ML031550720

Identical Letters - Request for Review of Integrated Industry Initiating Event Indicator Report

ML031550720
Person / Time
Issue date:	05/06/2003
From:	Newberry S F NRC/RES/DRAA
To:	Bischoff G C, Brooks C R, Fertel M S, Gray J A, Lochbaum D A, Mallay J F, Modeen D J B & W Owners Group, Electric Power Research Institute, Entergy Mississippi, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), Nuclear Energy Institute, Union of Concerned Scientists, Westinghouse Electric Corp
References
Download: ML031550720 (13)

Text

May 6, 2003Mr. Charles BrooksStaff Assistant Industry and Government Relations Institute of Nuclear Power Operations 700 Galleria Parkway, NW Atlanta, GA 30339-5957

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF INTEGRATED INDUSTRY INITIATING EVENTINDICATOR REPORTIn accordance with our peer review process, we are offering you the opportunity to review andcomment on a draft report documenting development efforts for an integrated industry initiating event indicator (IIIEI) for potential use in NRC's Industry Trends Program (ITP).As background, the NRC staff implemented the ITP in 2001, and is continuing to develop theprogram as a means to confirm that the nuclear industry is maintaining the safety of operating power plants and to increase public confidence in the efficacy of the NRC's processes. TheNRC uses industry-level indicators to identify adverse trends, evaluate them using agencydatabases, and take appropriate actions. One important output of this program is to report to Congress each year on the performance goal measure of "no statistically significant adverse industry trends in safety performance" as part of the NRC's Performance and AccountabilityReport. Based on the information currently available from the industry-level indicators originally developed by the former Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data and the Accident Sequence Precursor Program implemented by RES, no statistically significant adverse industry trends have been identified through FY 2002.The results of the ITP, along with any actions taken or planned, are reviewed annually duringthe Agency Action Review Meeting (AARM) and reported to the Commission. The most recent report on the ITP is in SECY-03-0057, "FY 2002 Results of the Industry Trends Program for Operating Power Reactors and Status of Ongoing Development," which is being made available on the NRC's web site at http

//www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/secys/.The staff is continuing to develop additional industry-level indicators that are more risk-informedand better aligned with the cornerstones of safety in the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP).

These additional indicators are being developed in phases, and may be qualified for use in the ITP and the annual Performance and Accountability Report to Congress. The attached draftreport describes a potential new overall indicator for the initiating events cornerstone that has been developed by the NRC's Office of Research (RES). An overall indicator can provide abetter representation of the overall risk from initiating events than multiple individual indicators of initiating events with varying degrees of risk significance.

C. Brooks 2This overall initiating events indicator consists of an index of the most risk significant industryinitiating events. This set of events are defined in NUREG-1753, "Risk-Based PerformanceIndicators: Results of Phase 1 Development," as those events that contribute >1% to industry core damage frequency and that have occurred at least once during the period 1987-1995. An index was developed for BWRs that has 9 risk-significant initiating events, and a similar index was developed for PWRs that has 10 events (the additional category of events is steam generator tube ruptures). Each initiating event is weighted in the index based on its relative contribution to industry core damage frequency. The development of the IIIEI involved updatingdata for initiating events that was most recently published in NUREG-5750, "Initiating Events atU.S. Nuclear Power Plants: 1987-1995." In general, the number of initiating events has continued to decline over the past decade.Please review the attached draft report and provide us your comments. We are specificallyinterested in your thoughts on the following:*The concept of the IIIEI and its technical basis*The relationship of the IIIEI to other risk-informed efforts, including the ITP and theROP*Your responses to the technical questions contained in Section 6 of the report.We would appreciate receiving your comments by 60 days from the receipt of thismemorandum. If you have any questions regarding this report, please contact Dr. Dale Rasmuson (301-415-7571, dmr@nrc.gov) of my staff.Sincerely,

/RA/

Scott F. Newberry, Director Division of Risk Analysis and Applications Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Attachment:

