ML20237B066
| ML20237B066 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Millstone  |
| Issue date: | 08/12/1998 |
| From: | Durr J NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION I) |
| To: | Bowling M, Loftus P NORTHEAST NUCLEAR ENERGY CO. |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20237B068 | List: |
| References | |
| 50-245-98-208, 50-336-98-208, 50-423-98-208, NUDOCS 9808180025 | |
| Download: ML20237B066 (4) | |
See also: IR 05000245/1998208
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August 12,1998
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Mr. M. L. Bowling, Recovery Officer, Technical Services
C/o Patricia Loftus, Director - Regulatory
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Affairs for Millstone Station
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Northeast Nuclear Energy Company
P.O. Box 128
Waterford, Connecticut 06385
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SUBJECT: NRC COMBINED INSPECTION 50-245/98 208:50-336/98-208:50-423/98-
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208 and NOTICE OF VIOLATION
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Dear Mr. Bowling:
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On June 29,1998, the NRC completed an inspection at Millstone Units 1,2 & 3 reactor
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facilities. The enclosed report presents the results of that inspection.
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During the two-month period covered by this inspection period, your conduct of activities
at the Millstone facilities was generally characterized by safety-conscious operations,
sound engineering and maintenance practices, and careful radiological work controls. We
are concerned, however, about a violation of NRC requirements that was identified.
The violation involved a procedurai adherence issue at Unit 3. As the plant conditions
approached a mode change, plant operators failed to perform an operational step
delineated in the plant heatup procedure, as required by the Unit 3 Technical Specification
governing written procedures.
This violation is cited in the enclosed Notice of Violation, and the circumstances
surrounding the violation are described in detail in the enclosed report. Please note that
you are required to respond to this letter and should follow the instructions specified in the
enclosed Notice when preparing your response. The NRC will use your response, in part,
to determine whether further enforcement action is necessary to ensure compliance with
regulatory requirements.
As documented in the enclosed inspection report, the closure of eighteen significant items
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list (Sill issues at Unit 3 signifies completion of the inspection process for the entire Unit 3
SIL. This culminates the substantial NRC inspection effort, governed by the Restart
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Assessment Plan (RAP), that was directed to 86 restart issues (i.e., 216 individual
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inspection items) with regulatory or safety significance. While some inspector followup
items have been documented for future NRC review, your overall rigorous approach and
management emphasis upon proper SIL addressal and closure have provided the major
impetus as to why this assesstnent effort has been brought to successful completion. We
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note that the NRC staff recommendation to allow Unit 3 to restart was contingent upon
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acceptable resolution of all SIL items.
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With the closure of the Unit 3 SIL and Restart Assessment Plan requ.irei
.ts, the enclosed
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Inspection report not only documents the results of several significant programmatic
9808180025 980812
ADOCK 05000245
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Mr. M. L. Bowling
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inspections, but also provides a point of demarcation for Unit 3 from a recovering facility to
a plant recommencing critical operations and power ascension activities. As noted with
the procedural violation written against Unit 3 operations, the future NRC inspection focus
for Unit 3 activities will be placed upon proper operational centrols and the conduct of safe
operations and work performance. Your attention to this transitional phase of Unit 3
performance, along with the continued improvements to the station programs that have
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been initiated, merits renewed management emphasis,
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In contrast, the recovery efforts for Unit 2 are just now beginning to be effected. We
recognize the demands placed on your resources to effectively sustain successful operation
of Unit 3 and complete the recovery process for Unit 2. Nonetheless, the recovery of Unit
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2 will demand the same rigor and dedication that was applied to Unit 3.
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in the area of plant support, we note that you have established and implemented effective
radiological protection programs with respect to the control, inventory, and leak testing of
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sealed sources and in maintaining decommissioning records required under 10 CFR
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50.75(g) for areas located outside the protected area. Decommissioning records for arees
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within the protected area are still under development. Radiological controls were
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determined to be appropriate, especially in the areas of posting and control of high and
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locked high radiation areas, at all three units.
In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of P:actice," a copy of this letter
and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR).
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Sincerely,
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Jacque P. Durr
Branch Chief
Office of the Regional Administrator
Region i
Docket Nos.
50-245
50-336
50-423
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Enclosures:
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2.
NRC Combined Inspection Report 50-245/98-208:50-336/98-208:50-
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423/98-208
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Mr. M. L. Bowling
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. g_cgenct;
I B. Kenyon,' President and Chief Executive Officer - Nuclear Group
M. H. Brothers, Vice President - Operations
J. McElwain, Recovery Officer - Millstone Unit 2
J. Streeter, Recovery Officer - Nuclear Oversight
G. D. Hinnenkamp, Director - Unit 3
J. A. Price, Director - Unit 2
D. Amerine, Vice President - Human Servicec
E. Harkness, Director, Unit 1 Operations
J. Althouse, Manager.- Nuclear Trainina Assessment Group
F. C. Rothen, Vice President, Work Services
J. Cantrell, Director - Nuclear Training (CT)
S. J. Sherman, Audits and Evaluation
~ L. M. Cuoco, Esquire
. J. R. Egan, Esquire
V. Juliano, Waterford Library
J. Buckingham, Department of Public Utility Control
S..B. Comley, We The People
State of Connecticut SLO Designee
D. Katz, Citizens Awareness Network (CAN)
R. Bassilakis, CAN
J. M Block, Attcrney, CAN
S. P. Luxton, Citizens Regulatory Commission (CRC)
Representative T. Concannon
E. Woollacott, Co-Chairman, NEAC
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. Mr. M. L. Bowling
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Distribution w/ encl:
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Region.1 Docket Roora (with , cay of concurrences)
Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)
PUBLIC
FILE CENTER, NRR (with Oriainal concurrences)
SPO Secretarial File, Region i
NRC Resident inspector
B. Jones, PIMB/ DISP
W. Lanning, Deputy Director of Inspections, SPO, RI
D. Screnci, PAO
H. Miller, Regional Administrator, RI
Distribution w/ enc _I (VIA E-MAIL):
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M. Callahan, OCA
R. Correia, NRR
B. McCabe, OEDO
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E. Imbro, Director of ICAVP, NRR
W. Dean, Project Directorate, NRR
D. Screnci, PAO.
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. inspection Program Branch (IPAS)
DOCDESK (Inspection Reporta Only)
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'. DOCUMENT NAME: G:\\TEMPFILE\\lR98208.Mll
To receive a copy of this document, Indicata in th0 boit: "C" = Copy without attachment /erdoeure
"E" = Copy with attachment / enclosure
'N'= No
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