ML20136A924
| ML20136A924 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Saint Lucie, Turkey Point  |
| Issue date: | 02/28/1997 |
| From: | Bradley Jones NRC |
| To: | Selin I, The Chairman NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20136A623 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA-96-485 NUDOCS 9703100086 | |
| Download: ML20136A924 (9) | |
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- NOTE T : Dr. Selin ,
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- FROM
- Bill Jones
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COORDINATED THRU: Kath n, Dennis
SUBJECT:
DROP-IN VISIT BY MESSRS. JAMES BROADHEAD, CHAIRMAN AND l CEO FPL GROUP, INC. AND CHAIRMAN AND CEO FP&L COMPANY; l AND JEROME GOLDBERG, PRESIDENT, NUCLEAR DIVISION FP&T.
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Messrs. Broadhead and Goldberg are visiting you at your r3 quest.
l Mr. Goldberg last met with you on June 24, 1993, to discuss whistleblowers. At the time Mr. Goldberg stated that he.uanted l
l i to encourage employees to br.ing forth concerns. To facili' tate the handling and resolution of concerns a " SPEAK OUT " program was l established at Turkey Point and the St. Lucie stations with i
additional staffing provided at the corporate office. Mr. -
! Goldberg indicated that there should be strong penalties for
' harassment and intimidation, but there also should be penalties l for abusing the system.
Lucie and Turkey Point have both achieved superior l St. The l operations. The latest SALP scores are all ones.
availability of the four units has been excellent, including refueling outage years. The staff has identified some concerns with recent balance of plant challenges at Turkey Point and St.
i Lucie; however, h common theme behind these challenges has not i been identified.
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Gol erg, This concern is being e staff has identified 5
addresse that th ppears to be improving. . . ,
f j An escalated enforcement action was issued February 1994 pertaining to two 1987 DOI. cases. The licensee and the vendor Bechtel) contested the violation pending appeal of the DOL case.
he staff allowed the violations to stand unless overturned by OL. Mr., Saporito has also submitted several 2.206 peb1 pions and l
l 11egatio]1s since his dismissal in 1988. In May 1994 F'Pp
! responded to portions of the 2.206 stating that the pet'ition was wholly without merit and that the NRC should review the petition in the context of previous unsubstantiated petitions and take whatever actions are necessary to stop the ongoing abuse.
!I Attachments:
}2 Commission Briefing Paper d)b l SALP Report Excerpts Gj f li'nta in !!h :C '."M d':I:!ed j
ia w .tm na t?.: r;Gha of information j Act acmpuay I ,,
- 9703100086 970228
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i Commission Briefino Paper - FPL Visit
!~ Visiting Officials: James L. Broadhead, Chairman and CE0 FPL Grqup, Inc.
i and chairman and CEO FP&L, Company i Jerome H. Goldberg, President, Nuclear Division FP&L t'
October 11, 1994 Date of Visit:
TurkeyPointUnits3and4(3foopWestinghousePWR)
Plants:
St. Lucie Units I and 2 (CE PWR)
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HIGHLIGHTS:
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- Recent Turkey Point performance has been excellent (all Category 1).
1 Recent St. Lucie performance has been excellen er he last several ~
i a he las SALP 5 ;
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1 l 3 - FPL is concerned about resolving Thermo-Lag issues.
l l FPL is concerned with-NRC policies regarding allegers and 2.206 policies l (Saporito and others).
l TURKEY POINT BACKGROUND:
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For the SALP period ending August 27, 1994, the SALP board has rated Turkey Point performance as Category 1 in all areas.
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- Recent performance has been excellent. Refueling outages of 46 and 45 days were completed during the SALP period and excellent availability factors of 96.1% for Unit 3 and 83.1% for Unit 4 were achieved in 1993 1994 availability factors for Unit 3 and Unit 4 at the end of the SALP period were approximately 77% and 96%, respectively.
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- A major dual unit outage was completed in 1991 to perform electrical 1,
l system upgrades including the addition of two emergency diesel j generators.
- Hurricane Andrew struck the site in August of 1992. The licensee's preparation for, response to, and recovery from the hurricane were f excellent.
