ML20235A872
| ML20235A872 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 09/15/1987 |
| From: | Kerr W Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards |
| To: | Zech L NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| ACRS-R-1271, NUDOCS 8709230446 | |
| Download: ML20235A872 (2) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES
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.. E ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS 0,
WASHINoTON, D. C. 20565
' September 15, 1987-L The Honorable Lando W. ' Zech, Jr.
Chairman U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Consnission Washington, D. C. 20555-
Dear Chairmen Zech:
SUBJECT:
ACRS COMMENTS REGARDING PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP.ON QUALITY IN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS I
In our June 10, 1987 letter to you we proposed an international wo'rkshop on quality in design and construction of nuclear power plants.
In a memorandum dated August 7, 1987 (attached), Mr. Stello agreed with the importance of assessing the contribution of quality assurance (QA).
programs in assuring quality in nuclear pnwer plants, but concluded that -
consideration of the proposed. workshop should be deferred because the.
construction of new nuclear power plants in the United States is nearing completion and.because the NRC Staff is concentrating on improving nuclear power plant operations.
The fact that there is a pause in the design and construction' of new plants in the United States is one of the reasons we think that now is the time to evaluate the worth' of existing regulations ~ and associated regulatory guidance in attaining quality.
The time for evaluation and possible change of the regulations and associated guidance is not after new applications have been submitted in accordance with existing regula-tions.
We believe that the present hiatus in licensing actions and the near completion of construction of the present generation of nuclear power plants provides an excellent opportunity for the NRC to reexamine in an orderly fashion the question of how best, to achieve quality in future plants.
Further, we believe that such reexamination should take place before the agency's and the. industry's memory of past difficulties with current regulations and guidance has been blurred or lost.
Although the part played by quality assurance in operation of ' power.
plants and in licensing of waste repositories was not made explicit.in our letter of June 10, 1987, it was not our intent to. exclude these-important questions. _ In fact, we believe that the proposed interna-tional workshop on quality should specifically include discussion of these items.
We believe that there is much that could 'be gained from l
better understanding of how quality in plant operations is achieved in the United States and abroad.
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1-The Honorable Lando W. Zech, Jr. ' September 15, 1987 We believe that our recommendation to the Comission L to ~.' reexamine,at ~
this time the question of how to achieve quality is consistent'with the.
draft NRC Strategic Plan which specifically-makes the assumption that quality problems can be expected' in the future.-
Further, we~ believe that the recommendation is consistent with the goal,of the NRC which is-stated in the draft strategic plan to " ensure that nuclear.' power plants.
under construction.are designed and constructed properly and are ready for safe operation," as well as being consistent with the stated goal to
" prepare for future reactor licensing activities."
We would be pleased to meet and discuss this matter lin. greater detail with you in the near future.
Sincerely, I
l WW l
l-William Kerr f
Chairman
Attachment:
Memorandum from Victor Stello, Jr., EDO, to William Kerr, ACRS, dated August 7, 1987, " Proposed International Workshop on Quality in Design and Construction'of Nuclear Power Plants"
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UNITED STATES
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NUCLE AR REGULATORY COMMISSION 3
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W AsHINGT oN, D. C,20555 j
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August 7,1987 MEMORANDU FOR:
William Kerr, Chairman Advisory. Committee on Reactor-Safeguards i
FROM:
Victor Stello, Jr.
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Executive Director for Operations 1
SUBJECT:
PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP DN QUALITY IN AND CONSTRUCTION OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
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The purpose of this memorandum is to respond to your June 10, 1987, letter to Chairman Zech concerning a proposed international workshop on quality in design
't and construction.
j I agree with the importance of assessing the contribution of the licensees' quality assurance (QA) programs in assuring quality in nuclear power plant design and construction.
In this regard, the staff has implemented several key initiatives:
readiness reviews, integrated design inspections (IDIs),
and construction appraisal team inspections (CATS).
As current construction of nuclear power plants in the United States nears completion, we are focusing primary staff attention on improving nuclear power j
plant operations by applying available staff resources to initiatives that include performance-oriented QA inspections in lieu of the programmatic-type QA inspections, safety system functional inspections (SSFIs), and safety I
systems outage modification inspections (550 mis).
We are also continuing to ensure high quality design, engineering and construction in support of modifications to existing operating plants.
These types of efforts should improve our efforts to foster programs that provide a better assurance of quality for standardized plents.
Because of the dedication of the NRC staff to these initiatives, I feel that we should defer consideration of the proposed workshop at this time.
I believe it would be more appropriate for the Commission to reconsider such a proposal when a clearer picture emerges of the next generation of nuclear
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power plants in the United States.
V tor Ste o, Jr Executive Director for Operations 1
i CONTACT: Jack W. Roe, NRR I
49-24803 4
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