Press Release-96-036, NRC Proposes Reporting Requirements for RISK-SIGNIFICANT Reactor Systems
| ML003705361 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/16/1996 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| Category:Press Release | |
| References | |
| Press Release-96-036 | |
| Download: ML003705361 (2) | |
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Public Affairs Washington, DC 20555 Phone 301-415-8200 Fax 301-415-2234 Internet:opa@nrc.gov No. 96-36 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Friday, February 16, 1996)
NRC PROPOSES REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR RISK-SIGNIFICANT REACTOR SYSTEMS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to amend its regulations to require that operators of commercial nuclear power plants provide NRC with reliability and availability information for selected risk-significant equipment.
The proposed reporting requirements would apply to systems and equipment which could significantly affect risk in terms of avoiding core damage accidents or preserving containment integrity.
Examples of components affected include reactor protection systems, high-pressure and low-pressure safety injection systems, and emergency power.
The NRC believes the information is needed to improve its oversight of public health and safety and to assist the agency in taking generic and plant-specific regulatory actions.
The collection of equipment reliability data would enhance NRC's ability to identify plants and systems at risk for significant events, particularly at a time when it is moving toward increased use of probability risk assessments.
Information required under the proposed rule also would improve the NRC's oversight of licensees' maintenance programs under the agency's maintenance rule issued in 1991.
Data to be reported under the proposed rule would be:
- 1) Number of demands on a system or component, the number of failures to start associated with such demands, and the dates of any such failures, the type of demand (test, inadvertent/spurious, or actual need), and plant mode at the time (operating or shut down);
- 2) Number of hours of operation following each successful start of the system or component and whether or not the operation was terminated because of equipment failure, with dates of any failures;
- 3) Number of hours equipment is unavailable, plant mode at the time, and description of unavailable period (planned, unplanned);
- 4) Failure record identifying the component and failure date, duration, mode and cause;
- 5) Number of hours when two or more significant parts from the same or different systems were concurrently unavailable.
The information would be reported annually to the NRC, but compiled by calendar quarter, or on a more frequent basis at the option of each licensee.
The first report would be required by January 31, 1998.
Under the rule, licensees also would be required to maintain on site, for NRC inspection, the records and documentation that provide the basis for the information reported to the NRC.
Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on the proposed rule, published in the February 12 edition of the Federal Register, by June 11.
The comments should be addressed to the Secretary, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention:
Docketing and Service Branch.