ML24122C686

Summary of the April 24, 2024 Information Meeting with Question and Answer Session to Discuss the 2023 Annual Assessment of Safety Performance at Cooper Nuclear Station

ML24122C686
Person / Time
Site:	Cooper
Issue date:	05/02/2024
From:	Jeffrey Josey NRC/RGN-IV/DORS/PBC
To:	Geoffrey Miller NRC/RGN-IV/DORS
Schaup W
References
Download: ML24122C686 (4)

Text

May 02, 2024 MEMORANDUM TO:

Geoffrey B. Miller, Director Division of Operating Reactor Safety FROM:

Jeffrey E. Josey, Chief Reactor Projects Branch C Division of Operating Reactor Safety

SUMMARY

OF THE APRIL 24, 2024, INFORMATION MEETING WITH QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSION TO DISCUSS THE 2023 ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF SAFETY PERFORMANCE AT COOPER NUCLEAR STATION On April 24, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (CDT), representatives of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held an information meeting with a question-and-answer session to discuss the NRCs assessment of safety performance at Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) for 2023 at Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska. The NRC resident inspectors and staff were available for questions about the safety performance of the station and the NRC's role in ensuring safe plant operations. Three representatives from Nebraska Public Power District were in attendance; one member of the public attended the meeting. A list of the attendees is attached. One public meeting feedback form was received at the meeting.

Representatives from the NRC made available copies of the annual assessment letter regarding Cooper Nuclear Stations performance during 2023 (ADAMS Accession No. ML24044A232), the NRC Annual Assessment Summary for Cooper Nuclear Station PowerPoint handouts (attached), the NRC Information Digest (NUREG-1350), and other brochures and fact sheets.

Docket No. 05000298 License No. DPR-46

Enclosures:

1.

2024 CNS Information Meeting Attendance List 2.

CNS Annual Assessment Summary PowerPoint Handout CONTACT:

Kent Chambliss, Senior Resident Inspector 817-200-1944 Signed by Josey, Jeffrey on 05/02/24

ML24122C686

SUNSI Review

Non-Sensitive

Sensitive

Publicly Available

Non-Publicly Available OFFICE RI:DORS/C SRI:DORS/C SPE:DORS/C BC:DORS/C NAME GBirkemeier KChambliss WSchaup JJosey DATE 05/02/24 05/02/24 05/02/24 05/02/24

1 Cooper Nuclear Station Annual Assessment Meeting Reactor Oversight Process - 2023 Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Region IV Peru, NE April 24, 2024

2 Purpose of Todays Meeting

• A public forum for discussion of the licensees performance in 2023.

• NRC will address the performance issues identified in the annual assessment letter.

3 Agenda

• Introduction

• Review of Reactor Oversight Process

• National Summary of Plant Performance

• Discussion of Plant Performance Results

• NRC Closing Remarks

• NRC available to address public questions

4 Region X Organization John Monninger Regional Administrator Julio Lara Deputy Regional Administrator Geoff Miller Director Division of Reactor Projects (or Operating Reactor Safety)

Mike Hay Deputy Director Tammy Bloomer Director Division of Reactor Safety (or Radiological Safety and Security)

Lizette Roldan-Otero Deputy Director Jeff Josey Branch Chief Regional Specialists Cooper Nuclear Station Resident Inspectors Kent Chambliss Geoff Birkemeier Senior Project Engineers William Schaup Ray Azua

5 Our Mission

• The NRC licenses and regulates the Nations civilian use of radioactive materials to provide reasonable assurance of adequate protection of public health and safety and to promote the common defense and security and protect the environment.

6 Some Nuclear Facts 94 nuclear power plants supply about 20 percent of the electricity in the U.S.

Nuclear materials are used in medicine for diagnosis and cancer treatment.

Nuclear materials are widely used in industry, such as in density gauges, flow measurement devices, radiography devices, and irradiators.

7 The NRC Regulates

• Nuclear reactors - commercial power reactors, research and test reactors, new reactor designs

• Nuclear materials - nuclear reactor fuel, radioactive materials for medical, industrial, and academic use

• Nuclear waste - transportation, storage and disposal of nuclear material and waste, decommissioning of nuclear facilities

• Nuclear security - physical security of nuclear facilities and materials from sabotage or attacks

8 What We Dont Do

• Regulate nuclear weapons, military reactors, or space vehicle reactors.

• Own or operate nuclear power plants.

• Regulate some radioactive materials, such as X-rays and naturally occurring radon.

9 How We Regulate

• Establish rules and regulations.

• Issue licenses.

• Provide oversight through inspection, enforcement, and evaluation of operational experience.

• Conduct research to provide support for regulatory decisions.

• Respond to events and emergencies.

