ML20206F732
| ML20206F732 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 04/21/1999 |
| From: | Blaha J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| SECY-99-121, SECY-99-121-R, WIR-990416-01, WIR-990416-1, NUDOCS 9905060220 | |
| Download: ML20206F732 (27) | |
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umisD arArs: , RELEASED TO THE PDR .
j NUCLEAR REEULATORY COMMISSION . !
, WASHINGTON, D. C. 20566
[ '
date ' initials 4 April 21.1999 INFORMATION REPORP"""""""""" !
J I
For: The Commissioners f
1 From: James L. Blaha, Assistant for Operations, Office of the EDO l Subiect: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING APRIL 16,1999 Contents Enclosure Nuclear Reactor Regulation A Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B Nuclear Regulatory Research C Incident Response Operations D General Counsel E*
Administration F Chief Information Officer G Chief FinancialOfficer H*
Human Resources I Small Business & Civil Rights J*
Enforcement K*
State Program L*
Public Affairs M Intemational Programs N Office of the Secretary O Region I P Region il P 1 Region lli P Region IV P {
i Executive Director for Operations O !
Congressional Affairs R j g
- No input this week.
'M lames L. Blaha l Assistant for Operations, OEDO !
Contact:
J. Shackelford. OEDO 4 g 7 .M lb -
9905060220 990421 ' l PDR COMMS NRCC l WEEKLYINFOREPT PDR j i
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, .i Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation items of Interest Week Ending April 16,1999 Nine Mile Point Unit 1 On April 11,1999, Nine Mile Point Unit 1 (NMP1) began refueling outage (RFO15) that is currently scheduled to end on May 24,1999. Activities during the outage will include inspection of the core shroud vertical weld cracks. The NRC staff is reviewing a contingency repair for selected NMP1 vertical welds that, depending upon the licensee's inspection results and associated evaluation of weld integrity for the upcoming operating cycle, may need to be j installed as early as May 2,1999.- The repair basically consists of a plate with attached pins that are inserted into holes machined into the shroud by an Electric Discharge Machining process on either side of the flawed vertical weld. If repair is not needed, the licensee's associated evaluation will be submitted to the NRC within 30 days following completion of the inspection in accordance with the licensee's commitments under the BWRVIP program. The NMP1 core shroud continues to be of considerable interest to the local public, media, and officials.
Other significant activities during RFO15 include installation of ECCS suction strainer replacement, installation of system tie-ins for hydrogen water chemistry, and inspection of longitudinal shell welds in the reactor vessel.
Three Mile Island Unit 1 On April 12,1999, the Commission issued an Order approving the transfer of the operating
. license for the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (TMI-1) from GPU Nuclear, Inc. to AmerGen Energy Co., LLC. Included were the staff's safety evaluation of the action and an approved conforming amendment, which will be issued at the time of the actual license transfer.
This marks the first direct sale of a nuclear plant, in part, to foreign interests (AmerGen is 50%
owned by PECO Energy Co. and 50% owned by British Energy Co.). Severallicense conditions were included in the Order as a result of the foreign ownership aspects. Additional license conditions will require the new owner to demonstrate that it meets the'NRC requirements for insurance and decommissioning funding assurance of no less than
$303 million. One request for hearing was received and denied by the Commission. The Commission forwarded to the staff for its consideration the comments in the hearing request, as well as those from one other individual. These comments were considered in the safety evaluation.
Byron Unit 1
. Approximately two weeks ago, early in the current refueling outage, one of the Loop Stop )
Isolation Valves (LSIVs) failed to close and the decision was made to repair it. Licensee !
analysis concluded that at the time the valve failed, pieces of it fell out and made their way into !
- the reactor vessel. The size of these pieces varies, but one was defined as three inches long l
- with a cross section of 1 inch by % inch with a mass less than two pounds. A loose parts ;
analysis was done by licensee station engineering and Westinghouse that determined that the l pieces would not provide for any safety consequence to the nuclear fuel or nuclear j April 16,1999. ENCLOSURE A )
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4 components. Licensee management decided not to attempt to retrieve the pieces during the current outage. The licensee plans to monitor the situation as the unit returns to service, and is preparing a surveillance plan to address any indication received from the loose parts monitor, if
~ that should happen.
Subsequently, while completing the repair en the LSIV, a licensee inspection discovered what appeared to be a foreign object in the cold leg of reactor coolant loop A near the valve.