As statedcc: w/o att: J. Strosnider/A. Thadani, RES S. Collins, NRR B. Sheron, NRR R. Borchardt, NRR B. Boger, NRR Identical Letter 3IDENTICAL LETTERS DATED: 5/6/03

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF INTEGRATED INDUSTRY INITIATING EVENT INDICATOR REPORTDistribution w/o att

OERAB RFTBoyce, NRRSRichards, NRR DRAA RFCCarpenter, NRRDDube, RES File CenterMSatorius, NRRSDembek, NRRIdentical Letters:Mr. Charles BrooksMr. Gordon Bischoff, Project ManagerStaff Assistant Westinghouse Combined Owners GroupIndustry and Government RelationsWestinghouse Electric CorporationInstitute of Nuclear Power OperationsMail Stop 5-16700 Galleria Parkway, NWP.O. Box 355Atlanta, GA 30339-5957Pittsburgh, PA 15230-0355Mr. Marvin FertelMr. James F. MallayNuclear Energy InstituteB&W Owners Group Services1776 I Street, N.W.Framatome Technologies, Inc.Suite 400P.O. Box 10935Washington, D.C. 20006-3708Lynchburg, VA 24506-0935Mr. David A. LochbaumMr. Jack Gray, ChairmanUnion of Concerned ScientistsBWR Owners Group1707 H Street, N.W.Entergy NuclearSuite 600440 Hamilton AvenueWashington, DC 20006-3919P.O. Box 5029White Plains, NY 10601Mr. David ModeenVice President and Chief Nuclear OfficerElectric Power Research Institute 3412 Hillview AvenuePalo Alto, CA 94304DOCUMENT NAME: A:\IIIEI EXTERNAL REVIEW TRANSMITTAL LETTER APRIL2003.WPDTo receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box: "C" = Copy wo/encl "E" = Copy w/encl "N" = No copyOFFICEOERABEOERABEOERABEDRAAENAMEDRasmusonMCheokPBaranowskySNewberry DATE4/29/035/1/035/1/035/6/03 OFFICIAL RECORD COPYOAR in ADAMS? (Y or N)YPublicly Available? (Y or N)YTemplate Number: RES-006 Accession Number: RES File Code: 2C-3 May 6, 2003Mr. Marvin FertelNuclear Energy Institute 1776 I Street, N.W.

Suite 400 Washington, D.C. 20006-3708

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF INTEGRATED INDUSTRY INITIATING EVENTINDICATOR REPORTIn accordance with our peer review process, we are offering you the opportunity to review andcomment on a draft report documenting development efforts for an integrated industry initiating event indicator (IIIEI) for potential use in NRC's Industry Trends Program (ITP).As background, the NRC staff implemented the ITP in 2001, and is continuing to develop theprogram as a means to confirm that the nuclear industry is maintaining the safety of operating power plants and to increase public confidence in the efficacy of the NRC's processes. TheNRC uses industry-level indicators to identify adverse trends, evaluate them using agencydatabases, and take appropriate actions. One important output of this program is to report to Congress each year on the performance goal measure of "no statistically significant adverse industry trends in safety performance" as part of the NRC's Performance and AccountabilityReport. Based on the information currently available from the industry-level indicators originally developed by the former Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data and the Accident Sequence Precursor Program implemented by RES, no statistically significant adverse industry trends have been identified through FY 2002.The results of the ITP, along with any actions taken or planned, are reviewed annually duringthe Agency Action Review Meeting (AARM) and reported to the Commission. The most recent report on the ITP is in SECY-03-0057, "FY 2002 Results of the Industry Trends Program for Operating Power Reactors and Status of Ongoing Development," which is being made available on the NRC's web site at http

//www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/secys/.The staff is continuing to develop additional industry-level indicators that are more risk-informedand better aligned with the cornerstones of safety in the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP).

