ML20206Q570

Informs That on 990420-21 NRC Senior Managers Met to Evaluate Nuclear Safety Performance of Operation Reactors, Fuel Cycle Facilities & Other Matl Licenses

ML20206Q570
Person / Time
Site:	Quad Cities
Issue date:	05/03/1999
From:	Travers W NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:	Kenyon B NORTHEAST UTILITIES SERVICE CO.
References
NUDOCS 9905190165
Download: ML20206Q570 (8)

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p \" UNITED STATES 1 3k y NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION I WASHlh0 ton, D.C. 30006 4001

• • • • • May 3, 1999 i

Mr. B. D. Kenyon President - Generation Group l Northeast Utilities System 107 Selden St.

Berlin, CT 06037

Dear Mr. Kenyon:

On April 20 and 21,1999, the NRC senior managers met to rivaluate nuclear safety performance of operating reactors, fuel cycle facilities, and ether materials licensees. The NRC conducts this meeting periodically to determine if the safety performance of various licensees exhibits sufficient weaknesses to warrant increased NRC attention or if it is trending adversely and requires steps be taken to communicate concerns to tha utility's president or board of .

directors. At the April 1999 Senior Managemont Meeting (SMM), the Millstone Nuclear Power  !

Station Units 2 *.no 3 were discussed. i The NRC has implemented interim changes to the SMM process, including the elimination of )

the Watch List, as we continue to transition to e revised reactor oversight process. NRC stan .u l recommendations for SMM process improvements were provided to the Commission in l SECY-99-086, " Recommendations Regarding the Senior Management Meeting Process and ,/ ' i Ongoing improvements to Existing Licensee Performance Assessment Processes," dated (4 March 23,1999. The Commission approved the staff's recommendations in a Staff Requirements Memorandum dated April 16,1999. Under the interim SMM process, plants will be characterized as warranting routine oversight, regional-focus, or agency-focus in accordance with the following definitions. Routine oversipht plants receive oversight under the auspices of the NRC's inspection Program in accordance with NRC Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 2515,

" Light Water Reactor Inspection Program - Operations Phase." Regional-focus plants require the direct attention and/or involvement by the regional administrators to coordinate HRC resources and maintain cognizance of licensee performance (e.g., issuance of a confirmatory action letter, implementation of the IMC 0350, " Staff Guidelines for Restart Approval," process, enactment of a regional-level inspection beyond the NRC's routine inspection p.ogram).

Agency-focus plants require the direct attention and/or involvement by the EDO and/or Commission to coordinate NRC resources and maintain cognizance of licensee performance (e.g., issuance of an order, enactment of agency-level oversight or inspection).

Millstone 'Jnit 2 had been previously classified as a Category 3 plant on the NRC's Watch List.

This category included shutdown status plants where Commission approval was required for startup. At the time of the SMM, the Commission had not approved startup. On this basis, Millstonc Unit i. was identified as an agency-focus plant. Although subsequent to the SMM Unit 2 restart has been authorized by the NRC, the facility remains as an agency focus plant due to pending plant restart and Commission /EDO interest in sustained improvements in licensee performance.

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B.D.Kenyon 2 Millstone Unit 3 had been previously classified as a Category 2 plant on the NRC's Watch List.

' As a result of the April 1999 SMM and the revised SMM process, Millstone Unit 3 has been identified as a regional-focus plant. A summary of NRC discussions related to Millstone Unit 3 follows:

The senior managers considered the evaluation matrix in determining the appropriate

. agency response to the identified performance concems. Recent performance at Millstone was characterized by slow but steady improvement. The senior managers discussed the number of operational challenges experienced s:nce the restart of Unit 3, the robustness of the corrective action program, employee concems, safety conscious  !

work environment and the existing backlog of work. The discussion concentrated on  !

determining whether Unit 3 performance met the criteria necessary to be designated as a routine oversight or regional-focus plant or whether additional attention was required.

The senior managers determined that Millstone Unit 3 had not met several of the criteria for retuming to routine inspection oversight, including the demonstration of sustained, successful plant performance. Specifically, while the licensee has characteristically made safe, consorvative decisions regarding plant operations and has worked to raise ,

standards, the number of operational issues following Unit 3 restart was an area of I concem. This included several plant trips and entries into technical specif3ation statements requiring initiation of shutdowns over the six months following restart that were related, in part, to previous identified problems and equipment concerns. The licensee took steps to address these concerns with some positive results noted recently in opera (ions, but additional time is needed to judge the effectiveness of licensee efforts.

The senior managers noted that progress had been made in addressing the backlog of issues deferred at the time of restart. However, a large station workload associated with preparing for Unit 2 restart and the Unit 3 refueling outm and the backlog of corrective actions constitute a significant continuing challenge. At the same time, the licensee will be completing the implementation of a major reorganization. While progress has been made in deve'oping a safety conscious work environment and handling of employee concems con.inued, heightened monitoring of these areas is warranted. The senior managers determined that Unit 3 warrants oversignt as a regional-focus plant.

Hubert J. Mi'ller, the NRC Region i Administrator, has discussed the bases for our conclusions with regard to Millstone Units 2 and 3 with you. The agency's intended actions as a result of the SMM are consistent with those that were conveyed in the Plant Performance Review (PPR) letter dated April 9,1999.