However, before any final determination could be made as to whether it should be removed or not, the valve was reassembled. The licensee is investigating why the assembly was completed prior to the resolution of the foreign object. Based in part on dose considerations, another loose parts analysis was done. The findings showed that this foreign material was small, .52" x .20", but would be heavy enough that it would fall to the bottom of the core and not find its way into any fuel assembly. Again, liccasee management decided not to retrieve the material during the current outage.
The staff will review licensee's analysis which concluded that the pieces did not pose a safety concern.
Lasalle Units 1 and 2 On April 9,1999, LaSalle Unit 2 commenced startup from a 2% year outage. The power ascension plan includes three phases of testing at various power levels with hold points and should take 14 days to reach full power and complete all testing. Regional inspectors are overseeing the licensee's activities and have planned for augmented inspection coverage throughout power ascension. As of April 13,1999, the unit was at 22% power and was completing phase 1 of power ascension testing. The startup process to date has been uneventful.
WNP-2 WNP-2 is scheduled to enter a fuel saving dispatch outage on April 17,1999. This outage is due to the abundance of hydroelectric power available in the Spring and to adjust their refueling outage schedule to a 24-month cycle. The outage is scheduled for 60 days. Major work
. planned for the outage includes, diesel generator six-year overhaul, low pressure turbine overhaul and Y2K testing and computer upgrades. A refueling outage is scheduled for September 1999.
Annual Proaram Review of Operator Licensina Function in Reaion IV During the week of March 29,1999, Fred Guenther and Larry Vick of the Operator Licensing and Human Performance Section (IOHS) performed the annual program review of the operator licensing function in Region IV. The review is part of lOHS's continuing effort to evaluate the administration of delegated operator licensing functions within the Regions and to collect Regional management and examiner feedback on the examination process. The review included an evaluation of examinations administered in accordance with interim Revision 8 of NUREG-1021, " Operator Licensing Examination Standards for Power Reactors," that has been revised to permit power reactor facility licensees to prepare the operator licensing examinations. Robert Gallo, Chief, Operator Licensing, Human Performance, and Plant April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE A
Supoort Branch, attended the exit meeting and discussed policy matters with Region IV management. The review concluded that Region IV is satisfactorily carrying out its operator licensing functions.
Turkey Point License Renewal Acolication On April 14,1999, the NRC staff met with representatives from Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) to dis' cuss the status of the license renewal efforts for Turkey Point Unit Nos. 3 and 4.
FPL described its plan leading up to submitting a license renewal application in December 2000. Turkey Point would be the first Westinghouse plant requesting license renewal.
FPL plans to reference three of the five Westinghouse Owners Group generic technical reports on aging management programs (pressurizer, Class 1 piping, and RCS supports) and they described their interests in timely resolution of the Priority 1 renewalissues. In addition, FPL described their support of the Part 51 rulemaking on high-level waste transportation, and asked for a separate meeting with the staff to discuss SAMAs issues. FPL also requested that the staff remove Environmental Justice reviews from the license renewal process. The License Renewal and Standardization Branch suggested that FPL should consider pursuing that matter in a petition for rulemaking.
April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE A
4 Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards items of interest Week Ending April 16,1999 1
- Intearated Materials Performance Evaluation Proaram (IMPEP) Review at Reaion IV On April 5-9,1999, a review team comp'rised of members from the Office of Nuclear Material i
Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), Office of State Programs, Region 11, and the State of Mississippi conducted an IMPEP review of Region IV (RIV). NMSS led the team, which used a l set of common and non-common performance indicators to evaluate the adequacy of RIV's materials, fuel cycle, and waste programs. A draft report will be sent to RIV in May, and a Management Review Board meeting will be held later this Spring to review the preliminary findings, and make final determinations on the adequacy of the RIV program.
Aareement States Particioate in Sealed Sources and Devices - Business Redg@ Process On April 7-8,1999, members of the Division of industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety met with representatives of five Agreement States as a part of the ongoing Sealed Source and Devices (SSD) - Business Redesign Process (BPR) initiated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in November 1999. The meeting focused upon SSD issues such as appropriate level of
- engineering review, second reviewer signature, reviewer qualifications, and IMPEP process for SSD reviews.
This group identified a number of specific topics and recommendations to be addressed by a Working Group to be convened to assist with the revisions of MD 5.6, " Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program," and finalization of Section XIV of MC 1246 Appendix B, "NRC SSD Safety and Technical Reviewer Qualifications Joumal."
~ A summary of identified issues and the SSD-BPR findings will be presented during the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors annual meeting on May 10,1999, in Louisville, Kentucky. The presentation is designed to stimulate further discussions and provide for further discussions.
