ML23151A494
| ML23151A494 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/10/1992 |
| From: | Chilk S NRC/SECY |
| To: | |
| References | |
| PR-050, 57FR35455 | |
| Download: ML23151A494 (1) | |
Text
DOCUMENT DATE:
TITLE:
CASE
REFERENCE:
KEYWORD:
ADAMS Template: SECY-067 08/10/1992 PR-050 - 57FR35455 - AVAILABILITY AND ADEQUACY OF DESIGN BASES INFORMATION AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS; POLICY STATEMENT PR-050 57FR35455 RULEMAKING COMMENTS Document Sensitivity: Non-sensitive - SUNSI Review Complete
STATUS OF RULEMAKING PROPOSED RULE:
PR-050 OPEN ITEM (Y/N) N RULE NAME:
AVAILABILITY AND ADEQUACY OF DESIGN BASES INFORMA TION AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS; POLICY STATEMENT PROPOSED RULE FED REG CITE:
57FR35455 PROPOSED RULE PUBLICATION DATE:
08/10/92 NUMBER OF COMMENTS:
ORIGINAL DATE FOR COMMENTS:
I I
EXTENSION DATE:
I I
FINAL RULE FED. REG. CITE: 57FR35455 FINAL RULE PUBLICATION DATE: 08/10/92 OTES ON PUBLISHED AS A FINAL POLICY STATEMENT.
FILE LOCATED ON Pl.
ATOS OF RULE TO FIND THE STAFF CONTACT OR VIEW THE RULEMAKING HISTORY PRESS PAGE DOWN KEY HISTORY OF THE RULE PART AFFECTED: PR-050 RULE TITLE:
PROPOSED RULE SECY PAPER:
FINAL RULE SECY PAPER:
AVAILABILITY AND ADEQUACY OF DESIGN BASES INFORMA TION AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS; POLICY STATEMENT DATE PROPOSED RULE PROPOSED RULE SRM DATE:
I I
SIGNED BY SECRETARY:
08/04/92 FINAL RULE SRM DATE:
I I
DATE FINAL RULE SIGNED BY SECRETARY:
STAFF CONTACTS ON THE RULE I
I CONTACTl: EUGENE V. IMBRO CONTACT2:
MAIL STOP:
MAIL STOP:
PHONE: 504-2967 PHONE:
DOCKET NO. PR-050 (57FR35455)
In the Matter of AVAILABILITY AND ADEQUACY OF DESIGN BASES INFORMA TION AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS; POLICY STATEMENT DATE DOCKETED DATE OF DOCUMENT TITLE OR D~SCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT 08/06/92 08/04/92 POLICY STATEMENT
DOCK[i[O USNHC L 7590-01]
- 92 AUG -6 A 9 :22 NUCLF.AR REr;UIA'IORY C01MISSION 10 CFR Part 50 Availability arrl Adequacy of Design Bases Info:rma.tion at Nuclear Paver Plants; Policy statement AGENCY:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- ACTION:
Policy statement.
SUMMARY
'Ihe Nuclear Regulatory Commission is issuing this :i;x:,licy statement on availability arrl adequacy of design information at nuclear power plants.
'Ihis policy statement describes the Commission's expectations and future actions with re:Jar(i to the availability of design infonnation and emphasizes the Commission's view that facilities should not be nooified without a clear urrlerstamin:J of the applicable engineerin:J design bases.
EFFECT'IVE DATE:
(Date of publication in the Federal Register).
FOR FlJRIHER INFORMATION CDNI'ACT:
Eugene v. Imbro, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Conunission, Washington, D.C. 20555, telephone (301) 504-2967.
1
SUPPLEMENmRY INFQRtWI'Ictf:
NRC inspection fin:lirgs have d.alnstrated that sane licensees have mt adequately rraintained their design bases information as required by NRC regulations.
Both the problems identified durin;J the NRC inspections am those identified by licensees have prarpted ~
power reactor licensees to initiate, over the past several years, design bases reconstitution programs.
To implem311t a recanstitution i;n:ogram, licensees seek to identify missin;J design documentation arrl to selectively regenerate missirg documentation as required.