An NRC Commission meeting, c:An to the public, is scheduled to be held in the Commissioners' Conference Room in Rockville, Maryland, on May 6,1999, to review the results of the latest meeting of the NRC senior managers.

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g Oliver D. Kingsley 3 l If you have any questions regarding 01is matter, do not hesitate to call me.

Sincerely, s/

William D. Travers Executive Director for Operations Docket Nos. 50-254; 50-265 License Nos. DPR-29; DPR-30 cc: See Attached List.

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DOCUMENT NAME: A:\ QUAD 499.WPD

• Concurred via telecon. }

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W OFFICE RA: Rill .l l EDO\\ l l l NAME JEDyer ** W SJCollins/WFKane WDTrhd~s  :

DATE 04/27/99 ' ~~

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t; DISTRIBUTION: for letter to Mr. Oliver D. Kingsley (Quad Cities)

Central Files '

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1 B. D. Kenyon 3 If you have any questions regarding this matter, do not hesitate to call me.

Sincerely, Isl William n, Travers Executive Director for Operations Docket Nos: 50-336, 50-423 License Nos.: DPR-65, NPF-49 cc: See Attached List. l l

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Distritrution: See Attached List.

DOCUMENT NAME: A:\ MILLS 499.WPD " Concurred via e-mail.

To receive a copy of this document, ind,iciate in the box: "C" = Copy without enclosures "E" = Copy with enclosures "N" = No copy / I >

OFFICE RA:RI _[ $R c l EDet /l l l NAME HJMiller" 7(ft 8JC'oilins/WFKane d WDTrevers/

DATE 04/28/99 04/ZA /99 04/9Y/(9 l

. OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

Millstone Nucleir Power Station

.? Units 2 and 3 cc:

Ms. L. M. Cuoco Mr. J. T. Carlin Senior Nuclear Counsci Vice President - Human Services Northeast Utilities Service Company Northeast Utilities Service Company P.O. Box 270 P. O. Box 128 Hartford, CT 06141-0270 Waterford, CT 06385 Edward L. Wilds, Jr., Ph.D. Mr. Allan Johanson, Assistant Director Director, Division of Radiation Office of Policy and Management Department of Environmental Protection Policy Development and Planning 79 Elm Street Division Hartford, CT 06106-5127 450 Capitol Avenue - MS# 52ERN P. O. Box 341441 Regional Administrator, Region i Hartford, CT 06134-1441 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 475 Allendale Road Mr. M. H. Brothers King of Prussia, PA 19406 Vice President - Millstone Operations Northeast Nuclear Energy Company Mr. Wayne D. Lanning, Director P.O. Box 128 Millstone Inspections Waterford, CT 06385 Office of the Regional Administrator 475 Allendale Road Mr. J. A. Price King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 Director- Unit 2 Operations Northeast Nuclear Energy Company Senior Resident inspector P.O. Box 128 Millstone Nuclear Power Station Waterford, CT 06385 clo U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission P.O. Box 513 Mr. L. Olivier Niantic, CT 06357 Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer- Millstone Mr. F. C. Rothen Northeast Nuclear Energy Company Vice President - Nuclear Work Services P.O. Box 128 Northeast Utilities Service Company Waterford, CT 06385

,- P. O. Box 128 Waterford, CT 06385 Citizens Regulatory Commission ATTN: Ms. Susan Perry Luxton Ernest C. Hadley,- Esquire 180 Great Neck Road 1040 B Main Street Wate,f ard, CT 06385  ;

P.O. Box 549 West Wareham, MA 02576 Deborah Katz, President {

Citizens Awareness Network Mr. R. P. Necci P. O. Box 83 Vice President - Nuclear Oversight Shelbume Falls, MA 03170 and flegulatory Affairs Northeast Nuclear Energy Company P. O. Box 128 Waterford, CT 06385 l

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• 4 Millst:ne Nucle:r Power Station

. , . Units 2 cnd 3 Ms. Terry Concannon Mr. C. J. Schwarz Co-Chair Director - Unit 3 Operations Nuclear Energy Advisory Council Northeast Nuclear Energy Company Room 4100 P.O. Box 128 Legislative Office Building Waterford, CT 063%

Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106 Mr. William D. Meinert Nuclear Engineer Mr. Evan W. Woollacott Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Co-Chair Electric Company Nuclear Energy Advisory Council P.O. Box 426 128 Terry's Plain Road Ludlow, MA 01056 Simsbury, CT 06070 l Little Harbor Consultants, Inc.

Millstone - ITPOP Project Office P. O. Box 0630 Niantic, CT 06357-0630 l l

Attomey Nicholas J. Scobbo, Jr.

75 State Street Boston, MA 02109 Mr. D. B. Amerine Vice President - Engineering Services Northeast Nuclear Energy Company P. O. Box 128 Waterford, CT 06385 Mr. D. A. Smith Manager- Regulatory Affairs Northeast Nuclear Energy Company P. O. Box 128 Waterford, CT 06385 Ms. Nancy Burton

,, 147 Cross Highway Redding Ridge, CT 00870 Mr. M. R. Scully, Executive Director Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative 30 Stott Avenue Norwich, CT 06360 Mr. James S. Robinson, Manager Nuclear Investments and Administration New England Power Company 25 Research Drive Westborough, MA 01582

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