ML20236A845
| ML20236A845 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Pilgrim |
| Issue date: | 03/03/1989 |
| From: | Russell W NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Bird R BOSTON EDISON CO. |
| References | |
| CAL-86-10, NUDOCS 8903200189 | |
| Download: ML20236A845 (12) | |
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MAR.031989
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LDocket No. 50-293
. Boston Edison' Company ATTN: Mr. Ralph.G.-Bird
'. Senior Vice President - Nuclear Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station RFD #1. Rocky Hill Road Plymouth, Massachusetts.02360 Gentlemen:
1
Subject:
Reactor.0peration-Up'To' Twenty-Five (25) Percent Power
References:
(a) Boston Edison Power Ascension Test Program, dated August 31, 1988; updated October 27, 1988-j (b). Confirmatory Action Letter 86-10, April 12,1986 and Supplements. dated August 27, 1986 and December 30, 1988 This tletter. approves reactor operation up 'to twenty-five (25) percent -of full.
power in-accordance with Boston Edison Company's Power: Ascension Test Program s
and NRC Confirmatory Action. Letter 86-10 and its L supplements.
This letter neither imposes any new requirements nor' releases: Boston Edison from any exist'-
4
-ing requirements contain~
in the Facility L! cense or Technical Specifications.
The staff finds that management, plant material condition and operational per-formance support proceeding to the: next phase Lof the Power Ascension Program.
?The bases for approving the continuation of the Power Ascension Program consist i
of (1) successful completion of the ' Power Ascension Program up to 5% power, (2) a. comprehensive assessment of plant and personnel performance by Boston Edison Company (BECo) during this phase of plant startup which demonstrated a positive safety. attitude toward plant operations, and (3) NRC staff inspection and review which has confirmed the safety of operations taken by both the~ staff and management of BEco during this phase of plant startup. Enclosure (1) is'a summary of NRC findings which will be docketed in NRC inspection reports 50-293/88-37 and 89-01.
The most recent inspection activities, by the NRC Restart Staff,. monitored and verified selected aspects of your startup and power ascension activities including your own management assessments of the performance of your facility ar.d personnel. Based upon our conclusion that the facility has been safely operated and satisfactorily managed, and is ready for the next phase of power ascension, the NRC has no objection to plant operation at power levels up to 25% of full power.
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-8903200189 890303 i?
.PDR ADOCK 05000293
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i MAR 081989 Boston Edison Company 2
Additionally, the current status of emergency preparedness for the communities surrounding the Pilgrim Station as developed by the staff and reported to the Commission is shown in Enclosure 2.
We continue to encourage cooperative and expeditious action by Boston Edison and the Commonwealth and local governments to further improve the state of emergency preparedness for the area surrounding the Pilgrim facility.
No reply to this letter is required. Should you have questions, please contact the NRC Region I office promptly.
Sincerely, iginal Signed Up illiam T. Russell Regional Administrator
Enclosures:
As stated 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY BLOUGH 464 2/28/89 - 0002.0.0 02/28/89
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MAR 03 seg 1
Bosto'n. Edison Company-3 ce w/encis:
L., Gustin, Vice President - Corporate Relations K. Highfi.ll, Station Director R.' Anderson, Plant Manager J. Keyes, Licensing' Division Manager j
E. Robinson, Nuclear Information Manager R. Swanson, Nuclear Engineering Department Manager
- The Honorable Edward M. Kennedy The Honorable Edward J. Markey The Honorable Edward P. Kirby The Honorable _ Peter V. Forman Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Plymouth' Chairman, Board of Selectmen,.Duxbury Chairman, Board of. Selectmen, Carver
. Chairman, Board of' Selectmen, Kingston Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Bridgewater
- Chairman,: Board of Selectmen,.Marshfield i
Mayor,' City of Taunton-i Plymouth. Civil-Defense Director P.-Agnes,. Assistant. Secretary of Public Safety, Commonwealth of Massachusetts M.-Ernst, Committee on Enercy, Commonwealth'n of Massachusetts l
B. McIntyre, Chairman,fDepartment.of Public Utilities
.)
- S. Pollard,-Massachusetts Secretary of Energy Resources
- N. Johnson, Chairman, Duxbury Nuclear Committee R.-Shimshak, MASSPIRG R. Boulay-M. Conyngham M. Jeka K. Anderson-Public. Document Room (PDR)
Local Public Document Room (LPDR)
Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)-
NRC Resident Inspector Commonwealth of Massachusetts (2)
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J MAR 031989
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- Boston Edison Company.