In 1989, Nuclear utilities Management arrl Resa.Irces Council, Inc.,
(NlmRC) began develq>in;J their Design Basis PrtX:Jtam Guidelines, 11 NCi-mRC 90-12. "Mrlle develq>i.rg these guidelines, Nll-1ARC disrussed them at several public meetin:;Js held with the NRC.
'lhe staff has concluded the N(l-1ARC guidelines provide a useful starrlard frmrevork for irrple:mentinq design recanstituticn progJ:ans.
'Ihe staff also agrees m sin;Jle approach v.U..1ld enable utilities to best acccrrplish the reconstitution task.
'lhe NUMARC guidarx:e ~
to provide sufficient flexibility for in:iividual utilities to structure their i;n:ogJ:ans to respcni roost efficiently to their tmique needs am ci.rcuirstaooes.
'Ihe staff sent a 111,errt-.s en the guidelines to N'RC on November 9, 1990.
Coumi ssian paper ~-90-365 informed the Q:mni ssioners in advan::e about the staff response to NLMARC.
2
'lhe staff requested NOMARC consider mak.in;J the design bases effort a NUv1ARC initiative.
NCfflRC concluded they~ not pursue a formal initiative, rut T,t,1CJU,}_d forward the guidelines to their JTV-!IIlb?r.:; to use on a voluntacy basis. '!heir reasoo far not pursuin; an initiative was that n:ost of their memom; were already carrluctirg or evaluatin;J the need to conduct design bases recaistitutioo. pi:cg.rans.
'lhe Cr:::mnission's evaluation of the status of reconstitution programs clearly imicates the licensees' su1::Etantial invesbnent in these programs shalld yield positive safety benefits for a majority of sites.
'Ille NRC c::amoooos those licensees that are actinJ to ensure tecimically adequate arrl accessible design bases documentation is maintained.
lb.1ever, the O;mnissicn is concerned sane situations exist where licensees have not critically examined their design control arrl configuration management processes to identify requisite neasures to ensure the plant is operatin;J within the design bases envelcpe.
'Iherefare, the CcmDission is articulatin;J its expectatioos with regard to design infcn:matian arrl e] alx>ratm;J on its plarmed activities to confirm the integrity of the as-configured plant with respect to the plant design bases.
3
Policy state:roont FOSITICN
'Ihe Cc:mnission has concluded that naintai.ninJ cun:ent an:i accessible design document:aticn is inportant to ensure that (1) the plant physical arx:l functional characteristics are mtintained arxi are consistent with the design bases as required by NRC regulaticns, (2) systems, structures, arrl ca:aponents can perfonn their intended :furx:ticns, an:i (3) the plant is operated in a manner cxmsistent with the design l::ases.
'Ihe Ccmnission believes the regulatocy ~
already exists to address the nee:i for accessible design bases an:i u.ub.ol of design informatic:n.
'lhe availability of current design an:i licensirg bases will also expedite the license renewal process.
'!he Ca:omi ssion believes, as a result of NRC inspections an:i licensees' self-a!=:SeSSJDAl'l't, that all pc:,.i,er reactor licensees shoo.ld assess the accessibility am adequacy of their design bases documentation.
'Ihe results of this self-assessrrerrt should form the basis for a licensee's decision whether a design reconstitution pro;p:am is necessacy an:i the attri.l:utes to be included in the progi:am.
'!he Ccmni ssicn recognizes the need for a design reconstitution program to be tailored to meet the tmique nee1s of a particular utility.
'Ihe structure an:i content of the design document reconstitution prCX3Lam will be influenced by varioos factors, such as the utility's organizational structure, the availability or l.ll'lavailability of design documentation, arxi the intended users of the documentation.
'Ihe cannission expects that after carplet.in;J a reconstitution program, or as a basis for concludin;J that such a p:t031.am is unnecessacy, the licensee will have current 4
design documents arxi adequate technical 1::ases to denx:lnstrate that the plant
- [ilysical an::l functional cnaracteristics are consistent with the design basis, the systen:s., structures, an::l caopooents can perform their interned functions an::l the plant is be~ operated in a 1li:ll1l'ler consistent with the design basis.
NmARC has develq)ed guidan:e for the con:iuct of design bases reconstituticn prcgrans.
'lhe guidan:e outlines a framework to organize arrl collate rniclear paver plant design bases information.