These additional indicators are being developed in phases, and may be qualified for use in the ITP and the annual Performance and Accountability Report to Congress. The attached draftreport describes a potential new overall indicator for the initiating events cornerstone that has been developed by the NRC's Office of Research (RES). An overall indicator can provide abetter representation of the overall risk from initiating events than multiple individual indicators of initiating events with varying degrees of risk significance.M. Fertel 2 This overall initiating events indicator consists of an index of the most risk significant industryinitiating events. This set of events are defined in NUREG-1753, "Risk-Based PerformanceIndicators: Results of Phase 1 Development," as those events that contribute >1% to industry core damage frequency and that have occurred at least once during the period 1987-1995. An index was developed for BWRs that has 9 risk-significant initiating events, and a similar index was developed for PWRs that has 10 events (the additional category of events is steam generator tube ruptures). Each initiating event is weighted in the index based on its relative contribution to industry core damage frequency. The development of the IIIEI involved updatingdata for initiating events that was most recently published in NUREG-5750, "Initiating Events atU.S. Nuclear Power Plants: 1987-1995." In general, the number of initiating events has continued to decline over the past decade.Please review the attached draft report and provide us your comments. We are specificallyinterested in your thoughts on the following:*The concept of the IIIEI and its technical basis*The relationship of the IIIEI to other risk-informed efforts, including the ITP and theROP*Your responses to the technical questions contained in Section 6 of the report.We would appreciate receiving your comments by 60 days from the receipt of thismemorandum. If you have any questions regarding this report, please contact Dr. Dale Rasmuson (301-415-7571, dmr@nrc.gov) of my staff.Sincerely, /RA/Scott F. Newberry, DirectorDivision of Risk Analysis and Applications Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Attachment:

As statedcc: w/o att: J. Strosnider/A. Thadani, RES S. Collins, NRR B. Sheron, NRR R. Borchardt, NRR B. Boger, NRR May 6, 2003Mr. David A. LochbaumUnion of Concerned Scientists 1707 H Street, N.W.

Suite 600 Washington, D.C. 20006-3919

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF INTEGRATED INDUSTRY INITIATING EVENTINDICATOR REPORTIn accordance with our peer review process, we are offering you the opportunity to review andcomment on a draft report documenting development efforts for an integrated industry initiating event indicator (IIIEI) for potential use in NRC's Industry Trends Program (ITP).As background, the NRC staff implemented the ITP in 2001, and is continuing to develop theprogram as a means to confirm that the nuclear industry is maintaining the safety of operating power plants and to increase public confidence in the efficacy of the NRC's processes. TheNRC uses industry-level indicators to identify adverse trends, evaluate them using agencydatabases, and take appropriate actions. One important output of this program is to report to Congress each year on the performance goal measure of "no statistically significant adverse industry trends in safety performance" as part of the NRC's Performance and AccountabilityReport. Based on the information currently available from the industry-level indicators originally developed by the former Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data and the Accident Sequence Precursor Program implemented by RES, no statistically significant adverse industry trends have been identified through FY 2002.The results of the ITP, along with any actions taken or planned, are reviewed annually duringthe Agency Action Review Meeting (AARM) and reported to the Commission. The most recent report on the ITP is in SECY-03-0057, "FY 2002 Results of the Industry Trends Program for Operating Power Reactors and Status of Ongoing Development," which is being made available on the NRC's web site at http

//www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/secys/.The staff is continuing to develop additional industry-level indicators that are more risk-informedand better aligned with the cornerstones of safety in the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP).

These additional indicators are being developed in phases, and may be qualified for use in the ITP and the annual Performance and Accountability Report to Congress. The attached draftreport describes a potential new overall indicator for the initiating events cornerstone that has been developed by the NRC's Office of Research (RES). An overall indicator can provide abetter representation of the overall risk from initiating events than multiple individual indicators of initiating events with varying degrees of risk significance.D. Lochbaum2 This overall initiating events indicator consists of an index of the most risk significant industryinitiating events. This set of events are defined in NUREG-1753, "Risk-Based PerformanceIndicators: Results of Phase 1 Development," as those events that contribute >1% to industry core damage frequency and that have occurred at least once during the period 1987-1995. An index was developed for BWRs that has 9 risk-significant initiating events, and a similar index was developed for PWRs that has 10 events (the additional category of events is steam generator tube ruptures). Each initiating event is weighted in the index based on its relative contribution to industry core damage frequency. The development of the IIIEI involved updatingdata for initiating events that was most recently published in NUREG-5750, "Initiating Events atU.S. Nuclear Power Plants: 1987-1995." In general, the number of initiating events has continued to decline over the past decade.Please review the attached draft report and provide us your comments. We are specificallyinterested in your thoughts on the following:*The concept of the IIIEI and its technical basis*The relationship of the IIIEI to other risk-informed efforts, including the ITP and theROP*Your responses to the technical questions contained in Section 6 of the report.We would appreciate receiving your comments by 60 days from the receipt of thismemorandum. If you have any questions regarding this report, please contact Dr. Dale Rasmuson (301-415-7571, dmr@nrc.gov) of my staff.Sincerely, /RA/Scott F. Newberry, DirectorDivision of Risk Analysis and Applications Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Attachment:

As statedcc: w/o att: J. Strosnider/A. Thadani, RES S. Collins, NRR B. Sheron, NRR R. Borchardt, NRR B. Boger, NRR May 6, 2003Mr. David ModeenVice President and Chief Nuclear Officer Electric Power Research Institute

3412 Hillview Av enuePalo Alto, CA 94304

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF INTEGRATED INDUSTRY INITIATING EVENTINDICATOR REPORTIn accordance with our peer review process, we are offering you the opportunity to review andcomment on a draft report documenting development efforts for an integrated industry initiating event indicator (IIIEI) for potential use in NRC's Industry Trends Program (ITP).As background, the NRC staff implemented the ITP in 2001, and is continuing to develop theprogram as a means to confirm that the nuclear industry is maintaining the safety of operating power plants and to increase public confidence in the efficacy of the NRC's processes. TheNRC uses industry-level indicators to identify adverse trends, evaluate them using agencydatabases, and take appropriate actions. One important output of this program is to report to Congress each year on the performance goal measure of "no statistically significant adverse industry trends in safety performance" as part of the NRC's Performance and AccountabilityReport. Based on the information currently available from the industry-level indicators originally developed by the former Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data and the Accident Sequence Precursor Program implemented by RES, no statistically significant adverse industry trends have been identified through FY 2002.The results of the ITP, along with any actions taken or planned, are reviewed annually duringthe Agency Action Review Meeting (AARM) and reported to the Commission. The most recent report on the ITP is in SECY-03-0057, "FY 2002 Results of the Industry Trends Program for Operating Power Reactors and Status of Ongoing Development," which is being made available on the NRC's web site at http

//www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/secys/.The staff is continuing to develop additional industry-level indicators that are more risk-informedand better aligned with the cornerstones of safety in the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP).

These additional indicators are being developed in phases, and may be qualified for use in the ITP and the annual Performance and Accountability Report to Congress. The attached draftreport describes a potential new overall indicator for the initiating events cornerstone that has been developed by the NRC's Office of Research (RES). An overall indicator can provide abetter representation of the overall risk from initiating events than multiple individual indicators of initiating events with varying degrees of risk significance.

D. Modeen 2This overall initiating events indicator consists of an index of the most risk significant industryinitiating events. This set of events are defined in NUREG-1753, "Risk-Based PerformanceIndicators: Results of Phase 1 Development," as those events that contribute >1% to industry core damage frequency and that have occurred at least once during the period 1987-1995. An index was developed for BWRs that has 9 risk-significant initiating events, and a similar index was developed for PWRs that has 10 events (the additional category of events is steam generator tube ruptures). Each initiating event is weighted in the index based on its relative contribution to industry core damage frequency. The development of the IIIEI involved updatingdata for initiating events that was most recently published in NUREG-5750, "Initiating Events atU.S. Nuclear Power Plants: 1987-1995." In general, the number of initiating events has continued to decline over the past decade.Please review the attached draft report and provide us your comments. We are specificallyinterested in your thoughts on the following:*The concept of the IIIEI and its technical basis*The relationship of the IIIEI to other risk-informed efforts, including the ITP and theROP*Your responses to the technical questions contained in Section 6 of the report.We would appreciate receiving your comments by 60 days from the receipt of thismemorandum. If you have any questions regarding this report, please contact Dr. Dale Rasmuson (301-415-7571, dmr@nrc.gov) of my staff.Sincerely, /RA/Scott F. Newberry, DirectorDivision of Risk Analysis and Applications Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Attachment:

As stated cc: w/o att: J. Strosnider/A. Thadani, RES S. Collins, NRR B. Sheron, NRR R. Borchardt, NRR B. Boger, NRR May 6, 2003Mr. Gordon Bishcoff, Project ManagerWestinghouse Combined Owners Group Westinghouse Electric Corporation Mail Stop 5-16

P.O. Box 355 Pittsburgh, PA 15230-0355

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF INTEGRATED INDUSTRY INITIATING EVENTINDICATOR REPORTIn accordance with our peer review process, we are offering you the opportunity to review andcomment on a draft report documenting development efforts for an integrated industry initiating event indicator (IIIEI) for potential use in NRC's Industry Trends Program (ITP).As background, the NRC staff implemented the ITP in 2001, and is continuing to develop theprogram as a means to confirm that the nuclear industry is maintaining the safety of operating power plants and to increase public confidence in the efficacy of the NRC's processes. TheNRC uses industry-level indicators to identify adverse trends, evaluate them using agencydatabases, and take appropriate actions. One important output of this program is to report to Congress each year on the performance goal measure of "no statistically significant adverse industry trends in safety performance" as part of the NRC's Performance and AccountabilityReport. Based on the information currently available from the industry-level indicators originally developed by the former Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data and the Accident Sequence Precursor Program implemented by RES, no statistically significant adverse industry trends have been identified through FY 2002.The results of the ITP, along with any actions taken or planned, are reviewed annually duringthe Agency Action Review Meeting (AARM) and reported to the Commission. The most recent report on the ITP is in SECY-03-0057, "FY 2002 Results of the Industry Trends Program for Operating Power Reactors and Status of Ongoing Development," which is being made available on the NRC's web site at http

//www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/secys/.The staff is continuing to develop additional industry-level indicators that are more risk-informedand better aligned with the cornerstones of safety in the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP).

These additional indicators are being developed in phases, and may be qualified for use in the ITP and the annual Performance and Accountability Report to Congress. The attached draftreport describes a potential new overall indicator for the initiating events cornerstone that has been developed by the NRC's Office of Research (RES). An overall indicator can provide abetter representation of the overall risk from initiating events than multiple individual indicators of initiating events with varying degrees of risk significance.

G. Bishcoff 2This overall initiating events indicator consists of an index of the most risk significant industryinitiating events. This set of events are defined in NUREG-1753, "Risk-Based PerformanceIndicators: Results of Phase 1 Development," as those events that contribute >1% to industry core damage frequency and that have occurred at least once during the period 1987-1995. An index was developed for BWRs that has 9 risk-significant initiating events, and a similar index was developed for PWRs that has 10 events (the additional category of events is steam generator tube ruptures). Each initiating event is weighted in the index based on its relative contribution to industry core damage frequency. The development of the IIIEI involved updatingdata for initiating events that was most recently published in NUREG-5750, "Initiating Events atU.S. Nuclear Power Plants: 1987-1995." In general, the number of initiating events has continued to decline over the past decade.Please review the attached draft report and provide us your comments. We are specificallyinterested in your thoughts on the following:*The concept of the IIIEI and its technical basis*The relationship of the IIIEI to other risk-informed efforts, including the ITP and theROP*Your responses to the technical questions contained in Section 6 of the report.We would appreciate receiving your comments by 60 days from the receipt of thismemorandum. If you have any questions regarding this report, please contact Dr. Dale Rasmuson (301-415-7571, dmr@nrc.gov) of my staff.Sincerely, /RA/Scott F. Newberry, DirectorDivision of Risk Analysis and Applications Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Attachment:

As stated cc: w/o att: J. Strosnider/A. Thadani, RES S. Collins, NRR B. Sheron, NRR R. Borchardt, NRR B. Boger, NRR May 6, 2003Mr. James F. MallayB&W Owners Group Services Framatome Technologies, Inc.

