IR 05000390/2022006

Annual Assessment Letter for Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 - Report 05000390/2022006 and 05000391/2022006

ML23058A151
Person / Time
Site:	Watts Bar
Issue date:	03/01/2023
From:	Louis Mckown Division Reactor Projects II
To:	Jim Barstow Tennessee Valley Authority
References
IR 2022006
Download: ML23058A151 (6)

Text

March 1, 2023

SUBJECT:

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, UNITS 1 AND 2 - REPORT 05000390/2022006 AND 05000391/2022006

Dear Jim Barstow:

The NRC has completed its end-of-cycle performance assessment of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, reviewing performance indicators (PIs), inspection results, and enforcement actions from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022. This letter informs you of the NRCs assessment of your facility during this period and its plans for future inspections at your facility. The NRC concluded that overall performance at your facility preserved public health and safety. The baseline inspection program was completed at your facility as defined in Inspection Manual Chapter 2515, Light-Water Reactor Inspection Program - Operations Phase.

The NRC determined the performance at Watt Bar Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2, during the most recent quarter was within the Licensee Response Column, the highest performance category of the NRCs Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Action Matrix, because all inspection findings had very low safety significance (i.e., Green), and all PIs were within the expected range (i.e., Green). Therefore, the NRC plans to conduct ROP baseline inspections at your facility.

The enclosed inspection plan lists the inspections scheduled through December 31, 2024.

The NRC provides the inspection plan to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issues. Routine inspections performed by resident inspectors are not included in the inspection plan. The inspections listed during the last twelve months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised. The NRC will contact you as soon as possible to discuss changes to the inspection plan should circumstances warrant any changes.

In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), the NRC adjusted inspection plans and schedules to safeguard the health and safety of both NRC and licensee staff while still effectively implementing the ROP. While the PHE continues, overall conditions throughout the country support performance of our inspection and oversight activities returning to normal onsite presence by our resident and region-based inspectors and completion of nominal baseline inspection samples. We continue to monitor site-specific conditions and, as discussed in our November 2, 2021, memo, Implementation of Inspection Programs Following Re-Entry from the Public Health Emergency for the Reactor Safety Program (ML21295A302), it may be necessary to alter how and when we perform our inspection and oversight activities as we balance the importance of protecting the health and safety of our staff with the need to conduct effective oversight that supports the NRCs critical safety mission.

For inspections requiring extensive coordination with offsite organizations, such as evaluated emergency preparedness exercises, NRC guidance and frequently asked questions for security and emergency preparedness can be found here: https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/covid-19/security-ep/. Similarly, the NRC has developed guidance if force-on-force inspections cannot be completed as scheduled due to an emergency, such as the COVID-19 PHE. These changes help ensure the health and safety of both NRC and licensee staff while maintaining the NRCs important safety and security mission during the COVID-19 PHE. The attached inspection plan is accurate on the date of issuance but remains subject to change based on approval of potential exemption requests or other changes needed due to changing conditions in the COVID-19 PHE. NRC staff will contact your appropriate regulatory affairs staff in order to coordinate inspection planning and scheduling.

Beginning on January 1, 2023, the engineering inspection frequency will transition from a triennial (3-year) to a quadrennial (4-year) cycle. The new engineering inspection program will consist of a Comprehensive Engineering Team Inspection (CETI)[1] and three Focused Engineering Inspections (FEIs) that will be performed in each quadrennial cycle. For the cycle beginning in 2023, the FEIs will be: Fire Protection Team Inspection, Commercial Grade Dedication and Age-Related Degradation[2].

In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 2.390 of the NRCs Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

Please contact me at (404) 997-4545 with any questions you may have regarding this letter.

[1] Aspects of the Design Basis Assurance Inspection (DBAI), Evaluations of Changes, Tests, & Experiments, and Heat Sink inspections will be included in the new CETI inspection. Previously scheduled Evaluation of Changes, Tests, & Experiments and Heat Sink inspections have been cancelled and removed from attached Report 22.

[2]

The Age-Related Degradation procedure is publicly available, and the NRC plans to implement the first inspection of this type beginning in July 2023.

Sincerely, Signed by McKown, Louis on 03/01/23 Louis J. McKown, Chief Reactor Projects Branch 5 Division of Reactor Projects Docket Nos. 05000390 and 05000391 License Nos. NPF-90 and NPF-96 Enclosure: Watts Bar Inspection/Activity Plan (03/01/2023- 12/31/2024)

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ML23058A151 x Non-Sensitive x Publicly Available x SUNSI Review Sensitive Non-Publicly Available OFFICE Rll/DRP Rll/DRP Rll/DRP NAME S. Ninh W. Deschaine L. McKown DATE 02/27/2023 02/27/2023 03/1/2023

Site Inspection Activity Plan Watts Bar 03/01/2023 - 12/31/2024 Unit Start End Activity CAC Title Staff Count CYBER SECURITY INSPECTION 4 1,2 3/6/2023 3/10/2023 IP 71130.10 000741 Cybersecurity RP OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION SAFETY BASELINE INSPECTION 3 1,2 4/17/2023 4/21/2023 IP 71124.01 000725 Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls 1,2 4/17/2023 4/21/2023 IP 71124.03 000727 In-Plant Airborne Radioactivity Control and Mitigation 1,2 4/17/2023 4/21/2023 IP 71124.04 000728 Occupational Dose Assessment 1,2 4/17/2023 4/21/2023 IP 71124.05 000729 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation 1,2 4/17/2023 4/21/2023 IP 71151 000746 Performance Indicator Verification 1,2 5/15/2023 5/19/2023 IP 71124.01 000725 Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls 1,2 5/15/2023 5/19/2023 IP 71124.03 000727 In-Plant Airborne Radioactivity Control and Mitigation 1,2 5/15/2023 5/19/2023 IP 71124.04 000728 Occupational Dose Assessment 1,2 5/15/2023 5/19/2023 IP 71124.05 000729 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation 1,2 5/15/2023 5/19/2023 IP 71151 000746 Performance Indicator Verification UNIT 1 IN-SERVICE INSPECTION 1 1 4/24/2023 4/28/2023 IP 71111.08P 000702 Inservice Inspection Activities (PWR)