Exemotion Granted to Enterov Operations. Inc.. for Arkansas Nuclear One Power Plant On April 9,1999, the Spent Fuel Project Office granted an exemption to Entergy Operations, Inc., to allow storage of burnable poison rod assemblies (BPRAs) with spent fuel in the VSC-24 casks at Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO). This exemption permits ANO to load four VSC-24 casks with fuel containing BPRAs to regain full core offload reserves prior to the next refueling outage.
Meetina with the Japanese Science Technoloov Aaency Reaardina the BU-J Transoort Packaoe On April 12,1999, staff from the Spent Fuel Project Office met with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Japanese Science and Technology Agency (STA) regarding the Model No. BU-J transportation package. The BU-J is used to transport low-enriched uranium oxide powder and pellets. The BU-J is certified by the STA, and is approved in the U.S. for import April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE B i
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1 and export shipments. The meeting was being held to discuss an instance of through-wall pitting corrosion that was recently observed on the inner containment vessel of a BU-J
. packaging. The STA is currently investigating the cause of the pitting corrosion.
National Conference of State Leaislatures Summit on Low-Level Waste Poliev On April 9,1999, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) sponsored a Low-Level i Radioactive Waste (LLW) Summit in Jacksonville, Florida. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss attematives to the LLW Compact system established unde; me Low-Level Radioactive !
l Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985. NCSL noted that, since the passage of the Low-Level l Waste Policy Act of 1980, some significant changes have occurred that justify a re-examination of the nation's LLW policy, such as: (1) the volume of LLW disposed of is approximately 10% ,
of the amount in 1980; (2) LLW generators continue to have access to disposal sites; (3) costs '
of disposal have risen by more than a factor of 10; (4) the compacts have been unable to develop a new disposal facility; and (5) unexpected barriers to new facility development and licensing have been encountered.
Approximately 50 persons attended the meeting, including generators, state and compact .
officials, General Accounting Office (GAO), several state legislators, disposal facility operators, i an environmental group, trade press, and Department of Energy (DOE) staff and contractors.
l Four options were discussed at the meeting: (1) dissolving the compacts to restore market l incentives; (2) disposal of commercial LLW at DOE facilities; (3) allowing the current compact ;
system to succeed; and (4) restoring federal incentives for new site development. No consensus was reached. NCSL staff will prepare a report discussing the pros and cons of each ,
option, and NCSL may adopt a position on LLW based on the findings in that report.- 1 1
GAO is preparing a report for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that will also address altematives to the current LLW law. GAO expects to complete its report on the national LLW program in July.
Comoletion of Seismic Re-evaluation of Title ll Uranium Recoverv Sites l
Based on issues identified as a result of a 1994 site-specific seismic review of a uranium ;
recovery site, Division of Waste Management (DWM) staff initiated a reassessment of the i seismic stability of other uranium recovery sites. Many of these sites were licensed prior to
- promulgation of 10 CFR Part 40 Appendix A criteria, and, therefore, were designed to meet the :
seismic criteria and methodology available at the time. At the direction of DWM staff, Lawrence '
- Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) conducted a seismic hazard analysis for licensed uranium recovery sites using simplified deterministic and probabilistic techniques and, for each site, estimated the design ground motion. These ground motion estimates were then compared with the ground motion values used in each of the original designs. Based on the LLNL study, the staff identified five sites where the LLNL recommended peak ground acceleration was I higher than the value used in the previously approved design. The staff has completed its I evaluation of the stability of the five sites, using the LLNL recommended peak ground acceleration, and the designs for all five sites were found to be acceptable. Therefore, the staff concludes that no additional action is required by the licensees to comply with Appendix A criteria on stability and the seismic stability re-evaluation has been completed.
April 16,1999 - ENCLOSURE B
Meetinos with the Deoartment cf Enerav on the Hioh-Level Waste Quality Assurance Proaram On April 6-7,1999, members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) High-Level Waste Quality Assurance (QA) Task Force met with staff from the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Office and its Management and Operating Contractor (M&O) to discuss QA issues related to the Yucca Mountain Project.
These Appendix 7 meetings were held in conjunction with the NRC Site Representatives Office, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meetings were the third in a series of meetings conducted by the Task Force to status and evaluate the DOE and M&O efforts to correct deficiencies in the implementation of the QA program.