P.O. Box 10935 Lynchburg, VA 24506-0935

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF INTEGRATED INDUSTRY INITIATING EVENTINDICATOR REPORTIn accordance with our peer review process, we are offering you the opportunity to review andcomment on a draft report documenting development efforts for an integrated industry initiating event indicator (IIIEI) for potential use in NRC's Industry Trends Program (ITP).As background, the NRC staff implemented the ITP in 2001, and is continuing to develop theprogram as a means to confirm that the nuclear industry is maintaining the safety of operating power plants and to increase public confidence in the efficacy of the NRC's processes. TheNRC uses industry-level indicators to identify adverse trends, evaluate them using agencydatabases, and take appropriate actions. One important output of this program is to report to Congress each year on the performance goal measure of "no statistically significant adverse industry trends in safety performance" as part of the NRC's Performance and AccountabilityReport. Based on the information currently available from the industry-level indicators originally developed by the former Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data and the Accident Sequence Precursor Program implemented by RES, no statistically significant adverse industry trends have been identified through FY 2002.The results of the ITP, along with any actions taken or planned, are reviewed annually duringthe Agency Action Review Meeting (AARM) and reported to the Commission. The most recent report on the ITP is in SECY-03-0057, "FY 2002 Results of the Industry Trends Program for Operating Power Reactors and Status of Ongoing Development," which is being made available on the NRC's web site at http

//www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/secys/.The staff is continuing to develop additional industry-level indicators that are more risk-informedand better aligned with the cornerstones of safety in the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP).

These additional indicators are being developed in phases, and may be qualified for use in the ITP and the annual Performance and Accountability Report to Congress. The attached draftreport describes a potential new overall indicator for the initiating events cornerstone that has been developed by the NRC's Office of Research (RES). An overall indicator can provide abetter representation of the overall risk from initiating events than multiple individual indicators of initiating events with varying degrees of risk significance.

J. Mallay 2This overall initiating events indicator consists of an index of the most risk significant industryinitiating events. This set of events are defined in NUREG-1753, "Risk-Based PerformanceIndicators: Results of Phase 1 Development," as those events that contribute >1% to industry core damage frequency and that have occurred at least once during the period 1987-1995. An index was developed for BWRs that has 9 risk-significant initiating events, and a similar index was developed for PWRs that has 10 events (the additional category of events is steam generator tube ruptures). Each initiating event is weighted in the index based on its relative contribution to industry core damage frequency. The development of the IIIEI involved updatingdata for initiating events that was most recently published in NUREG-5750, "Initiating Events atU.S. Nuclear Power Plants: 1987-1995." In general, the number of initiating events has continued to decline over the past decade.Please review the attached draft report and provide us your comments. We are specificallyinterested in your thoughts on the following:*The concept of the IIIEI and its technical basis*The relationship of the IIIEI to other risk-informed efforts, including the ITP and theROP*Your responses to the technical questions contained in Section 6 of the report.We would appreciate receiving your comments by 60 days from the receipt of thismemorandum. If you have any questions regarding this report, please contact Dr. Dale Rasmuson (301-415-7571, dmr@nrc.gov) of my staff.Sincerely, /RA/Scott F. Newberry, DirectorDivision of Risk Analysis and Applications Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Attachment:

As stated cc: w/o att: J. Strosnider/A. Thadani, RES S. Collins, NRR B. Sheron, NRR R. Borchardt, NRR B. Boger, NRR May 6, 2003Mr. Jack Gray, ChairmanBWR Owners Group Entergy Nuclear 440 Hamilton Avenue P.O. Box 5029 White Plains, NY 10601

SUBJECT:

REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF INTEGRATED INDUSTRY INITIATING EVENTINDICATOR REPORTIn accordance with our peer review process, we are offering you the opportunity to review andcomment on a draft report documenting development efforts for an integrated industry initiating event indicator (IIIEI) for potential use in NRC's Industry Trends Program (ITP).As background, the NRC staff implemented the ITP in 2001, and is continuing to develop theprogram as a means to confirm that the nuclear industry is maintaining the safety of operating power plants and to increase public confidence in the efficacy of the NRC's processes. TheNRC uses industry-level indicators to identify adverse trends, evaluate them using agencydatabases, and take appropriate actions. One important output of this program is to report to Congress each year on the performance goal measure of "no statistically significant adverse industry trends in safety performance" as part of the NRC's Performance and AccountabilityReport. Based on the information currently available from the industry-level indicators originally developed by the former Office for Analysis and Evaluation of Operational Data and the Accident Sequence Precursor Program implemented by RES, no statistically significant adverse industry trends have been identified through FY 2002.The results of the ITP, along with any actions taken or planned, are reviewed annually duringthe Agency Action Review Meeting (AARM) and reported to the Commission. The most recent report on the ITP is in SECY-03-0057, "FY 2002 Results of the Industry Trends Program for Operating Power Reactors and Status of Ongoing Development," which is being made available on the NRC's web site at http

//www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/secys/.The staff is continuing to develop additional industry-level indicators that are more risk-informedand better aligned with the cornerstones of safety in the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP).

These additional indicators are being developed in phases, and may be qualified for use in the ITP and the annual Performance and Accountability Report to Congress. The attached draftreport describes a potential new overall indicator for the initiating events cornerstone that has been developed by the NRC's Office of Research (RES). An overall indicator can provide abetter representation of the overall risk from initiating events than multiple individual indicators of initiating events with varying degrees of risk significance.

J. Gray 2This overall initiating events indicator consists of an index of the most risk significant industryinitiating events. This set of events are defined in NUREG-1753, "Risk-Based PerformanceIndicators: Results of Phase 1 Development," as those events that contribute >1% to industry core damage frequency and that have occurred at least once during the period 1987-1995. An index was developed for BWRs that has 9 risk-significant initiating events, and a similar index was developed for PWRs that has 10 events (the additional category of events is steam generator tube ruptures). Each initiating event is weighted in the index based on its relative contribution to industry core damage frequency. The development of the IIIEI involved updatingdata for initiating events that was most recently published in NUREG-5750, "Initiating Events atU.S. Nuclear Power Plants: 1987-1995." In general, the number of initiating events has continued to decline over the past decade.Please review the attached draft report and provide us your comments. We are specificallyinterested in your thoughts on the following:*The concept of the IIIEI and its technical basis*The relationship of the IIIEI to other risk-informed efforts, including the ITP and theROP*Your responses to the technical questions contained in Section 6 of the report.We would appreciate receiving your comments by 60 days from the receipt of thismemorandum. If you have any questions regarding this report, please contact Dr. Dale Rasmuson (301-415-7571, dmr@nrc.gov) of my staff.Sincerely, /RA/Scott F. Newberry, DirectorDivision of Risk Analysis and Applications Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research

Attachment:

As stated cc: w/o att: J. Strosnider/A. Thadani, RES S. Collins, NRR B. Sheron, NRR R. Borchardt, NRR B. Boger, NRR ROUTING AND TRANSMITTAL SLIPDate: 10/27/04TO: (Name, office symbol, room #, building, agency/post)InitialsDate1. Dale Rasmuson - Concur - Fill in Y or N for OAR in Adams and PubliclyAvailableDMR4/282. Mike Cheok - ConcurMCC5/13. Patrick Baranowsky - ConcurMCC forPWB 5/14. Scott Newberry - SignatureSFN5/65. Nancy - Distribute - Fill in Template No., Accession No., and Res File CodeNLL5/6 6.7.

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10.ActionFileNote and ReturnApprovalFor ClearancePer Conversation As RequestedFor CorrectionPrepare Reply CirculateFor Your InformationSee Me CommentInvestigateXConcurrence/Signature CoordinationJustifyREMARKSREQUEST FOR REVIEW OF INTEGRATED INDUSTRY INITIATING EVENT INDICATOR REPORTFROM: (Name, org. symbol, Agency/Post)Room # - Bldg.Phone #