10 Assurance of Plant Safety

• Require defense-in-depth

• Require long-term maintenance of equipment

• Require continual training of operators

• Verify compliance with regulations

11 What We Do - Nuclear Waste

• The NRC regulates:

- Storage of spent reactor fuel in fuel pools or dry storage casks, and

- Any national spent fuel storage site.

12 What We Do - Nuclear Security

• NRC Requires:

- Well-armed and well-trained security forces,

- Surveillance and perimeter patrols,

- State-of-the-art site access equipment and

controls,

- Physical barriers and detection zones, and

- Intrusion detection systems and alarm stations.

13 NRC Performance Goals

• Safety and Security: Ensure the safe and secure use of radioactive materials.

• Organizational Health: Continue to foster a healthy organization.

• Stakeholder Confidence: Inspire stakeholder confidence in the NRC.

14 Reactor Oversight Process Safety Cornerstones Baseline Inspection Results Significance Threshold Action Matrix Significance Threshold Performance Indicator Results Regulatory Response Strategic Performance Areas Safety Cornerstones Baseline Inspection Results Significance Threshold Action Matrix Significance Threshold Performance Indicator Results Regulatory Response Strategic Performance Areas

15 Examples of Baseline Inspections

• Equipment Alignment

~80 hrs/yr

• Quadrennial Fire Protection

~240 hrs every 4 yrs

• Operator Response

~125 hrs/yr

• Emergency Preparedness

~80 hrs/yr

• Rad Release Controls

~110 hrs every 2 yrs

• Worker Radiation Protection

~95 hrs/yr

• Corrective Action Program

~250 hrs every 2 yrs

• Corrective Action Case Reviews

~60 hrs/yr

16 Significance Threshold Performance Indicators Green:

Only Baseline Inspection White:

Increases NRC oversight Yellow: Increases NRC oversight Red:

Increases NRC oversight Inspection Findings Green:

Very low safety or security significance finding White:

Low to moderate safety or security significance finding Yellow: Substantial safety or security significance finding Red:

High safety or security significance finding

17 Action Matrix Concept Increasing Safety Significance Increasing NRC Inspection Efforts Increasing NRC/Licensee Management Involvement Increasing Regulatory Actions Licensee

Response

Regulatory

Response

Degraded Performance Multiple/Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone Unacceptable Performance

18 National Summary of Plant Performance Status as of 12/31/2023 Licensee Response 88 Regulatory Response 6

Degraded Performance 0

Multiple/Repetitive Deg. Cornerstone 0

Unacceptable 0

IMC 0350 Oversight 0

Total 94

19 National Summary

• Performance Indicator Results for 2023*

- Green 6240

- White 0

- Yellow 0

- Red 0

• PIs are counted per unit per quarter

• Total Inspection Findings in 2023#

- Green 447

- Greater-than-Green 5

- White 9

- Yellow 0

- Red 0

1. Finding data current as of 2/14/2024

20 Cooper Assessment Results January 1 - December 31, 2023

• Column I - Licensee Response

• No Greater Than Green Findings/PIs

21 Cooper Inspection Activities January 1 - December 31, 2023

• Commercial Grade Dedication

• Problem Identification and Resolution

• Security/Cybersecurity/Force-on-Force

• EP Program

• Licensed Operator Requalification

• Radiation Protection

22 Cooper Annual Assessment Summary January 1 - December 31, 2023

• NPPD operated Cooper in a manner that preserved public health and safety

• All cornerstone objectives were met with no Greater-Than-Green findings identified

23 January 1 - December 31, 2023

• No cross-cutting issues

• NRC plans baseline inspections at Cooper for 2024

{Plant Name}

Annual Assessment Summary

24 Open to the Public

• The NRC places a high priority on keeping the public and stakeholders informed of its activities.

• At www.nrc.gov, you can:

- Find public meeting dates and transcripts;

- Read NRC testimony, speeches, press releases, and policy decisions; and

- Access the agencys Electronic Reading Room to find NRC publications and documents.

25 Contacting the NRC

• CNS Resident Office

- (817) 200-1944

• Report an emergency

- (301) 816-5100 (call collect)

• Report a safety concern

- (800) 695-7403

- Allegation@nrc.gov

• General information or questions

- www.nrc.gov

- Select What We Do for Public Affairs

NRC Social Media Channels Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nrcgov/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nrcgov YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NRCgov Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nrcgov/sets LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s--nuclear-regulatory-commission/mycompany/

GovDelivery:

https://service.govdelivery.com/accounts/USNRC/subscriber/new 26

27 Reference Sources

• Reactor Oversight Process

- https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/oversight.html

• Public Electronic Reading Room

- https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html

• Public Document Room 800-397-4209 (Toll Free)

28 Feedback/Comments/

General Questions Public Meeting Feedback Form:

1.

Navigate to https://feedback.nrc.gov/pmfs/

2.

Enter meeting code number: