ML20211F466

Discusses GL 98-01 Issued by NRC on 980511 & NPPD Responses for Cooper Nuclear Station & 990628 & Results of Visit to Plant on 990811-12.Staff Determined That Integrated Contigency Plan Incomplete & CNS Not Y2K Ready

ML20211F466
Person / Time
Site:	Cooper
Issue date:	08/23/1999
From:	Lawrence Burkhart NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
To:	Swailes J NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
References
GL-98-01, NUDOCS 9908300342
Download: ML20211F466 (3)

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's NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 0001

'g . . . . . ,o August 23, 1999 Mr. J. H. Swailes Vice President of Nuclear Energy Nebraska Public Power District P. O. Box 98 Brownville, NE 68321

SUBJECT:

COOPER NUCLEAR STATION YEAR 2000 READINESS

Dear Mr. Swailes:

Generic Letter (GL) 98-01 was issued May 11,1998, and required that all licensees provide information regarding their programs, planned or implemented, to address the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem in computer systems at their facilities. Specifically, the NRC required that licensees provide (1) written confirmation of implementation of their programs, and (2) written certification -

that the facilities are Y2K ready with regard to compliance with the terms and conditions of their licensees and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations. The required 90-day response for Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) was submitted in your letter dated July 6,1998.

On January 14,1999, the NRC issued Supplement 1 to GL 98-01 requesting a voluntary )

alternative response to that required in GL 98-01. In your letter dated June 28,1999, it was reported that CNS has implemented a Year 2000 program similar to that outlined in Nuclear Utility Year 2000 Readiness, NEUNUSMG 97-07. This program provides for risk management efforts and development of contingency plans for key rollover dates. Your response concluded that the Y2K readiness program has been completed for those systems required for continued operation of CNS beyond 1999 and tnat CNS is Y2K ready and can continue to generate electrical power into the year 2000.

As part of NRC's independent verification of licensee Y2K readiness, regional personnel completed reviews of alllicensee Y2K programs, including the CNS facility. Although most Y2K activities were complete at CNS, the review of CNS's Y2K program identified that the Integrated Contingency Plan is not complete. A teleconference was held on August 10,1999, with Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) management to discuss this issue, and it was agreed ,

that technical staff from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) would visit CNS to ()

I perform a review of the Integrated Contingency Plan. NRC technical staff visited CNS on August 11 and 12,1999. The staff's review determined that CNS's Integrated Contingency Plan is not complete (NPPD management was informed of this fact at a debrief held on 7 1 August 12,1999). An incomplete integrated Contingency Plan does not change the conclusion regarding completion of licensee remediation activities for safety-related s that support plant operations and licensee administrative functions. However, the NRC l considers that a complete Integrated Contingency Plan is necessary for the licensee to be fully  ;

l Y2K ready. I Since the integrated Contingency Plan is not complete, it is the staff's view that CNS is not ready with respect to responding to potential Y2K problems. This status will be reported in NUREG 1706,"An Assessment of US Nuclear Utility Year 2000 Readiness," which will be published in late August 1999. .

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mn 9908300342 990823 PDR ADOCK 05000298 P PDR L

J.H. Swailes August 23, 1999 Another issue potentially affecting your Y2K status is the validity of certain equipment Y2K compliance evaluations. NPPD discovered during an audit of contractor reviews that there were some pieces of equipment that were reported by the contractor to be Y2K compliant that actually are not. NPPD representatives stated in a teleconference on August 17,1999, that none of the deficiencies identified to date would change the CNS Y2K readiness status as reported in the GL 98-01 response and no safety related components are affected. With the goal of determining the scope of the equipment Y2K compliance evaluation issue, NPPD representatives stated that they will perform additional audit samples and develop a plan of action which will be shared with the NRC.

Based on the staff's review of your Y2K Program with respect to your integrated Contingency Plan, the NRC staff cannot conclude that CNS is Y2K ready. In light of the staff's findings with respect to your Integrated Contingency Plan and the equipment Y2K compliance evaluation j issue, you are requested to clarify your Y2K readiness status and, if warranted, forward a corrected response to GL 98-01. Your written response should include the plan and schedule to be Y2K ready. By telephone on August 18,1999, NPPD representatives stated that the Integrated Contingency Plan would be complete by September 20,1999. Your written response is requested within 2 weeks of the date of this letter.

Sincerely, Original Signed by Robert Gramm for I Lawrence J. Burkhart, Project Manager, Section 1 Project Directorate IV & Decommissioning Division of Licensing Project Management Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket No. 50-298 cc: See next page DISTRIBUTION:

Docket File (50-298) RWessman PUBLIC DLange PDIV-1 r/f MSatorius JZwolinski/SBlack EHayden KBrockman, RIV DThatcher CMarschall, RIV ACRS MWaterman OGC MChiramal

• See previous concurrence To receive a copy of this document, indicate "C" in the box OFFICE PDIV 1/PM f PDIV-D/LA .

C PDIV-1/SC C *HICB EDS yTDiv&D/D C NAME LBurkhah CJamerson C RGrammfh.) JCalvo MbtorN SRichards h DATE 5 /D /99 8 / 23 /99 [ $ / 7.,3 /94 8/19/99 7 M/99 8 / N/99 l DOCUMENT NAME: G:\PDIV-1\COdPER\ltra1825rev2.wpd OFFICIAL RECORD COPY.

f Cooper Nuclear Station cc:

Mr. G. R. Hom Sr. Vice President of Energy Supply Nebraska Public Power District Ms. Cheryl K. Rogers, Program Manager 141415th Street Nebraska Health & Human Services System Columbus, NE 68601 Division of Public Health Assurance Consumer Services Section Mr. John R McPhail, General Counsel 301 Centennial Mall, South Nebraska Public Power District P. O. Box 95007 P. O. Box 499' Lincoln, NE 68509-5007 Columbus, NE 68602-0499 Mr. Ronald A. Kucera, Department Director l Mr. B. L. Houston, Nuclear Licensing of Intergovernmental Cooperation j and Safety Manager Department of Natural Resources Nebraska Public Power District P.O. Box 176 {

P. O. Box 98 Jefferson City, MO 65102 Brownville, NE 68321 Senior Resident Inspector Dr. William D. Leech U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Manager-Nuclear

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P. O. Box 218 i MidAmerican Energy Brownville, NE 68321 907 Walnut Street P. O. Box 657 Regional Administrator, Region IV Des Moines, IA 50303-0657 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 1000 Mr. Ron Stoddard Arlington, TX 76011 Lincoln Electric System 1040 O Street Jerry Uhlmann, Director P. O. Box 80869 State Emergency Management Agency Lincoln, NE 68501-0869 P. O. Box 116 Jefferson City, MO 65101 Mr. Michael J. Linder, Director Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality j P. O. Box 98922 l Lincoln, NE 68509-8922 Chairman Nemaha County Board of Commissioners 1 Nemaha County Courthouse 1824 N Street Auburn, NE 68305 August 18.1999 l

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