ML20141F788

Discusses Concern Expressed in 860224 & 0318 Ltrs Re Poor NRC 1985 SALP Performance Rating for Facility.Special Insp Confirmed That Substantial Improvements Necessary

ML20141F788
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	04/16/1986
From:	Taylor J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE)
To:	Kirby E MASSACHUSETTS, COMMONWEALTH OF
References
NUDOCS 8604230171
Download: ML20141F788 (2)

Text

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The Honorable Edward P. Kirby l Massachusetts Senate l Boston, Massachusetts 02133

Dear Mr. Kirby:

This is in response to your letters dated February 24 and March 18, 1986 which address concerns regarding the NRC's 1985 performance rating for the Pilgrim ,

., Nuclear Power Station. You stated that despite an overall rating of acceptable. l d you are concerned about our report of poor periormance in some areas and our l subsequent decision to send a team of inspectors to conduct an in-depth i

inspection at the plant. You also asked how the standards of performance at Pilgrim compare with those of other plants around the nation.

First, it is important to understand the purpose of the " Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance" (SALP) program and how it was implemented for Pilgrim.

SALP is an integrated NRC staff effort which, on a periodic basis, takes all available inspection and licensing observations and uses them to evaluate licensee performance. SALP is supplementary to the nomal regulatory processes and is intended to be diagnostic, with emphasis on understanding the reasons for licensee perfomance in important functional areas; e.g., operation, maintenance, radiological controls, etc. Further, it provides a rational basis for allocating NRC inspection resources among NRC licensed facilities ,

and for providing meaningful guidance to ifcensee management. In the case of Pilgrim, our recent assessment indicated that some functional areas have either deteriorated or. shown no improvement in perfomance over the years.

Other areas have shown occasional improvements yet have slipped back to previous performance levels. A copy of the current SALP report is enclosed.

Notwithstanding the weaknesses noted in this report, the overall performance in nuclear safety at the Pilgrim Station was found to be acceptable.

To better understand the underlying reasons for this performance, NRC conducted a special in-depth inspection by a team of experienced inspection specialists and resident inspectors. This inspection essentially confirmed the conclusions reached in the SALP report in that, although the plant was being operated safely, substantial improvements were necessary. A copy of the inspection report is attached for your information.

The perfomance at Pilgrim during the most recent SALP period was poor when compared to that of the overall population of plants licensed by NRC. Similar kinds of problems, however, have been ob2erved at other facilities, both in Region I (northeast United States) and nationally. It is our policy to bring problems identified through the SALP process to the attention of utility management and deal with them before they lead to further degradation of performance.

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The Honorable Edward P. Kirby' April 16,1986 We have discussed the problems outlined, both in the SALP report and the inspection report, with Boston Edison management and believe that their planned corrective actions, if properly implemented, can resolve the concerns identified. We plan to monitor these corrective actions closely to ensure that the desired results are being achieved.

If we can be of further assistance in this matter please contact me, or Dr. Thomas E. Murley, the Regional Administrator for Region I.

Sincerely, Original SigTc3 gji hmes ti. Tador James M. Taylor, Director Office of Inspection and Enforcement

Enclosures:

1. SALP Report

2. Inspection Report DISTRIBUTION: (without enclosures)

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