ML20235A998

Forwards Plant Biweekly Status Rept for Period 881217-30. Commissioners Voted on 881221 to Allow Restart of Plant. NRC Restart Assessment Panel Recommended That Plant Be Released from First Holdpoint

ML20235A998
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	01/09/1989
From:	Blough A NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
To:	Wiggins J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I)
References
NUDOCS 8901170368
Download: ML20235A998 (6)

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JAN og gg Docket No. 50-293 MEMORANDUM FOR: James T. Wiggins, Chief Reactor Projects Branch No. 3 Division of Reactor Projects i

FROM: A. Randy Blough, Chief Reactor Projects Section No. 3B Division of Reactor Projects

SUBJECT:

PILGRIM STATUS REPORT FOR THE PERIOD DECEMBER 17-30, 1988 1

Enclosed is the Pilgrim bi-weekly status report from the NRC Resident Of fice i at Pilgrim. Three resident inspectors and six additional inspectors were on-site to monitor licensee preparations for startup at the plant during the  ;

report period. I i

On December 21, 1988, the NRC Commissioner o voted to allow the restart of the Pilgrim plant. On December 29, 1988, the NRC Restart Assessment Panel met and recommended to the Regional Administrator that the Pilgrim plant be released from the first holdpoint. At 10:00 a.m., on December 30, 1988, Mr. William T. Russell, Regional Administrator, approved the NRC Restart i Assessment Panel's recciamendation to release the licensee from the first j holdpoint. j k

The Pilgrim bi-weekly status report is intended to provide NRC management and the public with an overview of plant activities and NRC inspection activities.

Subsequent inspection reports will address many of these topics in more detail.

Om M At per 9 py A. Randy Blough, Chief Reactor Projects Section No. 38

Enclosure:

As stated V~

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. Mem*orandum for James T. Wiggins 2 N 091989 cc w/ enc 1:

R. Bird, Senior Vice President - Nuclear, BECo L. Gustin, Vice President - Corporate Relations, BECo K. Highfill, Station Director, BECo J. Keyes, Licensing Division Manager, BECo E. Robinson, Nuclear Information Manager, BECo R. Swanson, Nuclear Engineering Department Manager, BECo Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Plymouth Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Carver Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Duxbury Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Marshfield Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Kingston Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Bridgewater Mayor, City of Taunton The Honorable Edward M. Kennedy The Honorable Edward P. Kirby The Honorable Peter V. Forman The Honorable Edward J. Markey P. Agnes, Assistant Secretary of Public Safety, Commonwealth of Massachusetts M. Ernst, Committee on Energy, Commonwealth of Massachusetts S. Pollard, Energy Secretary, Commonwealth of Massachusetts B. McIntyre, Chairman, Department of Public Utilities N. Jof 1 son, Chairman, Duxbury Nuclear Committee R. Sh,mshak, MASSPIRG Plymouth Civil Defense Director R. Boulay M. Conyngham M. Jeka K. Anderson Public Document Room (PDR)

Local Public Document Room (LPOR)

Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)

NRC Resident Inspector Commonwealth of Massachusetts (2) 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM STATUS 12/17-30/88 - 0002.0.0 01/09/89

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. Medorandum for James T. Wiggins 3 JAivug,ggg bec w/ encl:

Region I Dockat Room (with concurrences)

T. Murley, NRR F. Miraglia, NRR S. Varga, NRR B. Boger, NRR D. Crutchfield, NRR J. Partlow, NRR C. Rossi, NRR F. Congel, NRR L. Shao, NRR R. Wessman, NRR D. Mcdonald, NRR J. Roe, NRR F. Akstulewicz, NRR L. Whitney, NRR P. Boehnert, ACRS W. Russell, RI  !

W. Kane, RI T. Martin, RI S. Ebneter, RI S. Collins, RI E. Butcher, RI R. Bellamy, RI

-J. Durr, RI R. Gallo, RI R. Blough, RI L. Doerflein, RI J. Lyash, RI M. Kohl, RI M. J. DiDonato, RI (2)

K. Abraham, RI (2)

M. Miller, RI M. Johnson, ED0 O

k RI:DRP RI:DRP RI:DRP CWarren/mjd RBlough JWiggins 1/9/89 1/d/89 1/ /89 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM STATUS 12/17-30/88 - 0003.0.0 01/08/89

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ENCLOSURE /

I Pilgrim Status Report for the Period December 17-30, 1988 1.0 Plant Status I

As of 10:00 a.m. on December 30, 1988, the reactor was.in..the cold s' hut-

.down mode with moderator temperature about 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.0 Facility Operations Summary The plant has been shutdown for maintenance and to make program improve-ments since April 12, 1936.