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' LIMITED OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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ST. LUCIE BACKGROUND l
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- St. Lucie has been an excellent performer over the last severa) years.
j in all areas two S P .- .. : ..
t has receiv .
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- - In 1992, St.Lucie I held a world record for a 502-day continuous run.
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! - No escalated enforcement actions in the last 3 years.
- CURRENT ISSUES
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A performance based approach to resolution of the Thermo-lag.i'ssues was
- submitted by FPL. The staff has informed FPL that this apprealch will-i not be considered. FPL also submitted an exemption to Appendix R.
requirements for outdoor ap'plications of Thermo-Lag at Turkey Point.In A l
1arge portion of the Thermo-Lag at TP is in outdoor applications.
J general, FPL requests to allow the use of 30 minute fire barriers since j
j the heat is not contained by a ceiling in outdoor areas. FPL requested 1
approval by mid-September,1994. The staff's work load would not
- support this date and a mid-March 1995 target date has been established.
.l The licensee has stated that this exemption would save several hundred thousand dollars annually from compensatory measures savings.
! - There was one escalated enforcement action (EA 93-199, SL III - No C.P.)
j at Turkey Point that was issued February 11, 1994, regarding two 1987
' Department of Labor cases. The licensee and Bechtel (vendor) responded
- to the NOV on March 4 and March 5, 1994, respectively. They both
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" contested the violation pending appeal of the DOL decision. The staff j responded by allowing the violations to stand, unless overturned by DOL.
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- T. Saporito has submitted several 2.206 petitions and allegations following his dismissal from FPL in 1988. Most pertain to alleged retaliation for engaging in protected activities. On May 20, 1994, FPL ,
j responded to portions of Mr. Saporito's 2.206 stating that the petition was " wholly without merit." FPL also urged the NRC to " review the
- petition in the context of the prior unsubstantiated claims and i
proceedings which Mr. Saporito has filed relating to Turkey Point and take whatever action is appropriate to stop this ongoing abuse " Mr.
l Goldberg went on to say "We submit that, in dispositioning any future filings of this type by this petitioner which contains no new information, the Comission should not -- as in this case -- seek l further views of the licensee or otherwise attenuate the process but l rather dismiss the pleading sumarily with a caution to the petitioner that the Commission's processes shall not be further abused." In June of 1994, the Secretary of Labor remanded the case to the Administrative l
Law Judge to review the record and submit a new recommendation on l
whether Saporito would have been fired for legitimate reasons even if he had not engaged in protected activity. The staff is currently reviewing Both Mr. Saporito l the petitions and awaiting the determination by 00L.
4 and FPL are unhappy with NRC policy and actions in this case.
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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- An amendment was issued on April 1994, revising the Turkey Point license l
- expiration date to allow recapture of the construction period, approximately 5 years per unit, in the license term. FPL had been i c expressing great interest, bordering on concern, in obtaining this 4
amendment.
I - Seismic qualification of equipment (GL 87-02) is an area of disagreement. The staff issued a letter in early 1994 providing a general framework of criteria which would resolve this issue. FPL J responded in May 1994 restating their previous position and stating that 3
they believe that further NRC requests for work, evaluations, or plant -
changes woul. . rov .e e. ,- .
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1 facilities 4 i
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- Because of poor water chemistry during the early years of operation of l St. Lucie Unit 1, the licensee will be replacing steam generators. The ;
planning and work are progressing well. The replacement is scheduled 4 j j I i for 1997.
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i CURRENT CONCERNS: -
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- Overall equipment reliability at Turkey Point has been excellent as evidenced by the high -plant availability factors. An area of challenge, :
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however, is to improve the reliability and operability of B0P systems 4 - and equipment. Many power reductions and some unit shutdowns have been I necessary during the past 2 years as a result of B0P problems. The root causes of the individual events were assessed; however, collective ,
f) causes of and corrective actions for possible challenges to safety systems resulting from B0P equipment failures and/or degradation are of concern. Potential inadequacies relative to equipment aging, j
maintenance, and design should be addressed.
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j' l' POINTS TO BE EMPHASIZED:
- FPL has worked hard to turn TP performance around. This effort must be .,
l continued at TP, while ensuring that management attention is maintained j at St. Lucie.
