ML20207B070

Responds to Sent to Ofc of Congressional Affairs Requesting Info on Concerns Raised by One Constituent,J Riel Re Y2K Compliance of Pilgrim NPP in Plymouth,Ma

ML20207B070
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	05/24/1999
From:	Travers W NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:	Kerry J SENATE
Shared Package
ML20207B074	List: ML20207B070 ML20207B089
References
NUDOCS 9905280112
Download: ML20207B070 (9)

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p UNITED STATES i g- j NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20066 4001

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The Honorable John Kerry United States Senator One Bowdoin Square Tenth Floor Boston, MA 02114

Dear Senator Kerry:

I am responding to the letter you sent to our Office of Congressional Affairs on April 20,1999, in which you requested information on concerns raised by one of your constituents, Ms. Julia Riell, about the year 2000 (Y2K) compliance of the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Massachusetts. You also attached a copy of the article," Nuke Plants May Not Be Y2K Ready," which was retrieved on March 8,1999, from the World Wide Web at

<http //www. wired.com/ news / news / technology / story /18335.html>, that discussed this issue and for which Ms. Riell provided the uniform resource locato'r (URL).

I am pleased to tell you that over.the past several years, the NRC staff has been working with its licensees and continues to maintain an appropriately aggressive regulatory framework for overseeing Y2K readiness efforts at all nuclear power plants. These activities, as summarized below, provide an integrated and comprehensive approach for addressing this issue.

Since 1996, the NRC has been working with nuclear industry organizations and licensees to address the Y2K issue. To ensure that senior-level management at operating U.S. nuclear l facilities was aware of the Y2K concem, the NRC issued Information Notice (IN) 96-70, " Year i I

2000 Effect on Computer System Software," on December 24,1996. In IN 96-70 the staff describes the potential problems that nuclear facility computer systems and software might encounter during the transition to the new century. All U.S. nuclear power plants, fuel cycle facilities, and other material licensees were sent copies of this document.

In 1997, the Nuclear Energy institute (NEI) agreed to take the ked in developing industry-wide guidance for addressing the Y2K issues at nuclear power reactors. In November 1997, NEl issued a guidance document to all U.S. nuclear power plant licensees titled " Nuclear Utility Year 2000 Readiness" (NEl/NUSMG 97-07). In Generic Letter (GL) 98-01," Year 2000 Readiness of Computer Systems at Nuclear Power Plants," May 11,1998, the NRC accepted the ,

NEl/NUSMG 97-07 guidance as an appropriate program for nuclear power plant readiness and l required that all operating U.S. nuclear power plant licensees submit written responses regarding their facility specific Y2K readiness programs in order to obtain confirmation that licensees are addressing Y2K issu s effectively.

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Honorable John Keny ' All licensees have responded to GL 98-01, stating that they have adopted plant-specific programs that are intended to make the plants Y2K ready by July 1,1999. GL 98-01 also requires a written response, no later than July 1,1999, confirming that these facilities are Y2K ready. Licensees that are not Y2K ready by July 1,1999, must submit a status report and a schedule for the remaining work to ensure timely Y2K readiness.

One of a number of initiatives undertaken by the NRC staff to address the Y2K issue was the conduct of 12 sample audits of licensee Y2K readiness programs. The NRC staff determined that this approach was an appropriate rneans of oversight of licensee Y2K readiness efforts because all licensees had committed to the nuclear power industry Y2K readiness guidance (NEl/NUSMG 97-07) in their first response to NRC GL 98-01 and because the NRC staff had not ,

identified any Y2K problems in safety-related actuation systems. The sample of 12 licensees 1 I

included large utilities such as Commonwealth Edison and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as well as small single-unit licensees such as North Atlantic Energy (Seabrook) and Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation. Because licensee Y2K programs are corporate-wide, many of )

the NRC staff audits encompased more than a single nuclear power plant site since many utilities own more than one nuclear power plant. In all, a total of 42 of 103 operating nuclear power plant units were associated with the Y2K readiness program audits of 12 utilities. The NRC staff selected a variety of types of plants of differe'nt ages and locations in this sample in order to obtain the necessary assurance that nuclear power industry Y2K readiness programs are being effectively implemented and that licensees are on schedule to meet the readiness target date of July 1,1999, established in GL 98-01.

In late January 1999, the NRC staff completed the 12 audits. On the basis of the audit findings, .

the staff concluded that the audited licensees were effectively addressing Y2K issues and were undertaking the actions necessary to achieve Y2K readiness in accordance with the GL 98-01 target date. The staff did not identify any issues that would preclude these licensees from achieving readiness. These findings are consistent with those recently reported by the ,

Department of Energy in the report prepared by the North American Electric Reliability Council l on the status of Y2K readiness of the electric power grid.