4-bc'c w/encis:
' Region I Docket-Room'(with concurrences)
'V. Stello, EDO
~J. Taylor, EDO B. Clayton, E00
-T. Murley, NRR-F.'Mirag1ia,<NRR S. _ Varga,; NRR.-
B. Boger, NRR':
R. Wessman,-NRR.
.D.: Mcdonald,fNRR J. Scinto, OGC W. Russell, RI J. Gutierrez, RI
'M.
Miller, RI W. Kane,-RI
'T.
Martin,.RI y
S. Ebneter,'RI S. Collins, RI J. Durr, RI.
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'R.
Gallo, RI
'R, Bellamy, RI-J.:Wiggins, RI
.R. Blough, RI J..Lyash, RI M. Kohl,' RI-S. Juergens, RI R. Bores, RI C. Warren, SRI - Pilgrim T.'Kim, RI - Pilgrim-C. Carpeneter,.RI - Pilgrim' V[\\
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1 ENCLOSURE 1
' Assessment of Licensee Readiness for Operation to 25% Power q
I.
Background
NRC Confirmatory' Action 1 Letter No. 86-10' of:: April 12,'19'86.. andjhe; August:27,1986 supplemental letter - identified specific, technical issues.
L to be resolved prior to facility restart..In~ addition, due to'other'long.-
term management, hardware and program issues, Boston Edison Company (BEco) l submitted a formal Power Ascension. Program - to rthe NRC.
The licensee's D
NRC-accepted. Power Ascension Program includes NRC Regional Administrator l-approval points at 5%,.25%, 50% and. 75% of. full power, as well as. requir-ing. a licensee: formal assessment' and NRC review.after completion of lthe Power Ascension Program,l including tests 'at full power. As. specified in l
' this program, the ;11.censee. must Lobtain the NRC~ Region I ' Regional Adminis-
- trator's agreement to proceed beyond the 5% NRC' approval point to the 25%
power. plateau.
By letter dated.. December 30, 1988, Mr. William T... Russell, LRegional Administrator rele' sed.BECoL from the. first approval point and permitted -
a reactor criticality and low power operation 'up to five percent. of full power.
This enclosure provides the NRC' Staff's assessment. of licensee performance.since the release from'the.first approval point.
1 II. Chronology of Significant Plant Events December 30, 1988 Licensee released from-first NRC approval. point
.(initial criticality to 5% power)-
Pilgrim plant achieved initial criticality at 9:54 p.m.
Plant shutdown at.10:14 p.m. due to intermediate rar.ge neutron monitor (IRM) problems L
-January 2,1989 Pilgrim plant critical at 5:05.p.m. Reactivity inser-tion training conducted for new operators
~ January 4, 1989-Reactivity insertion -training completed.
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l January-10, 1989 Completion of reactor core isolation cooling system I
(RCIC) and high pressure coolant injection system (HPCI) flow tests at 150 psig Controlled plant. shutdown at 9:00 p.m. due to possible inoperability of torus-to-reactor building vacuum breaker block valves identified by the licensee during NRC Generic Letter 88-14 reviews January 27, 1989 Pilgrim plant critical at 2:12 p.m. after completing modifications to torus vacuum breaker block valve air supply Plant shutdowr at 9:55 p.m. due to increased leakage in air system supply to block valve accumulators.
i Unusual event declared at 10:10 p.m. due to initiation of shutdown required by technical specifications.
Unusual event terminated at 10:15 p.m.
February 10, 1989 Pilgrim plant critical at 9:25 a.m.
following comple-tion of additional modification and testing of the torus vacuum breaker block valve air supply February 16, 1989 Completion of test program at 0 - 5% power plateau as described in the August 31, 1988 Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Power Ascension Program.
Licensee management oversight and assessment team (MO&AT) meeting and final
- review, evaluation, and self-assessment of readiness for continuation beyond 5% up to 25% of full power.
February 17, 1989 BECo presentation to Pilgrim Restart Assessment Panel requesting approval to proceed to the 25% power test-ing plateau, February 18, 1989 Plant placed in cold shutdown for minor repairs fol-lowing completion of testing below 5% of full power.
February 21, 1989 Station Startup Transformer tripped.
Both back-up diesel generators started properly to restore power to safety related loads.
Plant remains in cold I'
shutdown.
III. Staff Evaluation 1.
The NRC Restart Assessment Panel considered the following approval point release criteria to evaluate the conduct of the Pilgrim power ascension program and consider approval of continuation of power ascension to the next programmed test condition between 5 and 25%
power:
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a.
Plant status and equipment operability b.
Management / personnel performance and oversight activities c.
NRC inspection coverage i
d.
Power Ascension Testing Program 1
e.
Power Ascension Test Program results f.
Allegations g.
Pending enforcement actions 1
2.
Staff assessment of licensee performance.
a.
