ML20217B010
| ML20217B010 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant |
| Issue date: | 03/20/1998 |
| From: | Toelle S UNITED STATES ENRICHMENT CORP. (USEC) |
| To: | Pederson C NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| References | |
| GPD-98-0053, GPD-98-53, NUDOCS 9803250327 | |
| Download: ML20217B010 (3) | |
Text
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d USEC 4 ci.6. anusy comp.or March 20,1998 GDP 98-0053 Ms. Cynthia Pederson, Director Division of Nuclear Material Safety U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 801 Warrenville Road Lisle, Illinois 60532-4351 Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS)
Docket No. 70-7002 Notification of a Change in a Regulatory Commitment
Dear Ms. Pederson:
The purpose of this letter is to notify the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of changes in the due date for four regulatory commitments associated with the Nuclear Criticality Safety (NCS)
Corrective Action Plan (CAP). The specifics of the commitment changes are provided below.
Background
USEC letter GDP 98-0013 dated January 30,1998, provided NRC with the quarterly status report for the PORTS NCS CAP. Task 3 of the CAP is titled "NCSA/E Upgrade Project." The purpose of this task is to review and revise as necessary NCSA/Es for technical adequacy, proper procedural flowdown, and implementation. As indicated in Table 2 to the referenced USEC letter, the due date for this commitment is March 27,1998, for Priority 1 NCSAs; July 31,1998, for Priority 2 NCSAs; and April 30,1999, for Priority 3 NCSAs.
Task 5 of the CAP is titled "SS&Q Review ofImplementation." The purpose of this task is to verify the implementation of the revised NCSAs. As indicated in Table 2 to the referenced USEC letter, the due date for this commitment is April 27,1998, for Priority i NCSAs; August 31,1998, for Priority 2 NCSAs; and May 31,1999, for Priority 3 NCSAs.
Task 8 of the CAP is titled " Vertical Slice Review." The purpose of this task is to perform an in-
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depth vertical slice review of the NCS program to identify all potential areas of enhancement. As C
indicated in Table 2 to the referenced USEC letter, the due date for this commitment is March 31, 1998.
fl Task ~ 16 of the CAP is titled " Revise Assessment Programs." The purpose of this task is to ensure that the plant's assessment programs identify deficiencies in programs and implementation. As indicated in Table 2 to the referenced USEC letter, the due date for this commitment is March 31, 1998.
6903 Rockhxige Drive. Bethesda. MD 20817-1818 Telephone 301-564-3200 Fax 301-564-3201 httpd/www.nsec.com gggG gg 6
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Ms. Cynthia Pederson March 20,1998 GDP 98-0053, Page 2 Description of Revised Commitment USEC has changed the due dates for the above commitments as follows:
- 1) Task 3 to December 31,1998, for Priority 1 NCSAs; June 22,1999, for Priority 2 NCSAs; and May 31,2000, for Priority 3 NCSAs;
- 2) Task 5 to February 15,1999, for Priority 1 NCSAs; August 15,1999, for Priority 2 NCSA's; and July 15,2000, for Priority 3 NCSAs;
- 3) Task 8 to May 31,1998; and,
- 4) Task 16 to October 30,1998.
Justification for Revised Commitment For Task 3, the existing review groups were delayed due to a number of factors including the implementation of a pilot project on the Cascade Operations NCSAs, and the availability ofqualified NCS professionals. With the experience obtained from processing the initial NCSAs through the enhanced process, a new summary schedule was developed. Based on the actual data on the time to the process the NCSAs, USBC has determined that in order to process the remaining 190 NCSAs through the program utilizing ten teams, the commitment needs to be extended to the dates indicated above. USEC's experience shows that a total of 79 working days (including 28 days for training and implementation) is needed to complete the process for each NCSA. Even though the schedule for completion has been extended, the existing NCS program continues to provide adequate assurance that PORTS is being operated safely. USEC letter dated January 13,1998, (GDP 98-004) listed the actions that provide the basis for this conclusion.
For Task 5, the commitment was based on the completion dates for the upgraded NCSAs. This task follows the completion of each NCSA and therefore, a similar extension of commitment dates is
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appropriate.
For Task 8, the March 31,1998, date for the vertical slice review of the NCS program was originally established based on an expected start in late January. Due to the delay in assembling a qualified team, the review was not able to start until March'2,1998.
Regarding Task 16, the review of assessment processes found a number of problems in the NCS 1
assessment program. The review was subsequently expanded to include other major assessment l
programs. This expanded review found additional problems in organizational self-assessments, j
management assessments, management-by-walking-around, and independent assessments.
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e-Ms. Cynthia Pederson -
March 20, f998 GDP 98-0053, Page 3 Therefore, additional time is needed to develop and implement a comprehensive upgrade of these assessment programs.
If you have any questions regarding this submittal, please contact Ron Gaston at (740) 897-2710.
There are no new commitments contained in this submittal.
Sincerely, A.
- s. A.
I Steven A. Toelle Nuclear Regulatory Assurance and Policy Manager cc: 'N_emwgynnmwwest Doi:nment Controlacie NRC Resident Inspector, PORTS NRC Src'ial Projects Office NRC Resident Inspector, PORTS Mr. Patrick Hiland, NRC Region III 1_'._,_
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