ML20236D582
| ML20236D582 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Clinton  |
| Issue date: | 07/23/1987 |
| From: | Stello V NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | Alicia Dixon SENATE |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8707300536 | |
| Download: ML20236D582 (4) | |
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The Honorable Alan J. Dixon DISTRIBUTION United States Senate Docket File NRC & Local PDR w/inc.
Washir.gton, D. C.
20510 ED0#002099 EDO Rdg. File TMurley/JSneizek FMiragia PDIII-2 Rdg. File w/inc. GHolahan l
DCrutchfield OGC-Beth. SECY (3)#002999 l
Dear Senator Dixon:
VStello PShea DMossburg, PMAS BSiegel M0'Brien JBlaha JFunches RStarostecki i
PDIII-2 Gr.Tket File CA In your letter of June 23, 1987, you requested our findings and views related to an inquiry you received from Ms. Helen Schwegman of Decatur, Illinois.
Although Clinton Power Station had numerous quality assurance problems during early construction, Illinois Power Company, the licensee, has taken corrective actions, including hiring new management and moving all support personnel to the j
plant site.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff, during the regulatory process l
for licensing operation, performs numerous reviews to ensure that a plant meets l
all regulatory requirements. The NRC staff performed a complete safety I
evaluation for each phase of Clinton Power Station's licensing process. After the NRC staff determined that construction of Clinton was complete, that low-
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power testing was successfully accomplished, and that Clinton met the Comission's regulatory requirements, a full-power license was issued in April 1987. Since that time, the staff has closely monitored Clinton's operation and performance and will continue to do so throughout the lifetime of the plant to j
ensure that the facility can operate without endangering the health and safety i
of the public.
Two permanent NRC resident inspectors are assigned to Clinton Power Station to survey the operation of the station on a continuing basis. Other inspections are performed by specialists from the NRC Region III office in Glen Ellyn, Illinois throughout the year. An NRC Safety Assessment of Licensee Performance is conducted every 12 to 18 months. This assessment includes evaluation of plant operations, radiological controls, maintenance, fire protection, emergency preparedness, security, quality assurance, administrative controls, and licensing activities.
Each nuclear power plant has technical specifications incorporated in its licensing documents to control plant operations. The seismic monitors are included in the technical specifications, along with corresponding operability requirements. The technical specifications state that if these monitors are inoperable for greater than 30 days, the licensee is required to notify the NRC staff within 10 days. To satisfy this requirement, Illinois Power Company in a letter dated May 21, 1987 informed the NRC staff that the seismic monitoring instrumentation in question was inoperable as a result of a probable lightning strike on April 11, 1987.
e707300536 870723 DR ADOCK 0500 1
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. Alan J. Dixon The Clinton technical specifications permit the plant to continue to operate if these seismic instruments are inoperable because of the redundancy of the instrumentation and because these instruments neither prevent nor mitigate the consequences of an accident. The function of the seismic monitor in question is to sound an alarm in the control room and to determine the magnitude of an earthquake. Although an carthquake occurred on June 10, 1987, during the time when this monitor was inoperable, other seismic instrumentation was available to determine that the magnitude of the earthquake was well below that for which the plant was fesigned. Af ter the event, the Clinton staff verified that no plant damage had occurred and calculated the magnitude of the earth-quake at the site using data from other seismic monitoring instrumentation.
The NRC staff has evaluated the performance of the Clinton staff following this event and determined it was acceptable.
I trust this explanation will alleviate your constituent's concerns.
Sincerely, (Stgned) T. A. Rehtn Victor Stello, Jr.
Executive Director for Operations
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j The Clinton technical specifications permit the plant to continue to operate if these seismic instruments are inoperable because of the redundancy of the instrumentation and because these instruments neither prevent nor mitigate the consequences of an accident. The function of the seismic monitor in question i
is to sound an alarm in the control room and to determine the magnitude of an earthquake. Although an earthquake occurred on June 10, 1987, during the time when this monitor was inoperable, other seismic instrumentation was available l
to determine that the magnitude of the earthquake was wel. below that for which the plant was designed. After the event, the Clinton staff verified that no plant damage had occurred and calculated the magnitude of the earth-quake at the site using data from othkr seismic monitoring instrumentation.
The NRC staff has evaluatedsthe performance of the Clinton staff following this event and determined it 'Was acce table.
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Itrustthisexplanationwillal}eviteyourconstituent'sconcerns.
Sincerely, I
Victor Stello, Jr.
Exechtive Director for Operations Office af Nuclear Reactor Regulation sN
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O The Clinton technical specifications permit the plant to continue to operate if these seismic instruments are inoperable because of the redundancy of the instrumentation and because these instruments neither prevent nor mitigate the consequences of an accident.
The function of the seismic monitor in question is to sound an alarm in the control room and to determine the magnitude of an earthquake. Although it was an unfortunate coincidence that an earthquake occurred on June 10, 1987, during the time when this monitor was inoperable, other seismic instrumentation was available to determine that the magnitude of the earthquake was well below that for which the plant was designed. After the event, the Clintou staff verified that no plant damage had occurred and calculated the magnitude of the earthquake at the site using data from other seismic monitoring instrumentation. The NRC staff has evaluated the performance of the Clinton staff following this event and determined it was acceptable.
I trust this explanation will alleviate your constituents concerns.
Sincerely, Victor Stello, Jr.
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Executive Director
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