Plant Status and Equipment Operability The licensee has determined and the NRC is satisfied that all equipment required for continuation of the power ascension pro-gram is operable. Required non-safety related equipment is in a condition that supports safe plant operation.
Surveillance tests are up-to-date with no significant identified discrepan-cies. The licensee's management review of facility operation up to five percent power is complete with no significant problems identified. The initial startup of the facility was conducted in a safe manner and concerns raised by the NRC and BECo manage-l ment concerning facility operations during the startup have been appropriately addressed.
The licensee has identified a few i
minor equipment deficiencies (e.g. steam and water leaks) which the licensee has committed to address prior to proceeding to 25%
power.
About 1:00 a.m., on February 21, 1989, the plant lost power from its normal offsite power supplies when the startup transformer tripped and locked out on a ground dif ferential relay actuation.
At the time of the event, the plant was in cold shutdown for maintenance following ccmpletion on February 16 of restart power ascension testing up to 5% power.
Both emergency diesel generators (EDG) started automatically and picked up the.
safety-related buses. In the event of an EDG malfunction, power was also available from a 23 kV offsite source via the shutdown i
I transformer and from the recently installed station biackout diesel generator. As of noon on February 21, 1989, the licensee was investigating the startup transformer trip and was realigning the electrical distribution to provide offsite power to the plant during the troubleshooting and repair process. The NRC Restart Staff will ensure acceptable repairs are implemented before power ascension proceeds. There are no other equipment operability obstacles that would prevent the licensee from proceeding up to 25 percent rated power.
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'Enclosureil-
'4 b.
Management / Personnel Performance and Oversight Activities The. NRC restart staff has continued to, monitor management and personnel performance.' on an, as-needed, around-the-clock basis since startup. BECo management has been 'found.to beiresponsive to NRC concerns and performing in -a cautious;. deliberate manner.
Licensee peer evaluators -were ' observed :on each. shift; and appeared.to be providing good feedback to personnel. 0perators
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were knowledgeable of their duties:and plant conditions and man-agement maintains.an active' and; effective oversight of opera-tions. No significant personnel errors have occurred during the'
. startup and no significant problems have developed, indicating
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that the' licensee staff is handling plant problems and events in' y-an efficient manner.
In summary, no adverse trends' have been noted in management / personnel perf.ormance; that would preclude w-the: licensee from proceeding to 25 percent. rated power.
c.
NRC Inspection Coverage The NRC integrated inspection-plan covering activities from 5%
lto 25% rated power has been approved; The inspe'ction plan-and.
inspection ' coverage levels ' are equivalent to those delineated in the Pilgrim
. Restart Staff Operating Plan.
dated October 13, 1988, for the Power Ascension Test-Program.
d.
Power Ascension Testing Program e
The ' licensee's power ascension test program continues to be in':
place as described in the August 31, 1988 submittal - and activ-ities and operations are progressing as planned. No significant problems or technical issues are outstanding as a result of implementing this program.
e.
Power Ascension Test Program Results The NRC is satisfied that tests and conditions required to be completed by the licensee during performance of the NRC-accepted Power Ascension Program up to 5 percent rated. power have been completed.
Satisfactory results were achieved during the3per-formance of:
e (1) Initial criticality, reactor physics testing and plant I
heat-up (2) 'HPCI/RCIC system testing i
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5 (3) MSIV opening testing (4) Manual opening of reactor safety relief valves from the control room (5) RHR boundary valve leak rate tests (6) Plant system tightness and system operability verification under hot plant conditions (7) Operator on-shift training activities Items (3) and (5) were tests directly responsive to the tech-nical issues associated with NRC Confirmatory Action Letter 86-10.
The NRC has also reviewed BECo's actions on those inspection findings which had potential to impact further reactor opera-I tions and found no outstanding issues which would restrict power operation up to 25% rated power.
f.
Allegations There are no open allegations at Pilgrim requiring further inspection.
g.
Pending Enforcement Actions There are no pending escalated enforcement actions associated with Pilgrim. ~0ther issues pending include those stated in the Hold Point Release No. 1 memo for reactor criticality to 5 percent J.
r dated January 9, 1989, and Inspection Report 50-293/88 x which addressed a previous radiological violation, for which the Restart Panel determined that the licensee's corrective actions were appropriate.
A forthcoming inspection report (50-293/89-01) will address a concern in the radioactive waste transportation area in which the licensee failed to identify all radioactive isotopes on laundry shipment manifests.
This concern is relatively minor in nature and is not indicative of a significant programmatic problem. In conclusion, there are no pending enforcement issues which would preclude continued plant operation.
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IV.
Conclusion The NRC continues to monitor the plant and licensee actions in conjunction with the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Power Ascension Program.
