ML20236D585

Responds to Request Re Findings & Views on H Schwegman Inquiry Concerning QA Problems at Facility.Problems at Plant Alleviated Due to Numerous Corrective Actions Implemented, Including Hiring New Mgt & Moving Support Personnel to Site

ML20236D585
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
Shared Package
ML20236D588	List: ML20236D585 ML20236E830
References
NUDOCS 8707300536
Download: ML20236D585 (8)

Text

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JUL 2 31987 The Honorable Alan J. Dixon DISTRIBUTION /

United States Senate Docket File WRC & Local PDR w/inc.

Washington, D. C. 20510 ED0#002999 ED0 Rdg. File TMurley/JSneizek FMiragia PDIII-2 Rdg. File w/inc. GHolahan DCrutchfield OGC-Beth. SECY (3)#002999 l

Dear Senator Dixon:

VStello PShea DMossb>rg, PMAS BSiegel M0'Brien JBlaha JFunches RStarostecki PDIII-2 Gr.Tket File 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 l plant site.

The Nuclear Regulatory Conmission (NRC) staff, during the regulatory process for licensing operation, performs numerous reviews to ensure that a plant meets all regulatory requirements. The NRC staff performed a complete safety evaluation for each phase of Clinton Power Station's licensing process. After the NRC staff determined that construction of Clinton was complete, that low-power testing was successfully accomplished, and that Clinton met the Commission'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  ;

ensure that the facility can operate without endangering the health and safety ,

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 infractions 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.

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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 detormine 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 to determine that the magnitude of the earthquake was well below that for which the plant was designed. After the event, the Clinton staff verified I that no plant damage had occurred and calculated the magnitude of the earth- l quake at the site using data from other seismic monitoring instrumentation.

The NRC staff has evaluated the performance of the Clinton staff following l this event and determined it was acceptable.

I trust this explanation will alleviate your constituent's concerns.

Sincerely, l (Signsd) T. A. Rehm ctor Stello, Jr. 4 Executive Director for Operations

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0FFICIAL RECORD COPY

JUL 2 31987 Q[@/

The Honorable Alan J. Dixon DISTRIBUTION United States Senate Docket File NRC&M.focal PDR w/inc. '

Washington, D. C. 20510 ED0#002999 ED0 Rdg. File TMurley/JSneizek FMiragia PDIII-2 Rdg. File w/inc. GHolahan  ;

DCrutchfield OGC-Beth. SECY (3)#002999 i

Dear Senator Dixon:

VStello PShea DMossburg, PMAS BSiegel M0'Brien JBlaha JFunches RStarostecki j PDIII-2 Gr.Tket File l 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 j early construction, Illinois Power Company, the licensee, has taken corrective j actions, including hiring new management and moving all support personnel to the i plant site, j The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff, during the regulatory pi' cess for licensing operation, performs numerous reviews to ensure that a plant meets 1 all regulatory requirements. The NRC staff performed a complete safety l evaluation for each phase of Clinton Power Station's licensing process. After the NRC staff determined that construction of Clinton was complete, that low-power testing was successfully accomplished, and that Clinton met the Commission's regulatory requirements, a full-power license was issued in April 1987. Since that time, the staff has closely monitored Clinton's o)eration and ,

performance and will continue to do so throughout the lifetime of tie plant to l ensure that the facility can operate without endangering the health and safety of the public.

Two permanent NRC resident inspectors are assigned to Clinton Power Station to i 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 I throughout the year. An NRC Safety Assessment of Licensee Performance is l 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.

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? Alan J. Dixon 1

j The Clinton technical specifications permit the plant to continue to operate if these seismic instruments are inoperable because of the redundancy of the l 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 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. 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, j I trust this explanation will alleviate your constituent's. concerns.

I Sincerely, (Signed) LA. Rehm VlctorStello,Jr.

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%...J ACTloy EDO PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL FROM: DUE: 07/' /87 EDO CONTROL: 002999 DOC DT: 06/23/87 SEN. ALAN J. DIXON FINAL REPLY:

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- FOR SIGNATURE OF: ** GREEN ** SECY NO: 87-773 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ROUTING:

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ENCLOSES LETTER FROM HELEN SCHWEGMAN RE EARTHQUAKE DAVIS, RIII MONITOR AT CLINTON PLANT MURRAY DATE: 07/07/87 ,

ASSIGNED TO: NRR CONTACT: MURLEY g; SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS: d i

, MARK ENVELOPE ATTN: ELIZABETH PIERCE  !

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CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET PAPER NUMBER: CRC-87-0773 LOGGING DATE: Jul 2 87 ACTION OFFICE: EDO AUTHOR: A.J. Dixon--Const Ref AFFILIATION: U.S. SENATE LETTER DATE: 'Jun 23 87 FILE CODE: ID&R-5 Clinton

SUBJECT:

Earthquake monitor at the Illinois Power Plant 3 ACTION: Direct Reply DISTRIBUTION: OCA to Ack .] .

SPECIAL HANDLING: None .

NOTES: Helen Schwegman DATE DUE: Jul 16 87 SIGNATURE: . DATE SIGNED:

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EDO PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL FROM: DUE: 07/" /87 P EDO CONTROL: 002999 DOC DT: 06/23/87 SEN. ALAN J. DIXON FINAL REPLY:

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l FOR SIGNATURE OF: ** GREEN ** SECY NO: 87-773 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DESC: ROUTING:

ENCLOSES LETTER FROM HELEN SCHWEGMAN RE EARTHQUAKE DAVIS, RIII MONITOR AT CLINTON PLANT MURRAY DATE: 07/07/87 ASSIONED TO: NRR CONTACT: MURLEY _

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS: -

MARK ENVELOPE ATTN: ELIZABETH PIERCE l

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OFFICE OF THE StCRETARY CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET PAPER NUMBER: CRC-87-0773 LOGGING DATE: Jul 2 87 ACTION OFFICE: EDO l AUTHOR: A.J. Dixon--Const Ref AFFILIATION: U.S. SENATE LETTER DATE: Jun 23 87 FILE CODE: ID&R-5 Clinton

SUBJECT:

Earthquake monitor at the Illinois Power Plant ACTION: Direct Reply DISTRIBUTION: OCA to Ack ,

SPECIAL HANDLING: None .

NOTES: Helen Schwegman i l

DATE DUE: Jul 16 87 j SIGNATURE: . DATE SIGNED:

AFFILIATION

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