The DOE and M&O efforts to date to correct identified QA deficiencies and preclude similar deficiencies in the future appear appropriate, and it appears that an improved attitude toward implementation of QA requirements is taking place. The Root Cause Determinations for the four Corrective Action Requests discussed in DOE's January 25,1999, letter to NRC have been accepted by DOE, and will be formally provided to NRC. While some intermediate dates for accomplishment of corrective actions have slipped, DOE and the M&O still state that the final dates for implementation are achievable. A detailed update of the schedule contained in the January 25,1999, letter will be presented by DOE during the April 22,1999, NRC/ DOE QA/ Management meeting.
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. April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE B
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research iterns of Interest Week Ending April 16,1999 Stakeholder Meetina on Performance-Based Acoroaches to Reaulation A public stakeholder meeting was held in the NRC Auditorium on April 14,1999, to solicit proposals for improving regulatory areas by making them more performance-based.
Comments and information from the meeting will be used in preparing a response to the Staff Requirements Memorandum on SECY-98-132," Plans to increase Performance-Based Approaches in Regulatory Activities,"in which the Commission directed the staff to include stakeholder input while providing plans for pursuing performance-based initiatives. Participants in the meeting included representatives from the Nuclear Energy institute, Union of Concemed Scientists, Public Citizen, and various NRC offices. An ACRS sub-committee meeting has been scheduled for April 21,1999, from which further input is expected that will provide the basis for the plans developed by the staff.
April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE C l
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Incident Response Operations :
Items of Interest >
Week Ending April 16,1999 )
Federal Radioloaical Preoaredness Coordinatina Committee On April 15,1999, Charles Miller, Deputy Director, incident Response Operations, attended a Federal Radiological Preparedness Coordinating Committee (FRPCC) meeting which was held at FEMA headquarters. The agenda includeo discussion on Y2K, the status of potassium iodide (KI) policy, the FEMA strategic review and subcommittee reports. :
Preliminarv Notifications l
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- 1. PNO-il-98-054A, All State Engineering & Testing Consultants, Inc., RECOVERY OF !
- 2. PNO-ill-99-018, Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, OIL SPILL CAUSED BY
' TRANSFORMER FAILURE
- 3. PNO-Ill-99-019, West Suburban Hospital, CONTAMINATED PACKAGE
- 4. PNO-lll 99-020, Commonwealth Edison Co. (La Salle 2), UNIT 2 STARTUP AFTER 31-MONTH OUTAGE
- 5. PNO-Ill-99-021, Arvin Industries, MISSING FIXED GAUGE J
- 7. ' PNO-lll-99-023, Material Testing Consultants, Inc., MISSING MOISTURE DENSITY GAUGE April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE D
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. 1 Office of Administration items of Interest Week Ending April 16,1999
'Radioloaical Criteria for License Termination of Uranium Recoverv Facilities (Part 40)
A final rule regarding the decommissioning of licensed thorium and uranium recovery facilities was published in the Federal Register on April 12,1999 (64 FR 17506). The final rule providas specific radiological criteria for decommissioning lands and structures. It uses the existing soil radium standard to derive a dose criterion benchmark for the cleanup of byproduct material other than radium in soil and for the cleanup of surface activity on structures to be released for unrestricted use. The final rule is intended to provide a clear and consistent regulatory approach for determining the extent to which lands and structures can be considered to be decommissioned. The rule becomes effective June 11,1999.
Elimination of Reportina Reauirement and 30-Dav Hold in Loadina Soent Fuel After Preooerational Testina of Indeoendent Soent Fuel Storace on Monitored Retrievable Storage Installations (Part 72)
A final rule that eliminates the requirement that a report of the preoperational testing of an ,
independent spent fuel storage installation or a monitored retrievable storage installation be I submitted to NRC at least 30 days before the receipt of spent fuel or high-level radioactive waste was published in the Federal Register on April 12,1999 (64 FR 17510). This action eliminates an unnecessary report because the NRC is on site and evaluates preoperational testing as it occurs. The final rule becomes effective May 12,1999.
Codes and Standards: IEEE National Consensus Standard (Part 50)
' A final rule that amends the regulations to incorporate by reference the most recent version of a national consensus standard for power, instrumentation, and control portions of safety systems in nuclear power plants was published in the Federal Register on April 13,1999 (64 FR 17944).
