ML22235A666

Notification of NRC Design Bases Assurance Inspection (Team) (05000528/2022010, 05000529/2022010, and 05000530/2022010) and Request for Information

ML22235A666
Person / Time
Site:	Palo Verde
Issue date:	08/23/2022
From:	Vincent Gaddy NRC/RGN-IV/DORS/EB1
To:	Heflin A, Marjorie Mclaughlin Arizona Public Service Co
References
IR 2022010
Download: ML22235A666 (8)

See also: IR 05000528/2022010

Text

UNITED STATES

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

REGION IV

1600 E. LAMAR BLVD.

ARLINGTON, TX 76011-4511

August 23, 2022

Mr. Mike McLaughlin

Site Vice President

Arizona Public Service Company

P.O. Box 52034, MS 7602

Phoenix, AZ 85072-2034

Adam C. Heflin

Executive Vice President

Chief Nuclear Officer

Arizona Public Service Company

P.O. Box 52034, MS 7602

Phoenix, AZ 85072-2034

SUBJECT: PALO VERDE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION- NOTIFICATION OF NRC

DESIGN BASES ASSURANCE INSPECTION (TEAM) (05000528/2022010,

05000529/2022010, AND 05000530/2022010) AND REQUEST FOR

INFORMATION

Dear Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Heflin:

The purpose of this letter is to notify you that U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff

will conduct a triennial baseline design bases assurance inspection at your Palo Verde Nuclear

Generating Station beginning on October 24, 2022. The inspection will be conducted in

accordance with NRC Inspection Procedure (IP) 71111.21M, Design Bases Assurance

Inspection (Team), dated December 8, 2016, by a team lead, four engineering-focused

inspectors, one inspector-in-training, and one operations-focused inspector.

The inspection will consist of an information gathering visit by the team lead, in-office

preparation, and two weeks of onsite inspection. The current inspection schedule is as follows:

Onsite Information Gathering Visit: October 24, 2022

In-office Preparation Weeks: November 14-18, 2022

Onsite Inspection Weeks: November 28 - December 1, 2022, and December 12-15,

2022

The purpose of the information gathering visit is to identify potential risk significant samples and

operator actions. Additionally, the team lead will request a tour of the plant and interviews with

operations and probabilistic safety assessment staff. During the onsite weeks, several days and

administration will be needed on the plant-referenced simulator to facilitate performance of

operator action-based scenarios and job performance measures. Additional information needed

to support the inspection will be identified during the in-office preparation and onsite inspection

weeks, including interviews with engineering managers, engineers, operations, and probabilistic

safety assessment staff.

M. McLaughlin -2-

The objectives of this inspection are to gain reasonable assurance that: 1) risk significant

structures, systems, and components can adequately perform their design basis function, 2)

modifications affecting the design and licensing bases have been adequately implemented, and

3) risk significant issues resulting from generic communications (i.e., operating experience)

have been adequately addressed. Completion of this inspection procedure consists of a

minimum sample size of eight component and modification samples and one operating

experience sample.

To minimize the impact the inspection has on the site and to ensure an efficient inspection, we

have enclosed a request for information needed for the inspection. It is important that these

requests are fulfilled as completely and accurately as possible to minimize any additional

requests during the preparation or onsite inspection weeks. The requests have been divided

into three groups.

The first group lists information necessary for our initial inspection scoping activities and

sample selections. This information should be available to the team lead no later than

October 24, 2022. The team lead will review the information prior to and during the

information gathering visit and communicate the initial list of component, modification,

and operating experience samples as soon as practicable.

The second group of information requested includes those items needed to support our

in-office preparation activities. This set of documents should be available no later than

November 14, 2022. This information should be separated for each sample, especially if

provided electronically. Note that the team may identify additional information needed to

support the inspection during this week and will communicate those requests as soon as

practicable.

The third group of information requested includes the additional documentation identified

during in-office preparation activities as well as other resource requests necessary to

support our onsite inspection activities. The additional information or resources should

be available throughout the week of onsite inspection activities beginning on November

28, 2022.

All information requested are to be for the time from the onsite inspection period back to the last

triennial design bases assurance inspection (team) unless stated otherwise. If nothing

addressing a request was done in that time, then the request applies to the last applicable

document. If a request does not apply for any sample, no response is necessary. Include all

attachments to the requests, especially corrective action program documents.

We have discussed the schedule for this inspection with your staff. If there are any questions

about this inspection or the documents requested, please contact the lead inspector, Gerond

George, by telephone at 817-200-1562 or by e-mail at Gerond.George@nrc.gov.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

This letter contains mandatory information collections that are subject to the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

approved these information collections (approval number 3150-0011). Send comments

regarding this information collection to the Information Services Branch, Office of the Chief

Information Officer, Mail Stop: T6 A10M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington,

DC 20555-0001, or by e-mail to Infocollects.Resource@nrc.gov, and to the Desk Officer, Office

M. McLaughlin -3-

of Information and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-10202, (3150-0011) Office of Management and

Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

PUBLIC PROTECTION NOTIFICATION

The NRC may not conduct nor sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a request

for information or an information collection requirement unless the requesting document

displays a currently valid OMB control number.

This letter, its enclosure, and your response (if any) will be made available for public inspection

and copying at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html and at the NRC Public Document

Room in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations 2.390, Public

Inspections, Exemptions, Requests for Withholding.