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Biographical Information 1
AAL an-up -
JAMES L. BROADHEAD .
C'hairman and Chief Executive Officer
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James L. Broadhead is chairman and chief executive officer of FPL
. Group, Inc., a diversified holding company with utility and non-utility operations.
He also is chairman and chief executive officer of FPL Group's principal subsidiary, Florida Power & Ught Company, one of the largest electric utilities in the nation. FPL Group's diversified activities include non-utility energy production and agriculture.
Prior to becoming associated with FPL Group in January 1989, Mr.
Broadhead was president of GTE Telephone Operations and e member of GTE's board of directors. Before his association with GTE, Mr. Broadhead was president of St. Joe Minerals Corporation. He had previously served in a variety of positions there beginning in 1968, including general counsel, vice president of corporate development, vice president of finance for St. Joe Petroleum Corporation, and president of St. Joe Zine Company.
Mr. Broadhead received a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from Comell University in 1958 and a juris doctor degree from Columbia University Law School in 1963. He is a director of Bamett Banks, Inc., Delta Air Lines, Inc., and the Pittston Company, and a Board Fellow of Comell University.
Mr. Broadhead and his wife reside in Palm Beach County.
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Biographical Information 5:PL. .
J. H.' Goldberg i President, Nuclear Division _ _
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4 J. H. Goldberg serves as President of the Nudear Division and member of the Board of Directors at Florida Power & Light Company. In this capacity, Goldberg oversees the operation of FPL's four nuclear units, two at Turkey Point ~
in south Dade County and two at St. Lucia on Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County as well as the associated technical support activities at corporate headquarters in Juno Beach, Florida. i Goldberg, a 38-year veteran of the nuclear power industry, began working for FPL in September 1989. Prior to that he worked for Houston Lighting & Power Company (HL&P) as group vice president, nuclear. During his nine years with HL&P, Goldberg was responsible for .a number of milestones, including
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- construction and licensing of the South Texas Nuclear Project, one of the most advanced state of the art nuclear power stations in the U.S.
Before joining HL&P, he spent nine years with Stone and Webster Engineering Corp., overseeing the design, construction, and modification of numerous nuclear power plants.
Earlier in his career, he worked for Bethlehem Steel Co. and General Dynamics Corp. In a variety of engineering and management functions associated with the design and construction of nuclear powered surface vessels and submarines for the U.S. Navy.
Goldberg is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and holds ,
a master's degree in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He is a registered professional eng!neer in Texas, Califomia, Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New York. Goldberg has been affiliated with many nuclear industry organizations, including the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and the newly created Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). Goldberg was elected a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society in 1994.
9/94
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. i l EEB - 2 I?34 Docket Nos. 50-335, 50-389 License Nos. DPR-67, NPF-16 l
Florida Power & Light Company ~
ATTN: Mr. J. H. Goldberg President - Nuclear Division i
P. O. Box 14000
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Juno Beach, Florida 33408-0420 Gentlemen: .
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SUBJECT:
SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF LICENSEE PERFORMANCE (SALP)
(NRC INSPECTION REPORT NO. 50-335/93-26 AND 50-389/93-26) l The NRC Systematic Assessment of Licensee Perfomance (SALP) has been eted for your St. Lucie facility. The facility was evaluated for the comp perio 1,d of May 3, 1992, through. January 1, 1994. The results of the evaluation are documented in the enclosed SALP report. This SALP report will be ;
disc.ussed with you at a public meeting to be held at the St. Lucie facility on i February 17, 1994, at 10:00 a.m.
This SALP was conducted under the revised SALP process that was implemented by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on July 19, 1993. The revised process ,
assesses four furictional areas: Plant Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, i' and Plant'$bpport.
The assessment indicates that St. Lucie continued its history of exceptional performance, attaining superior ratings in all SALP functional areas for the second consecutive SALP period. This continued high level of perfonsance resulted from a dedication to excellence and teamwork by those associated with the facility. It was fostered by proactive senior management setting high . , ,
standards of safety performance and also _providing the resources necessary to attain those standards. In addition, your self-assessment and quality <
verification activities were effective in assuring that the high standards were attained.