The final rule is necessary to endorse the latest version of this national consensus standard in NRC regulations. The final rule becomes effective May 13,1999.
l April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE F
Chief Information Officer items of Interest Week Ending April 16,1999 Freedom of information and Privacy Act Reauests received durina the 5-Dav Period of April 9,1999 throuch April 15.1999:
Ol employe's classification series 1811, OlG investigation. (FOINPA 99-181) 1.M.P.A.C. cardholder listing. (FOIA/PA 99-182)
Named individual, IG report. (FOIA/PA 99-183)
Referral from Department of Labor. (FOINPA 99-184) i Calendar for Chairman Jackson 1/96 through 6/96. (FOINPA 99-185) I Spent fuel, DOE's obligation, ability, willingness, efforts, proposals, or desire to take title to spent fuel. (FOINPA 99-186)
MLTS database. (FOINPA 99-187)
MLTS database. (FOINPA 99-188)
Radiation exposure record, named deceased individual. (FOINPA 99-189) !
1 April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE G
4 Office of Human Resources items of interest Week Ending April 16,1999 Workers' Compensation Seminar Attended On April 14,1999, Henry Rubin attended a Workers' Compensation Seminar in Washington, D.C. This s'pecial seminar concentrated on the challenge of the Federal Worker 2000 program to make the safety and health of Federal workers a central concern. Occupational Safety and Health Administration staff discussed their initiatives and efforts to reduce injuries. Office of Workers' Compensation staff discussed new regulatory changes to the Federal Employees Compensation Act and their impact. In addition, Tom Burke, National Federal Program Manager of MJM Investigations, discussed methods of checking for possible abuse and fraud in workers' compensation claims.
Departures O'ROURKE, George OFFICE SERV;CES ASST RI April 16,1999 ENCLOSUREI
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L Office of Public Affairs items of interest Week Ending April 16,1999 Media Interest
'Two reporters attended Chairman Jackson's press conference at Salem.
Two reporters and one member of the public attended the Calvert Cliffs meeting on the first engineering inspection for license renewal.
There was a high degree of press interest in Region I and headquarters about the restart meeting for Millstone 2.
. The television show "60 Minutes" is planning a story on Y2K readiness which includes information about nuclear reactors.
. Crane's Detroit Business is publishing an article on nuclear power in a deregulated
-environment.
Press Releases l
Headquarters:
99-73 NRC to Hold Second Set of Meetings on Application for Temporary Spent Fuel Storage Facility ;
99-74 NRC Expands its Website to include 1999 Initiatives, and
" Students'/ Teachers' Corner" t
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, 99-75 NRC Approves Transfer of Three Mile Island Plant Operating i License te Amergen Energy Co. .
I L 99-76 ivote to Editors: ACRS subcommittee meetings 99-77 NRC Advisory Committee Meeting on Reactor Safeguards to Meet in Rockville, Maryland '
98-78 NRC Proposes Changes to Regulations on Well Logging l' Regions:
1-99-28 NRC Staff Releases Findings of First License Renewalinspection at Calvert Cliffs; Schedules Public Meeting l-99-29 NRC lssues Latest Performance Review of Beaver Valley Power '
Station f I-99-30 NRC issues Performance Review for Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE M
i l99-31 NRC issues Performance Review for Salem Nuclear Power Plant I 99-32 NRO Issues Latest Assessment of Performance at Hope Creek l-99-33 NRC lssues Performance Review for Millstone Nuclear Plant I-99-34 NRC issues Latest Assessment of Performance at Fitzpatrick l-99-35 NRC lssues Latest Assessment of Performance at Nine Mile Point l-99-36 NRC Staff issues Latest Performance Assessment of Limerick i l 99-37 NRC issues Performance Review for Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant l-99-38 NRC lssues Performance Review for Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant l-99-39 NRC issues Performance Review for Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant I-99-40 NRC Staff issues Latest Assessment of Performance at Ginna 1-99-41 NRC lssues Performance Review for Three Mile Island i Plant )
l-99-42 NRC lssues Latest Performance Review for Calvert Cliffs I-99-43 NRC lssues Performance Review for Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant I-99-44 NRC issues Latest Performance Review for indian Point 3 l-99-45 NRC lssues Latest Performance Assessment of indian Point 2 l-99-46 NRC issues Performance Review for Susquehanna Nuclear Plant lll-99-26 NRC Names New Resident inspector at Kewaunee Nuclear Power
, Plant I
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Office of International Programs items of Interest Week Ending April 16,1999 Preoarations for IAEA Clean-UD Symoosium Preparations continued for the NRC/ EPA / DOE co-sponsored IAEA Symposium on Clean Up
- and Restoration of Contaminated Sites. OIP and NMSS representatives attended a debriefing by Larry Reed of EPA, who represented the U.S. agencies at an IAEA Program Committee held April 8-9 in Vienna. The Program Committee. members, who also included representatives from -
Denmark, New Zealand and Russia,- discussed the Symposium agenda which is expected to be issued in final form in the near future.