The NRC staff is not aware of any Y2K problems in nuclear power plant systems that directly affect actuation of safety functions. The majority of commercial nuclear power plants have protection systems that are analog rather than digital. Because Y2K concerns are associated I with digital systems, analog reactor protection system functions are not affected by the Y2K issue. Errors such as incorrect dates in printouts, logs, or displays have been identified by licensees in some digital safety-related devices, but the errors do not affect the functions performed by the devices or systems. Most Y2K issues are in balance-of-plant and other systems such as personnel access controls and plant monitoring systems, which support day-to-day plant operation but have no direct functions necessary for safe operation of the reactor.

These systems are being addressed in the licensee Y2K readiness programs consistent with the industry guidance and the GL 98-01 schedule.

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.. . . l Honorable John Kerry The staff had noted from the audits completed in January that licensee Y2K contingency planning efforts had not progressed far enough for a complete NRC staff review. However, these contingency planning efforts have now progressed sufficiently to allow for NRC audits, and additional oversight of this area is planned to begin in late May 1999. The staff currently

, plans to audit the contingency planning efforts of six different licensees from those included in l- the initial 12-sample Y2K readiness audits, beginning in May 1999 and ending in June 1999.

As stated earlier, licensee Y2K programs are corporate-wide and many utilities own more than one nuclear power plant. Therefgre, a total of 18 operating nuclear power plant units will be associated with these six licensee audits. These audits will focus on the licensee's approach to addressing both intamal and extemal Y2K risks to safe plant operations based on the guidance in NEl/NUSMG 98-07, " Nuclear Utility Year 2000 Contingency Planning."

In addition to the planned NRC staff activities previously addressed herein, NRC inspectors are currently reviewing plant-specific Y2K program implementation activities at all NRC-licensed commercial nuclear power plant facilities. The inspectors will be using guidance prepared by the NRC Headquarters staff that conducted the 12 sample audits.

The Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Massachusetts, mentioned in your constituent's e-mail, will receive a Y2K review by NRC inspectors by June 30,1999. Pilgrim's licensee will report on its Y2K readiness by July 1,1999, pursuant to GL 98-01. Pilgrim was not one of the 12 original audits performed; however, the licensee for Pilgrim is committed to following the same industry Y2K guidelmes. The 12 in-depth NRC audits already performed confirmed the effectiveness of these guidelines, and the NRC review at Pilgrim will assess the licensee's program for implementation of the industry guidelines. Therefore, NRC inspectors conducting  !

the audit at Pilgrim will have the added benefit of incorporating lessons learned from previous audits, which will result in the same high confidence level that Pilgrim will be Y2K ready.

I' The NRC staff will continue its oversight of Y2K issues at nuclear power plants through tFs remainder of 1999 and throughout 2000. In July 1999, we will review all licensee responses to GL 98-01 and address any questions that may raise concerns. The staff is developing guidance for appropriate regulatory actions to be taken for those facilities that are not Y2K ready by July 1,1999. By September 1999, we will determine the need for issuing orders to address Y2K readiness issues, including, if warranted, shutdown of a plant. At this time, we believe that all licensees will be able to operate their plants safely during the transition from 1999 to 2000 and beyond and do not believe that significant plant-specific action directed by the NRC to address possible Y2K problems is likely to be needed.

Nevertheless, the nuclear utility industry and the NRC are developing comprehensive contingency plans to cope with any unanticipated problems should they arise on December 31, 1999. This approach is consistent with the defense-in-depth philosophy applied to assuring nuclear safety.

You can find additionalinformation regarding Y2K issues on the NRC Web site at i <http 1/www.nrc. gov /NRC/ NEWS / year 2000.html>. This Web site identifies Y2K resources, notices, conferences, and other related information.

I Honorable John Kerry The NRC remains committed to its oversight of the nuclear power plant licensee Y2K readiness efforts in order to assure safe operation of these facilities throughout ,1999,2000, and beyond.

Please contact me if you have any additional questions on this matter. i Sincerely, A) h \f4% e i William D. Travers Executive Director for Operations i

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i Honorable John Kerry The NRC remains committed to its oversight of the nuclear power plant licensee Y2K readiness .

efforts in order to assure safe operation of these facilities throughout 1999,2000, and beyond.

Please contact me if you have any additional questions on this matter.

Sincerely,

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{ Web:D T: v;m William D. Travers Executive Director for Operations l

DISTRIBUTION FOR GT # 19990226 MKnapp FMiraglia PNorry JBlaha FCongel, IRO THiltz, OEDO l SBurns, OGC RZimmerman SCollins BSheron RWessman JCalvo JMauck MChiramal KMortensen MGareri WKane RBlough, RI WLanning, RI HJMiller, RI LAReyes, Ril LPlisco, Ril BMallet, Ril JGrobe, Rlli GGrant, Rlli JIDyer, Rlll AHowell, RIV KBrockman, RIV EWMerschoff, RIV File Center /NUDOCS (w/ original incoming)

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DISK / DOCUMENT NAME: A:\ Kerry 4GT.wpd

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Honorable John Kerry The NRC remains committed to its oversight of the nuclear power plant licensee Y2K readiness efforts in order to assure safe operation of these facilities throughout .1999, 2000, and beyond.

Please contact me if you have any additional questions on this matter. i Sincerely,

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j m:l=a:a .c William D. Travers Executive Director for Operations DISTRIBUTION FOR GT # 19990226 MKnapp FMiraglia PNorry JBlaha l FCongel, IRO THiltz, OEDO SBurns, OGC RZimmerman SCollins BSheron RWessman JCalvo JMauck MChiramal KMortensen MGareri WKane RBlough, RI WLanning, Rl HJMiller, RI LAReyes, Ril LPlisco, Rll BMallet, Ril JGrobe, Rill GGrant, Rlll JIDyer, Rill AHowell, RIV KBrockman, RIV EWMerschoff, RIV File Center /NUDOCS (w/ original incoming)

PUBLIC (w/ copy of incoming) EElB R/F (2)

SBozin (#99-16) JCrutchley (GT 19990226)

NRR Mailroom (GT 19990226)

DISK / DOCUMENT NAME: A:\ Kerry 4GT.wpd

• See previous concurrences To receive copy. ind,cate "C" = Copy w/o attachment /encicaune: *A* = Copy with attachment / enclosure; *N* = None NO MARK = NO COPYlH OFC EElB:DE A TECH ED N DE:EElB:BC A DD:DE A NAME KMortensen:adi RSanders JACalvo RWessman DATE 5/7/99* 5/3/9K 5/7K 5/10/9p*

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Honorable John Kerry The NRC remains committed to its oversight of the nuclear power plant licensee Y2K readiness efforts in order to achieve readiness of these facilities to safely operate throughout 1999,2000, and beyond. Please contact me if you have any additional questions on this matter.

Sincerely, William D. Travers Executive Director for Operations DISTRIBUTION FOR GT # 19990226 MKnapp FMiraglia PNorry JBlaha FCongel, IRO THil EDO SBurns, OGC RJimmerman SCollins Sheron RWessman JCalvo JMauck MChiramal KMortensen MGareri WKane y RBlough, RI WLanning, RI LAReyes, Ril BMallet, Ril

,/,/ HJMiller, RI LPlisco, Ril JGrobe, Rlli GGrant, Rlli JIDyer, Rlli AHowell, RIV'[.- KBrockman, RIV EWMerschoff, RIV File Center /NUDOCS (w/ original incoming)

PUB,LIC (w/ copy of incoming) EElB R/F SBozin (#99-16) JCrutchley (GT 19990226)

/NRR Mailroom (GT 19990226)

DISK / DOCUMENT NAME: A:\ Kerry 4GT.wpd To receive copy, indicate: 'C' = Copy *" Gtachment/ enclosure 'A' = Copy with ettachment/ enclosure; *N" = None. NO MARK = NO COPYll!

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}ly y d'V' <e Lt EDO Principal Correspondence Control rbrAv FROM DUE: _05/.13/99- EDO CONTROL: G19990226 DOC DT: 04/20/99 FINAL REPLY:

S:nctor John F. Kerry TO D nnis Rathbun, OCA FOR SIGNATURE OF : ** GRN ** CRC NO: 99-0396 Travers, EDO

-DESC: ROUTING:

NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS Y2K READINESS (Julia Riell) Travers Knapp Miraglia Norry Blaha Burns DATE: 04/29/99 Congel, IRO

, Hiltz, OEDO ASSIGNED TO: CONTACT:

_NRR Collins __

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:

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.j. CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET-PAPER NUMBER: CRC-99-0396 LOGGING DATE: Apr 27 99 ACTION OFFICE: EDO.

AUTHOR: JOHN KERRY, SEN-AFFILIATION: U.S. SENATE

-ADDRESSEE: DENNIS RATHBUN LETTER DATE: Apr 20 99 FILE CODE:

SUBJECT:

NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS Y2K READINESS ACTION: ' Signature of EDO DISTRIBUTION: ' CHAIRMAN, COMRS SPECIAL HANDLING: OCA TO ACK CONSTITUENT: JULIA RIELL NOTES:

DATE DUE: May 13 99 SIGNATURE: . DATE SIGNED:

AFFILIATION:

I EDO --G19990226 i

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