Sincerely,

Signed by Gaddy, Vincent

on 08/23/22

Vincent G. Gaddy, Chief

Engineering Branch 1

Division of Reactor Safety

Dockets: 50-528; 50-529; 50-530

Licenses: NPF-41; NPF-51; NPF-74

Enclosure:

As stated

Cc w/ encl: Distribution via LISTSERV

ML22235A666

SUNSI Review ADAMS: Non-Publicly Available Non-Sensitive Keyword:

By: GAG Yes No Publicly Available Sensitive

OFFICE DRS/EB1/SRI DRS/EB1/C

NAME GGeorge VGaddy

SIGNATURE /RA/ /RA/

DATE 8/23/2022 8/23/2022

Request for Information

Design Bases Assurance Inspection (Team)

Palo Verde Generating Station

Inspection Report: 05000528/2022010, 05000529/2022010, AND

05000530/2022010

Information Gathering Dates: October 24, 2022

Onsite Inspection Dates: November 28 - December 1, 2022, and December 12-15,

2022

Inspection Procedure: IP 71111.21M, Design Bases Assurance Inspection

(Team)

Lead Inspector: Gerond A. George, Senior Reactor Inspector

I. Information Requested by October 24, 2022:

1. A sortable list of equipment basic events (with definitions), including importance

measures sorted by risk achievement worth (RAW) and Fussell-Vesely (FV) from your

internal events probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Include basic events with RAW

value of 1.3 or greater.

2. A sortable list of the top 50 cut-sets from the stations PRA.

3. A copy of any PRA system notebooks and the latest PRA summary document.

4. A sortable list of PRA human action basic events or risk ranking of operator actions from

your site-specific PRA sorted by RAW and FV. Provide copies of your human reliability

worksheets for these items.

5. If you have an external events or fire PRA model, provide the information requested in

items 1-4 for external events and fire.

6. A copy of the Individual Plant Examination of External Events (IPEEE).

7. A sortable list of high large early release frequency (LERF) impact events and

associated components.

8. A sortable list of structures, systems, and components in the Maintenance Rule (a)(1)

category.

9. A sortable list of high-risk maintenance rule systems/components and functions based

on engineering or expert panel judgment.

10. A list of the stations top 10 issues if available.

11. A list of structures, systems, and components associated with calculations having low

design margins if available.

-1- Enclosure

12. A list of any common-cause failures of components.

13. A list of root cause evaluations associated with component failures or design issues

initiated/completed in the last 5 years.

14. A copy of any time-critical and time-sensitive program procedures and a list of all time-

critical and/or time-sensitive operator actions in procedures if not included.

15. A copy of any procedures used to accomplish operator actions associated with the basic

events credited in your PRA.

16. A sortable list of current operator work arounds/burdens and any program procedures

related to operator work arounds/burdens.

17. A list with brief descriptions of permanent and temporary modifications implemented in

the past 5 years to structures, systems, and components. Implemented means

accepted or placed into service and declared functional or operable, as applicable.

Modifications include, for example, permanent or temporary plant changes, design

changes, set point changes, procedure changes, equivalency evaluations, suitability

analyses, calculations, and commercial grade dedications.

18. A sortable list with brief descriptions of operating experience evaluations opened and/or

closed. Include whether it was applicable and if the evaluation and any associated

actions, such as modifications, procedure updates, etc., are complete.

19. A copy of any internal/external self-assessments or audits and associated corrective

action documents generated in preparation for this inspection or related to engineering

or operations.

20. A copy of the technical specifications, surveillance frequency control program, inservice

testing program, preventive maintenance program, technical requirements manual, and

the final safety analysis report (as updated). Include bases documents as applicable.

21. A copy of corrective action program, design change, design calculation, and operating

experience evaluations procedures.

22. A copy of condition reports associated with inspection findings from the previous NRC

design bases inspection.

23. A list of licensee contacts for the inspection team with phone numbers.

24. A copy of the current management and engineering organizational charts.

II. Information Requested by November 14, 2022:

1. Components

a. A copy of the design bases document, system description, etc.

b. A copy of any vendor manuals (e.g., installation, operation, maintenance, etc.)

-2- Enclosure

c. A copy of any relevant, active calculations and drawings. If the number of

calculations and/or drawings is extensive, provide a list instead.

d. A list of the preventive maintenance schedule, including any inservice, surveillance,

etc. testing, and a copy of the most recent performance of each.

e. A copy of the system health notebook

f. A copy of any corrective action documents covering the past 3 years

g. A copy of any relevant normal, abnormal, or emergency procedures

2. Modifications

a. A copy of the complete change package

b. A copy of the implementing work order, job, etc.

c. A copy of post-modification testing work orders, jobs, etc.

d. A copy of any associated corrective action documents

e. A copy of any vendor manuals (e.g., operation and maintenance)

f. A copy of any updated procedures, licensing basis documents, calculations,

drawings, etc.

3. Operating Experiences

a. A copy of the complete operating experience evaluation

b. A copy of any associated corrective action documents

c. A copy of any associated change packages

d. A copy of any updated procedures, licensing basis documents, calculations,

drawings, etc.

III. Additional Requests During Onsite Inspection Activities:

1. A copy of any corrective action documents generated because of the team's requests or

questions during this inspection.

2. A copy of a list of questions submitted by the team and the status/resolution of the

information requested (provide daily during the inspection to each team member).

-3- Enclosure

Inspector Contact Information:

Gerond A. George, Lead

Senior Reactor Inspector

817-200-1562

Gerond.George@nrc.gov

Mailing Address:

U.S. NRC, Region IV

Attn: Gerond A. George

1600 East Lamar Blvd.

Arlington, TX 76011-4511

-4- Enclosure