U.S. Ratification of Convention on Nuclear Safetv On April 9,1999, President Clinton signed the instrument of ratification, making the United States a Contracting Party to the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS). The Convention .
- currently has 51 parties and 65 signatories. Each Party undertakes to submit a National Report describing how the country meets legal, institutional and operational obligations relating to nuclear safety. The Parties meet every three years to peer review each other's National Reports and work to enhance globcl nuclear safety culture. Many National Reports have been posted at <www.iaea.org/ns/nusafe/safeconv.htm>.
The first Review Meeting of Contracting Parties to the CNS began on April 12. At the opening
. plenary, the Parties agreed that late ratifiers, such as the United States and Cyprus, would be
' invited to participate in the three-day final plenary of the meeting, April 21-23. The U.S.
delegation to the final plenary will be led by Carol Kessler, Senior Coordinator for Nuclear Safety at the Department of State, and will include Janice Dunn Lee, Acting Director, Office of Intemational Programs, and Elizabeth Doroshuk, Program Manager, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. After a two-day opening plenary, the Parties broke into six Country Groups of eight Parties apiece and began a process of peer reviewing each others' National Report. The final plenary will discuss issues and trends emerging from Country Group discussions and will draft a Report of the Parties.
United Kinodom The Nuclear Installations inspectorate (Nil) confirmed that it is safe to restart operation of the Magnox Reactor-2 at the Sizewell-A nuclear power station in Suffolk. The reactor has been shut down since the end of 1995 in order to repair defective welds in the boiler shells. The l
decision to start-up Reactor 2 was dependent upon a successful outcome to the weld repair 1 program and demonstration that sufficient progress had been made, for the station as a whole, l towards clearing all the peri;Jic safety review (PSR) follow-up requirements identified in 1996. .
Some long-term ongoing work will continue. Continued operation of both Reactor-1 and 2, l
potentially up to the age of 40 years, is subject to satisfactory completion by Magnox electric of ;
the outstanding PSR work.
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April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE N i
Neaotiations with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
OIP completed negotiations with PNNL regarding regulatory support for the Nuclear Regulatory Administration of Ukraine. They relate to infrastructure development (information technology system integration, project management training, projects database and control, nuclear terminology in Russian and English) and code validation. Following appropriate reviews, work I is expected to begin in a month.
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April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE N L
Office of the Secretary items of Interest Week Ending April 16,1999 Documents Released Date Subject to Public Decision Documents
- 1. SECY-99-108 4/9/99 Proposed Ruto: 10 CFR Parts 30,31,32, 170, and 171 " Requirements for Certain Generally Licensed Industrial Devices Containing Byproduct Material"
- 2. SECY-99-043 2/5/99 Organizational Conflict of interest Regarding Department of Energy Laboratories SRM on 99-043 4/12/99 (same)
Commission Voting 4/12/99 (same)
Record on 99-043
- 3. SECY-99-071 3/8/99 Assessing the Effectiveness of the Allegation Program from Review of Survey Forms Sent to Allegers SRM on 99-071 4/14/99 (same)
Commission Voting 4/14/99 (same)
Record on 99-071
- 4. COMSECY-99-006 3/3/99 Draft Federal Register Notice Announcing Intent to implement Sunshine Act Rules SRM on COMSECY 4/16/99 (same) 006 Chairman Jackson vote 3/25/99 (same) on COMSECY-99-006 Cmr Dicus vote on 3/10/99 (same)
COMSECY-99-006 Cmr Diaz vote on 3/24/99 (same)
COMSECY-99-006 Cmr McGaffigan vote on 4/6/99 (same)
COMSECY-99-006 Cmr Merrifield vote on 3/23/99 (same)
COMSECY-99-006 April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE O l
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- 5. SECV-99-086 3/23/99 Recommendations Regarding the Senior Management Meeting Process and Ongoing improvements to Existing Licensee Performance Assessment Processes SRM on SECY-99-086 4/16/99 (same)
Voting Record on 4/16/99 (same)
SECY-99-086 Information Papers l
l 1.- SECY-99-098 3/31/99 Publication of an Issues Paper on Release L
of Solid Materials (Clearance), in the Federal Reaister. for Public Comment and For Use at Public Meetings
- 2. SECY-99-102 4/1/99 Weekly information Report - Week Ending i March 26,1999 Memoranda
- 1. M990316 4/12/99 Staff Requirements - Briefing on Status of i
DOE High Level Waste Viability Assessment '
(SECY-99-074) Tuesday, March 16,1999 i
- 2. M990415B 4/15/99 Staff Requirements - Affirmation Session, 3:00 p.m., Thursday, April 15,1999-1.