'Ihis information provides the rationale for the design bases consistent with the definition of design l:ases cantained in 10 CFR 50.2.
NCmRC 90-12, Design Basis Prcgram Guidelines," was issued in october 1990 for voluntary use by Nl1-1ARC :memb=>.r organizations as a refereoce point from whid1 licensees ~d review their existirg or planned efforts to collate ~
design information.
'Ihe Commission believes Nt:M\\RC's awroa,dl provides a useful framework and wortmmile insights to those utilities urrlertakin:J design basis programs.
'lhe Co:rmissi..on believes a licensee should te able to shCM that it has sufficient ~tial, incll.Xiirg cala.1lations or pre-operational, startup or survei11.an:e test data to canclude the o.n:i:ent facility configuration is consistent with its design bases.
'!he Q:mnissian further believes the design bases must be urrlerstocxi am documented to bufJEXll.t c:p31:'ability deterninations am 10 CFR 50.59 evaluatia"ls that may need to be made quickly in resporrlirxJ to plant events.
'lhe design bases related information shCAlld be retrievable within a reasonable period of tiJne, hc:Mever, it is not necessary for all design basis doa..mEntatioo to te organized in one place.
'lll.e information used solely to support the develcprent of a m:xlificatian package ~
not need to be able to be retrieved as expeditioosly as information needed to support an 5
In the event the design bases informatioo is fourxi technically inadequate or not accessible, licensee's shalld consider whether rerediaJ action is warranted.
A methodology should be developed an:l implemented to ensure licensee rescRJrCeS are focused an design information regeneration in a timeframe ccmnensurate with the safety significance of the missirg or erroneCA.JS informatic:n.
'Ihe Q:rnmission also E!IplaSizes it is very i.Jrportant-that m:xlificatians to a facility be made after a thorough review has been ccniucted arrl an un::lerstan::ll of the awlicable lln'.:lerlyinJ design bases has been gained in order to ensure awropriate design margins are preserved.
FUIURE ACI'ICNS
'Ihe Comnission will continue to inspect rootinely the adequacy of design control program effectiveness.
'llle CcmDi ssi on concludes that ensurirg the design bases an:l ccnfiguratian of a facility are well un:1erstocd arrl controlled in plant documents will also ensure that those parts of the current licensdnJ bases of nest safety significaoce are un:ierstood arrl controlled.
other aspects of the cm:re1rt licensin;J bases, such as emergency preparedness an:l security plans, sha.Ild also be C1fPLoprlately examined to ensure their validity for the life of the facility, inclu:lin:J any reilEMal period.
6
In order to ensure the Q:mnissi.on is ~
of i.n:rustry's activities, the NRC will take the follarrln;J actions.
(1)
'Ihe staff will issue a generic letter requ.estirg all licensees to describe the prog:ramt; that are in place to ensure design information is con:ect, accessible, arrl maintained cun:ent.
'!hose licensees that are not llll>lementin:J a design reconstitution pre.gram will be requested to provide their ratiooale far not doin:3' so. If a reconstitution pi:og:ram is l.lIDer way, the schedule far irrplementation arrl completion will be requested.
(2)
'Ihe staff will prioritize NRC inspections of licensee's management of design am configuraticn usin:3' SSFI-type tecimi.ques based upon responses to the generic letter arrl other plant specific information knc:Mn to the NRC.
Additiooal staff guidan::e will be developed, where neeied, for the design bases aspects of these inspections.
(3)
'Iha NRC systanatic asses,:::ment of licensee perfannance (SAIP) process will be mxlified to explicitly~ assessrrent of licensee programs to conb.ol design bases information that reflect NRC inspection activity in this area arrl assure COllSistent evaluations.
7
(4)
The staff will continue to encourage self-identification of design bases issues through application of the provisions of the Commission's enforcement policy.
The staff will, however, pursue enforcement actions for engineering deficiencies whose root cause lies in the inadequacy or unavailability of design bases information and which are identified during NRC inspections.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement This final policy statement does not contain a new or amended information collection requirement subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (44 u.s.c. 3501 et seq.).
Existing requirements were approved by the Office of Management and Budget approval number 3150-0011.
r f.., ~
as/
Dated at Rockville Maryland, this f day of
, 1992.
For the clear Regulatory Commission.
ission.
8