ML20133A509

Forwards Insp Rept 50-443/96-10 on 961001-1129 & Notice of Violation

ML20133A509
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	12/24/1996
From:	Rogge J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:	Feigenbaum T NORTH ATLANTIC ENERGY SERVICE CORP. (NAESCO)
Shared Package
ML20133A513	List: ML20133A509 ML20133A535 ML20133A546
References
NUDOCS 9612310148
Download: ML20133A509 (4)

See also: IR 05000443/1996010

Text

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December 24,1996

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Mr. Ted C. Feigenbaum j

Executive Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer i

North Atlantic Energy Service Corporation

j Post Office Box 300

Seabrook, New Hampshire 03874

SUBJECT: NRC INTEGRATED INSPECTION REPORT NO. 50-443/96-10 AND .

NOTICE OF VIOLATION l

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Dear Mr. Feigenbaum: l

On November 29,1996, the NRC completed an inspection at Seabrook Station. The  ;

l enclosed report presents the results of that inspection.  !

Your staff responded effectively to the initialindications of a slight primary to secondary i

leak, Control room operators alertly responded to in;tial control room alarms and initiated {

chemistry sampling that confirmed a minimally detectable leak within the "C" steam j

generator. Station management established a conservative sampling program and i

administrative operating limits that were significantly more conservative than existing . 'l

station procedures and regulatory limits. Additionally, the station management formation i

of a task force to comprehensively review instrument transmitter configuration control in

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response to concerns identified by our inspectors reflected sound corrective action

perspectives.

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During this inspection, certain of your activities appeared to be in violation of NRC  !

regulations. Specifically, your staff failed to perform a safety evaluation, as required by 10

CFR 50.59, prior to a January 27,1994, revision to the station procedure governing l

operation of the startup feedwater pump. The concern regarding the lack of performance a  ;

10 CFR 50.59 safety evaluation was initially brought to the attention of station  ;

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management by the Nuclear Safety and Audit Review Committee (NSARC) in March 1994.

The concern remained unresolved until June 27,1996, when a detailed evaluation

concluded the procedure revision authorized an emergency feedwater system configuration  :

j that was outside the current design bases of the plant. It is recognized that the plant has j

( operated in this configuration once for a three day period in April 1991. Further, we j

l acknowledge that your NSARC identified the concern and that you reported it to the NRC '

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in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR 50. 72 and 50.73. However, your initial i

corrective actions to the NSARC were neither timely nor technically adequate. i

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You are required to respond to this letter and should follow the instructions specified in the  !

l enclosed Nctice when preparing your response, in your response, you should document l

1 the specific actions taken and any additional actions you plan to prevent recurrence. Your l

response may reference or include previous docketed correspondence, if the

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correspondence adequately addresses the required response, in addition, you are

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9612310148 961224

PDR ADOCK 05000443 C

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G PDR

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Mr. Ted C. Feigenbaum 2 l

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requested to describe: 1.) your controls and processes that have been established to

ensure prompt and comprehensive responses to independent oversight or third party audit

bodies such as NSARC; 2.) your controls to ensure that changes such as procedure

revisions are supported by safety evaluations based on technical and design- and license-

based information; and, 3.) how your corrective action processes ensure that issues of

technical or safety concern are objectively evaluated while differing technical views are i

being addressed. After reviewing your response to the Notice, including your proposed '

corrective actions and the results of future inspections, the NRC will determine whether

further NRC enforcement action is necessary to ensure compliance with NRC 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 will be placed in the NRC 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.

The responses directed by this letter and the enclosed Notice are not subject to the

clearance procedures of the Office of Management and Budget as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, Pub. L. No.96-511.

Sincerely,

ORIGINAL SIGNED BY:

John F. Rogge, Chief

Projects Branch 8 ,

Division of Reactor Projects  !

Docket No. 50-443

License No: NPF-86

Enclosures:

1. Notice of Violation

2. NRC Inspection Report No. 50-443/96-10

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Mr. Ted C. Feigenbaum 3  !

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cc w/encis:

B. D. Kenyon, President - Nuclear Group

D. M. Goebel, Vice President - Nuclear Oversight  !

F. C. Rothen, Vice President - Work Services

J. K. Thayer, Vice President - Recovery Officer, Nuclear Engineering & Support Officer

H. F. Haynes, Director - Nuclear Training

B. L. Drawbridge, Extscutive Director - Services & Senior Site Officer  !

A. M. Callendrello, Licensing Manager - Seabrook Station l

W. A. DiProfio, Nuclear Unit Director - Seabrook Station l

R. E. Hickok, Nuclear Training Manager - Seabrook Station  !

L. M. Cuoco, Senior Nuclear Counsel  !

W. D. Meinert, Nuclear Engineer l

D. C. McElhinney, RAC Chairman, FEMA Rl, Boston, Mass. .!

R. Backus, Esquire, Backus, Meyer and Solomon, New Hampshire  !

S. Chol, Director, Nuclear Safety, Massachusetts Emergency

Management Agency

F. W. Gotman, Jr., Vice President and General Counsel - Great Bay Power Corporation

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, SLO Designee

R. Hallisey, Director, Dept. of Public Health, Commonwealth of Massachusetts l

Seacoast Anti-Pollution League

State of New Hampshire, SLO  !

D. Tefft, Administrator, Bureau of Radiological Health, State of New Hampshire j

S. Comley, Executive Director, We the People of the United States  ;

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Mr. Ted C. Feigenbaum 4  !

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Distribution w/encis:  !

Region I Docket Room (with concurrences) l

PUBLIC  !

NRC Resident inspector l

Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)  !

D. Screnci, PAO '

J. Rogge, DRP

E. Conner, DRP l

C. O'Daniell, DRP  !

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Distribution w/encls (VIA E-MAIL):

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W. Dean, OEDO

P. McKee, PD l-3, NRR

A. DeAgazio, PD l-3, NRR l

R. Correia, NRR (RPC)

R. Frahm, Jr., NRR (RKF)

D. Scienci, PAO, ORA

Inspection Program Branch, NRR (IPAS)

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DOCUMENT NAME: G:\ BRANCH 8\ SEA 9610. INS

To receive a copy of this document. Indicate in the box: "C" = Copy without ettschment/ enclosure *E' = Copy with attachment / enclosure

• N" = No copy

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OFFICE Rl/DRP Rl/DRP

NAME JMacdonald & JRogge h

DATE g/ff96 pf96

OFF(CIAL RECORD COPY

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