The licensee completed a formal management self-assessment of their readi-ness for restart and submitted this to the NRC for review on May 26, 1988, in the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Self-Assessment of Readiness for Restart Report and Volume 2, Revision 2 of the Restart Plan. The NRC conducted an Integrated Assessment Team Inspection (IATI) during the weeks of August 8-24, 1988, and the IATI Inspection Report 50-293/88-21 was issued on September 7, 1988. The IATI team identified a relatively small number of additional items for which actions or evaluations appeared appropriate and those items identified as being required for restart have been completed by the licensee and reviewed by the NRC. On September 29, 1988, the NRC conducted a public meeting in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to discuss the proposed restart of the Pilgrim plant and on October 14, 1988, the NRC Commissioners met in Rockville, Maryland, to discuss the possible restart. A vote on the restart was postponed at that time. l The licensee formally requested permission of the NRC for restart of the Pilgrim plant by letter dated November 19, 1988, to the NRC. The licensee reported the completion of restart open items and declared Pilgrim Station ready for restart.

On December 21, 1988, the NRC Commissioners voted to endorse the staff's recommendation to allow the restart of the Pilgrim plant. On December 30, 1988, the NRC Region I Regional Administrator, Mr. William T. Russell released the licensee from the criticality holdpoint.

3.0 Items of Special Interest NRC Commission Meeting On December 21, 1988, the NRC Commissioners voted unanimously to allow ,

restart of the Pilgrim Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Commission i had previously met on October 14 and on December 9, 1988, to discuss proposed restart.

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM STATUS 12/17-30/88 - 0004.0.0 01/08/89

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. Enciosure 2  !

On December 21, 1988, the Attorney General of Massachusetts filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts requesting the court to set aside the Commission's clecision. The stated grounds of the petition are the incom-plete status of offsite emerger.cy plans and relief is requested before the operation of Pilgrim progresses to the po: .t where accumulated decay heat could cause a threat to the environment in the evant of an accident at Pilgrim.

Licensee Management Realignment Effective December 26, 1988, Mr. Leon Olivier assumed the por,i tion of Chief Operating Engineer. Mr. Olivier, who was the Simulator Training Group Leader, had previously served four years as a Watch Engineer at Pilgrim and has held a Senior Reactor Operator license for approximately nine years.

Restart Preparations On December 27, 1988, five additional inspectors arrived on site to aid the resident inspectors in monitoring the licensee's preparations for startup activities. This included two regional-based inspectors, one resident inspector from another site, and one headquarters-based inspector and an NRC contractor. Startup inspections by the NRC inspectors included review of the licensee's valve lineups, surveillance, staf fing, Quality N Assurance Reports and other areas.

NRC Assessment Panel Meeting An NRC Assessment Panel meeting for Pilgrim was held on December 29, 1988, in the NRC resident office in Plymouth, Massachusetts. NRC management from Region I, NRR and the NRC resident staff participated. After thorough discussion and review of licensee activities and plant status, the NRC Assessment Panel recommended to 'the Regional Administrator that the Pilgrim plant be released from the first holdpoint, which is reactor criticality.

The NRC Assessment Panel meets periodically to coordinate planning and execution of NRC inspection and licensing activities related to Pilgrim.

The Assessment Panel will continue to meet throughout the Power Ascension  ;

Program. The Panel is chaired by Mr. Samuel J. Collins, Deputy Director, i Division of Reactor Projects, NRC Region I.

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Release From the First Holdpoint_(Initial Criticality) .

I On December 30, 1988, at 10:00 a.m. , Mr. William T. Russell, the Regional Administrator for Region I, approved the NRC Restart Assessment Panel's recommendation to reiease the licensee from the first holdpoint (initial criticality to 5'; rated power) in Boston Edison's power ascension test program. ,Mr. Russell was briefed by both the NRC Assessment Panel and the licensee management on startup readiness.

A press conference held by Mr. Russell was scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on December 30, 1988.

4.0 Emergency Notification System (ENS) Reports On December 22, 1938, the licensee performed a secondary containment leak rate test with a revised procedure and determined that the test results failed to meet the technical specification required acceptance criteria.

The procedure was revised as a result of the licensee's followup to an NRC Generic Letter. The NRC was notified via ENS on December 22, 1988.

The proposed corrective actions included installing flexible rubber flaps around the truck lock door in addition to the existing seal as a permanent fixture. The rubber flaps were installed and the secondary containment leak rate test successfully re performed on December 29, 1988 5.0 NRC Staff Status During the Period The inspection staff at Pilgrim during the report period consisted of the following:

Clay Warren --- Senior Resident Inspector Tae Kim --- Resident Inspector Cynthia Carpenter --- Resident Inspector During the week of December 19, 1988, one regional-based inspector was .

onsite to assist the resident inspectors. During the week of l December 26, 1988, two regional-based and one headquarters-based inspectors, the resident inspector from Vermont Yankee, as well as an NRC contractor were onsite to monitor licensee preparations for restart. On December 22, 1988, and December 28-30, 1988, the Chief, Reactor Projects Section No. 3B, responsible for Pilgrim was onsite. On December 29 and 30, 1988, Mr. William Russell, Regional Administrator was onsite to tour the facility. Also onsite December 29 and 30, 1988, were Mr. Sam Collins, Deputy Director, Division of Reactor Projects; Mr. Jay Gutierrez, Regional Attorney, and Mr. Ronald Bellamy, Chief, Facilities Radiological Safety I and Safeguards Branch.

OFFICIAL RECORD COPY PILGRIM STATUS 12/17-30/88 - 0006.0.0 01/08/89

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