FOCUSED ENGINEERING INSPECTION (CGD) 3 1,2 6/12/2023 6/16/2023 IP 71111.21N.03 001808 Commercial Grade Dedication 1,2 6/26/2023 6/30/2023 IP 71111.21N.03 001808 Commercial Grade Dedication TARGET SET INSPECTION 2 1,2 7/10/2023 7/14/2023 IP 71130.14 000743 Review of Power Reactor Target Sets RP PUBLIC RADIATION SAFETY BASELINE INSPECTION 2 1,2 7/31/2023 8/4/2023 IP 71124.06 000730 Radioactive Gaseous and Liquid Effluent Treatment 1,2 7/31/2023 8/4/2023 IP 71124.07 000731 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program 1,2 7/31/2023 8/4/2023 IP 71151 000746 Performance Indicator Verification PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND RESOLUTION 4 1,2 8/7/2023 8/11/2023 IP 71152B 000747 Problem Identification and Resolution 1,2 8/21/2023 8/25/2023 IP 71152B 000747 Problem Identification and Resolution EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE INSPECTION 5 1,2 7/2/2023 8/26/2023 IP 71114.08 000723 Exercise Evaluation - Scenario Review 1,2 8/14/2023 8/18/2023 IP 71114.01 000716 Exercise Evaluation 1,2 8/14/2023 8/18/2023 IP 71114.04 000719 Emergency Action Level and Emergency Plan Changes 1,2 8/14/2023 8/18/2023 IP 71151 001397 Performance Indicator Verification SECURITY BASELINE INSPECTION 2 Enclosure

Site Inspection Activity Plan 1,2 10/30/2023 11/3/2023 IP 71130.04 000736 Equipment Performance, Testing, and Maintenance 1,2 10/30/2023 11/3/2023 IP 71130.07 000739 Security Training UNIT 2 IN-SERVICE INSPECTION +SG +RVH 1 2 11/6/2023 11/24/2023 IP 71111.08P 000702 Inservice Inspection Activities (PWR)

FOCUSED ENGINEERING INSPECTIONS (AGE-RELATED) 3 1,2 1/22/2024 1/26/2024 IP 71111.21N.04 001832 Age-Related Degradation 1,2 2/5/2024 2/9/2024 IP 71111.21N.04 001832 Age-Related Degradation OPERATION ON AN ISFSI 2 1,2 2/26/2024 3/1/2024 IP 60855 001001 Operation Of An ISFSI SECURITY BASELINE INSPECTION 1 1,2 2/26/2024 3/1/2024 IP 71130.02 000734 Access Control 1,2 2/26/2024 3/1/2024 IP 71130.09 001656 Security Plan Changes 1,2 2/26/2024 3/1/2024 IP 71151 001338 Performance Indicator Verification SECURITY BASELINE INSPECTION 3 1,2 7/22/2024 7/26/2024 IP 71130.05 000737 Protective Strategy Evaluation WATTS BAR INITIAL LICENSE EXAM 5 1,2 8/18/2024 8/24/2024 OV 000956 FB-OR-ONSITE VALIDATION OF INITIAL LICENSE EXAMINATION (OV)

1,2 9/22/2024 10/5/2024 EXAD 000500 FB-OR-INITIAL LICENSE EXAM ADMINISTRATION (EXAD)

WATTS BAR REQUAL INSPECTION 2 1,2 9/23/2024 9/27/2024 IP 71111.11B 000704 Licensed Operator Requalification Program and Licensed Operator Performance MATERIAL CONTROL AND ACCOUNTING 1 1,2 10/14/2024 10/18/2024 IP 71130.11 000742 Material Control and Accounting (MC&A)

UNIT 1 IN-SERVICE INSPECTION +SG 2 1 11/4/2024 11/15/2024 IP 71111.08P 000702 Inservice Inspection Activities (PWR)

RP RAD SAFETY OCCUPATIONAL AND TRANSPORTATION BASELINE INSPECTION 2 1,2 11/4/2024 11/8/2024 IP 71124.01 000725 Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls 1,2 11/4/2024 11/8/2024 IP 71124.08 000732 Radioactive Solid Waste Processing & Radioactive Material Handling, Storage, & Transportation 1,2 11/4/2024 11/8/2024 IP 71151 000746 Performance Indicator Verification EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM INSPECTION 2 1,2 12/9/2024 12/13/2024 IP 71114.02 000717 Alert and Notification System Testing 1,2 12/9/2024 12/13/2024 IP 71114.03 000718 Emergency Response Organization Staffing and Augmentation System 1,2 12/9/2024 12/13/2024 IP 71114.04 000719 Emergency Action Level and Emergency Plan Changes 1,2 12/9/2024 12/13/2024 IP 71114.05 000720 Maintenance of Emergency Preparedness 1,2 12/9/2024 12/13/2024 IP 71151 001397 Performance Indicator Verification 2