The licensee has completed the activities of the power ascension program from 0 to 5% power. BECo has conducted oversight of those activities, assessed performance.and requested ~ authorization from NRC Region I to proceed to the next NRC Approval Point of 25% power. The NRC Power Ascension Program Restart Inspection Program has monitored licensee activities and conducted an independent assessment of operational training, personnel and equipmert performance.
The Restart Inspection Team found noteworthy strengths in the licensee's control of plant-operating evolutions.
In addition, the Team noted that the licensee approached plant operations in a conserva-tive, safety-conscious manner as indicated by onshift licensed operator response to both the intermediate range monitor (IRM) problems on December 30, 1988, and to the torus / reactor building vacuum breaker block valve problems identified on January 27, 1989. However, both the Team and licensee management have noted some minor weaknesses as the licensee's staff attempts to transition from an outage mode of plant management to the operations phase.
This latter area will receive continued NRC and j
licensee attention.
On February 17, 1989, the Pilgrim Restart Assessment Panel convened onsite and reviewed activities concluded during the period between initial criticality and 5% power. Presentations were made by the. licensee and the NRC Restart Inspection Program manager.
The basis for the BECo performance evaluation conclusion was reviewed and NRC inspection activity results were assessed.
Based on these activities, the Restart Assessment Panel is satisfied that plant operation up to 25% rated power can proceed in a safe and deliberate manner.
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ENCLOSURE 2.
Current Status of Emergency preparedness for the Communities Surrounding the Pilgrim Station Progress has been noted. in emergency preparedness for Pilg' rim in the areas of training of. personnel, in completion of the Duxbury and Marshfield Emergency Operating Centers (E0Cs), in identification and resolution of Reception Center issues, and'in a more active and visible involvement in the review process by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Training sessions. for Silver Lake High School teachers in Kingston and the Marshfield Fire Department in Marshfield (both monitored by the staff) indi-cated that the level of training being provided was high and appeared to be -
well accepted by those attending.
All E0Cs. are. now in a condition. in which the new or renovated E0Cs are func-tional, with no necessity to rely on the previous facilities if the emergency plan were to be implemented.
FEMA Region I ' has informed the Massachusetts Civil Defense Agency (MCDA) by
' letter dated January 31, 1989, that they will be participating in all meetings and other activities involving off-site emergency preparedness.
The FEMA Regional Assistance Committee (RAC) Chairman has since participated in a tour of the Reception Centers and has assigned staff to attend the weekly planning meetings.
Specific improvements have been noted in the approval of implementing proced-ures (IPs) in Plymouth by the Board of Selectmen. Fifty-one of 91 IPs have now been reviewed and approved in concept by its Board of Selectmen.
This is in contrast to Duxbury, where the status is unchanged since the. December 9,1988 Commission Meeting.
Overall training continues to progress with both the approval of lesson plans and the actual conduct of training.
To date, 11148 of 28101 hours of training for state, federal and local agencies have been completed.
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Enclosure'2 2
u The staff, the FEMA' Region I RAC Chairman for Pilgrim, representatives of the Commonwealth, local elected officials, and members of the public and the press L
toured the three Reception Center facilities at Bridgewater, Taunton and 4.
Wellesley on February 2,1989.
Since the December 9,1988 Commission Meeting,-
additional hardware has been : delivered to.the Reception. Center at Bridgewater -
and Taunton, and personnel to staff.these Centers have been identified. Train-ing needs' to - be completed.
In the staff's view these two Reception. Centers could be 'used in a radiological emergency.
In a letter - from MCDA dated-February 7, 1989, the. Commonwealth designated Wellesley as a third Reception Center. Wellesley is a very large facility that would be capable.of operations upon delivery of support equipment.
Subsequently on February 13, 1989, BECo delivered portal monitors, decontamination and monitoring equipment = and regis-tration supplies to Wellesley.. Arrangements are being finalized for locating.
q decontamination trailers on site and for identifying and supplying traffic con-trol equipment.
The information to be disseminated to the public regarding
. Reception Centers needs to be_ finalized and. distributed.. BECO has prepared a !Public Information Brochure and is awaiting Commonwealth approval to issue the brochure.
The-staff has continued to attend planning meetings with town Civil Defense Directors, local elected officials, Commonwealth and MCDA Area II of ficials
-that discuss the status.of off-site emergency preparedness.
The attached emergency preparedness summaries provide ~ the February 15, 1989 status of selected emergency preparedness ' issues for each town surrounding the Pilgrim. Station,.the Commonwealth and MCDA Area II as compared to that of December 9, 1988.
In many instances, detail beyond that provided.
the at the December 9,.1988 Commission Meeting is included.
The staff -provided summaries to. the respective town officials or Civil Defense Directors of each area. The staff subsequently contacted each official provided the summary to verify the accuracy of the summaries.
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