We commend you and your staff for continuing a truly superior level of nuclear safety perfomance.
In accordance with Section 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room.
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1 p tma n4 UNITED STATES
. 9'o NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
- S. - REGION il '~
E o 101 MARIETTA STREET, N.W., SUITE 2900
- E ATLANTA, GEORGIA 303234199 U
- ..,+ September 23, 1994 l
l Florida Power and Light Company ,
l ATTN: Mr. J..H. Goldberg' l President - Nuclear Division P. O. Box 14000 ,
Juno Beach, FL - 33408-0420 _. -
SUBJECT:
SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT 0F LICENSEE PERFORMANCE (SALP)
(NRC INSPECTION REPORT NO. 50-250/94-99 AND 50-251/94-99) .
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Gentlemen:
The NRC Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP) has been completed for your. Turkey Point nuclear plant. The facility was evaluated for the period of January 31 4 1993, through August 27, 1994. The results of the eval,uation are documented in the enclosed SALP report. This report will be discussed with you at a public meeting to be held at the Turkey Point site on October 6, 1994, at 3:00 p.m.~
Thi's SALP evaluation was conducted under the revised SALP process implemented by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on July 19, 1993. The revised process assesses four functional areas: Plant Operations, Maintenance, Engineering,
, and Plant Suppor,t.
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'Theover$bleve of safety performance,at Turkey Point has significantly improved, attaining superior ratings in all SALP functional areas. This high level of performance resulted from a dedication to excellence and teamwork of all those associated with the operation of the facility. Of particular note
! is that senior managers set high standards of safety performance, were involved in site activities, and made conservative decisions relative to operation of the facility. In addition, your self-assessment, quality . .^
verification, and associated corrective actions were effective in assuring !
that the high standards were attained.
We commend you and your staff for this superior level of performance. ,
In accordance with Section 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of l this letter and its enclosure will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room.
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Independent reviews by quality assurance and the safety review ,
comittees were effective and demonstrated a strong safety attitude and l perspective. For example, quality assurance performed a review of operational problems and effectively identified roo.t causes and corrective actions. The onsite and offsite safety review committees I conducted comprehensive self-assessments, especially during reviews of j i l l equipment degradation and prior to unit startups from refueling. . . - l Root cause and corrective action programs were effective. Event review l i teams were assembled to perform collective, multi-disciplined, real-time problem reviews. These teams were successful in identifying ca(Ises.and proposing corrective actions.' Examples included moisture separator drain line steam leaks, reactor trips, emergency core cooling sy: tem l
l minimum flow problems, and emergency containment cooler valve fail ues. _
The licensee's commitment to risk management was evident.
Troubleshooting activities which could place the units at risk were controlled by the " red sheet" process. This assured that a well thought-out, detail,ed, precise plan was in place prior to commencing .
y work and that management had reviewed and concurred in the process.
Infrequently performed tests and evolutions were also controlled by a special administrative procedure with requirements for a pre-evolution briefing and oversight by an appointe.d test director and manager.
- Management conservatism and commitment to reduce shutdown risk were noted by the practice of completely offloading the reactor core prior to beginning mid-loop op'erations. During a refueling outage, a risk assessment team was initiated to review critical path evolutions, safety system availability, and risk. This team made recommendations to change the Mutage sequence in order to minimize overall risk.
Operators generally displayed strong attention to detail with good supervisory oversight. However, late in 1993, several instances of poor control room oversight resulted in a reactor trip, an overdilution
,[ event, and other noted errors. These issues were partially caused by poor communications and a lack of self-checking. Management aggressively addressed these instances by emphasizing expectations that .,
all personnel meet a high standard of performance and accountability, relocating the Assistant Nuclear Plant Supervisors into the controls area, and improving oversight of non-licensed operators. These actions were effective, as evidenced by strong personnel and unit performance during the last six months of the assessment period.
The Plant Operations area is rated Category 1. +
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! III. MAINTENANCE I
This functional area ass. esses activities associated with diagnostic, predictive, preventive, and corrective maintenance of plant structures, systems, and components. It also includes all surveillance testing and other tests associated with equipment and system operability. Overall performance in this area was superior during this period.
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