I SECY-99-090 - Private Fuel Storage, L.L.C.
(PFS)- Review of Board's Decision Granting Late-Filed Intervention Petition of Southem Utah Wildemess Alliance (LBP 3)(February 3,1999); ll. SECY-99-092 -
Duke Energy Corporation - Commission Review of LBP-98-33 Commission Correspondence l 1. Letter to President of the U.S. Senate Albert Gore and Speaker of the House Dennis l l Hastert, dated March 26,1999, provides the NRC's Fiscal Year 1998 Accountability l Report.
- 2. Letter to Senator James inhofe, dated April 1,1999, provides responses to post-hearing ;
questions (incoming dated February 26, also released).
- 3. Letter to Congressional Appropriation Committees, dated April 8,1999, provides the monthly report on the status of licensing and regulatory duties.
- 4. Letter to FEMA Director James Witt, dated April 8,1999, concems Presidential Decision Directive 67.
April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE O
Federal Reaister Notices issued
- 1. ACRS Subcommittee Meeting on Planning and Procedures; Notice of Meeting on May 5, 1999.
- 2. ACRS Subcommittee Meeting on Safety Research Program; Notice of Meeting on May 4, 1999.
- 3. . Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting Notice for May 5-8,1999.
- 4. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards and Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste Working Group Meeting on May 11,1999.
- 5. Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Notice of Meeting on May 11-13,1999.
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April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE O 4
l Region i Items of Interest Week Ending April 16,1999 issuance of PPR Letters On April 9,1999, Region I issued letters to licensed reactor facilities documenting the results of PPRs that were conducted on February 23,24, and 25.
Calvert Cliffs 1 and 2 e in two meetings on April 6,1999, (one during the day, the other in the evening) the public was provided an opportunity to comment on the draft Supplemental Environmental impact Statement for Calvert Cliffs' license renewal application. The meetings were well received by the public and furthered the agency's mission of enhancing public confidence.
On April.15,1999, at 7:00 p.m., the NRC's license renewal inspection team held a meeting at the Calvert Cliffs Public Education Facility to present to the public the results of the first license renewalinspection. The public was given an opportunity to ask questions of the NRC staff about the license renewal process.
- Senior Congressional staff of the Y2K Committee and the House Science Committee toured Calvert Cliffs with NEl representatives on April 16.
Salem Units 1 and 2 On Tuesday,~ April 13,1999, Chairman Shirley Jackson and Region 1 Administrator Hub Miller toured the Salem facility and conducted interviews with selected licensee staff and management. Chairman Jackson met with reporters from a local newspaper and radio station following her visit.
Waste Pile Removed from Pesses/METCOA Site During the period of April 6-8,1999, contractors loaded a total of 17 trucks with the remaining thorium-contaminated waste soil (375 tons) from the Pesses/METCOA site heated in Pulaski in westem Pennsylvania. The Pesses/METCOA site is listed on the NRC Site Decommissioning Management Plan (SDMP). The waste soil, is contaminated with cadmium, was sent to the Waste Control Specialists (WCM) facility in Texas for disposal at its RCRA (Resource Conservation Recovery Act) waste facility. The contractor ,
confirmed that all trucks arrived safely and had been unloaded at the WCM facility.
Contractor personnel currently are performing a radiological survey of the area where the waste had been stored at the Pesses/METCOA site. Region I anticipates removal of this site from the SDMP by the end of FY99.
. April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE P
9 NRR and CIO Reoresentatives Visit Reaion i On April 12-13,1999, Jackie Silber, Director of Program Management, Policy Development and Analysis Staff, NRR, Les Barnett, Chief of Information Management Branch, NRR, and William Usilton, OClO, met with Region I managers and staff. Discussions included the planning, budgeting and program management process; feedback on the Region's experience with the Reactor Program System and future improvements to RPS; and approaches to document managemeht as they relate to ADAMS.
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April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE P
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. .i Region 11 Items of interest
. Week Ending April 16,1999 Viroinia Electric and Power Comoany - North Anna On April 13,1999, Regional managers met at the North Anna facility to discuss Plant
. Performance Review results with Virginia Electric and Power Company management.
