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DOCUMENT NAME: R:\\_CNS\\CN630RP.TR
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'E" = Copy with enclosures "N" = No copy
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Nebraska Public Power District
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DEC 201996
E-Mail report to D. Nelson (DJN)
E-Mail report to NRR Event Tracking System (IPAS)
bec to DMB (IE01)
bec distrib. by RIV:
L. J. Callan
Resident inspector
DRP Director
DRS-PSB
Branch Chief (DRP/C)
MIS System
Branch Chief (DRP/TSS)
RIV File
Project Engineer (DRP/C)
Leah Tremper (OC/LFDCB, MS: TWFN 9E10)
G. Sanborn, EA File
W. L. Brown, RC
J. Lieberman, OE, MS: 7-HS
OE:EA File, MS: 7-H5
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DOCUMENT NAME: R:\\_CNS\\CN630RP.TR
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"E" = Copy with enclosures "N" = No copy
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