Subsequent to this meeting, the staff met with invited State and applicable local government officials to discuss matters of mutualinterest, which included a discussion of the Commission's new reactor inspection and oversight program.
Florida Power Corooration - Crvstal River Representatives of Florida Power Corporation met with Regional managers in the Region 11 .
office on April 14,1999, to discuss the Crystal River Plant's performance. The licensee f presented a summary of plant operational performance, including a discussion of Crystal River performance as measured by industry performance indicators. Overviews of the Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering departments were presented. Significant modifications and other activities planned for the October 1999 refueling outage were also discussed.
Arthur Anderson Meetina On April 14,1999, Arthur Anderson met with Region ll managers and employees as part of the Study of NRC Management and Support Functions.
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I April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE P ;
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Region til items of Interest Week Ending April 16,1999 Manaaement Meetino with American Power Comoany - D.C. Cook On April 15,1999, a meeting was conducted in Bridgman, Michigan, between management representatives from American Power Company and members of the NRC staff. The meeting focused on the status of D.C. Cook Nuclear Power Station's restart activities. Also discussed was the recent Plant Performance Review of the D.C. Cook Station. The Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Sam Collins, Brian McCabe, Assistant to Commissioner Jeffrey Merrifield and Region lli Regional Administrator Jim Dyer participated in the meeting.
Manaaement Meetino with Illinois Power Comoany - Clinton On April 16,1999, a meeting was conducted in Clinton, Illinois, between management !
representatives from lilinois Power Company and members of the NRC staff. This was the final !
meeting prior to the restart of the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant. Also discussed was the recent '
Plant Performance Review of the Clinton plant. William Kane, Associate Director in the NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Stu Richards, a Project Directorate in the NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and Region lli Regional Administrator Jim Dyer participated in the meeting.
i Clinton Nuclear Power Plant Sale Aareement On April 15,1999, Illinois Power and AmerGen Energy Company, owned jointly by PECO Energy Company and British Energy, announced that they have reached an interim agreement on the sale and operation of the Clinton Nuclear Power Station by AmerGen. Under the basic terms of the agreement, Illinois Power would buy at least 75 percent of the plant's electricity output for the next several years. PECO Energy.will continue to manage the station pending l the parties reaching a final agreement and closing a sale. In addition, PECO Energy is assuming the plant's direct operating and capital expenses, approximately $18 million per month, starting April 1,1999. AmerGen would pay lilinois Power $20 million for the plant and would assume final responsibility and liability for operating and ultimately decommissioning the nuclear station when the sale occurs, tentatively expected by the end of 1999.
April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE P L
1 4-3 Region IV ltems of Interest Week Ending April 16,1999
- Manaaement Meetina with Enterav Operations. Inc.
On April 8,1999, the Regional Administrator, the Director, Division of Licensing Project Management, and other members of the NRC staff met with senior executives and management of Entergy Operations, Inc., at Entergy Corporate offices in Jackson, Mississippi.
. The meeting was held to discuss several topics of interest, including recent performance at Arkansas Nuclear One, Grand Gulf, River Bend, and Waterford 3, Entergy business activities, the Entergy Renewal Program, and NRR issues.
Public Meetina at the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station to Present Plant Performance Review Results On April 15,1999, the Chief, Project Branch A, Division of Reactor Projects, held a public meeting with the Entergy Operations, Inc., Vice President, Operations and other members of his staff at the Energy Service Center Building auditorium at the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the results of the Plant Performance Review completed on February 11,1999. Additionally, the new assessment process and NRC planning for Y2K issues were addressed. Subsequent to the meeting, the Branch Chief and the resident inspectors met with local officials and a member of the public.
i April 16,1999 ENCLOSURE P l
g Office of the Executive Director for Operations items of Interest Week Ending April 16,1999 Prooosed Rule to be Sianed by EDO On April 15,1999, the Executive Director for Operations approved a supplement to a proposed rulo publish'ed on December 3,1997, to revise the requirements for construction, inservice inspection (ISI), and inservice testing (IST) of nuclear power plant components. The supplement provided for the incorporation by reference recent editions and addenda of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and the ASME Code for Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants.
The supplement to the proposed rule would eliminate the requirement for licensees to update their ISI and IST programs to tne latest edition and addenda of the ASME Code beyond a baseline Code to be determined. For licensees that are currently applying editions of the ASME Code earlier than the baseline edition, it is proposed that such licensees be afforded up to 5 years to implement the baseline or later edition and addenda.
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April 16,1999 ENCLOSUREO
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