ML091270258

Assessment Followup Letter - Cooper Nuclear Station 05/07/2009

ML091270258
Person / Time
Site:	Cooper
Issue date:	05/07/2009
From:	Chamberlain D NRC/RGN-IV/DRP
To:	Minahan S Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD)
References
Download: ML091270258 (5)

Text

UNITED STATES NUC LE AR RE G UL AT O RY C O M M I S S I O N R E GI ON I V 612 EAST LAMAR BLVD , SU I TE 400 AR LI N GTON , TEXAS 76011-4125 May 7, 2009 Stewart B. Minahan, Vice President-Nuclear and CNO Nebraska Public Power District 72676 648A Avenue Brownville, NE 68321

SUBJECT:

ASSESSMENT FOLLOWUP LETTER - COOPER NUCLEAR STATION

Dear Mr. Minahan:

On April 30, 2009, the NRC staff completed, as part of our quarterly review, an update of our assessment of Cooper Nuclear Station. The assessment evaluated performance indicators and inspection results through the first quarter of calendar year 2009. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of your safety performance during this period and our plans for a future inspection at your facility. This letter supplements, but does not supersede, or our annual assessment letter issued on March 4, 2009.

Our review of Cooper Nuclear Station identified that you crossed the threshold from Green to White for the Mitigating Systems Performance Index - Emergency AC Power (MSPI-EAC) performance indicator in the fourth quarter of 2008 based on data submitted at the end of the first quarter of 2009. The performance indicator returned to Green in the first quarter of 2009.

On October 30, 2008, the Division 1 emergency diesel generator failed to complete a surveillance run due to a reduction in fuel oil flow to the fuel oil day tank caused by an accumulation of foreign material in the fuel oil day tank inlet float valve. The additional unreliability term added from this run failure caused the MSPI-EAC performance indicator to cross the threshold from Green to White for the fourth quarter of 2008. As a result, we have assessed Cooper Nuclear Station performance to be in the Regulatory Response Column of the NRCs Action Matrix pending successful completion of a supplemental inspection to review the actions taken to address the White performance indicator.

When we are notified by your staff of your readiness for the NRC to conduct the supplemental inspection, we will implement Inspection Procedure 95001, Supplemental Inspection for One or Two White Inputs in a Strategic Performance Area. This inspection procedure will be performed to provide assurance that the root and contributing causes for the White performance indicator are understood, to provide assurance that the extent of condition and extent of cause are identified, and to provide assurance that the corrective actions are sufficient to address the root and contributing causes to prevent recurrence.

Nebraska Public Power District In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRCs Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of the NRCs 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 Geoffrey Miller at 817-860-8144 with any questions you may have regarding this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Dwight D. Chamberlain, Director Division of Reactor Projects Docket: 50-298 License: DPR-46 cc:

Gene Mace Nuclear Asset Manager Nebraska Public Power District P.O. Box 98 Brownville, NE 68321 John C. McClure, Vice President and General Counsel Nebraska Public Power District P.O. Box 499 Columbus, NE 68602-0499 David Van Der Kamp Licensing Manager Nebraska Public Power District P.O. Box 98 Brownville, NE 68321 Michael J. Linder, Director Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality P.O. Box 98922 Lincoln, NE 68509-8922 Chairman Nemaha County Board of Commissioners Nemaha County Courthouse 1824 N Street Auburn, NE 68305

Nebraska Public Power District Julia Schmitt, Manager Radiation Control Program Nebraska Health & Human Services Dept. of Regulation & Licensing Division of Public Health Assurance 301 Centennial Mall, South P.O. Box 95007 Lincoln, NE 68509-5007 Deputy Director for Policy Missouri Department of Natural Resources P.O. Box 176 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176 Director, Missouri State Emergency Management Agency P.O. Box 116 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0116 Chief, Radiation and Asbestos Control Section Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Air and Radiation 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 310 Topeka, KS 66612-1366 Melanie Rasmussen, State Liaison Officer/

Radiation Control Program Director Bureau of Radiological Health Iowa Department of Public Health Lucas State Office Building, 5th Floor 321 East 12th Street Des Moines, IA 50319 John F. McCann, Director, Licensing Entergy Nuclear Northeast Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

440 Hamilton Avenue White Plains, NY 10601-1813 Keith G. Henke, Planner Division of Community and Public Health Office of Emergency Coordination P.O. Box 570 Jefferson City, MO 65102

Nebraska Public Power District Art Zaremba Director of Nuclear Safety Assurance Nebraska Public Power District P.O. Box 98 Brownville, NE 68321 Ronald D. Asche, President and Chief Executive Officer Nebraska Public Power District 1414 15th Street Columbus, NE 68601 Chief, Technological Hazards Branch FEMA, Region VII 9221 Ward Parkway Suite 300 Kansas City, MO 64114-3372

Nebraska Public Power District Electronic distribution by RIV:

Regional Administrator (Elmo.Collins@nrc.gov)

Deputy Regional Administrator (Chuck.Casto@nrc.gov)

DRP Director (Dwight.Chamberlain@nrc.gov)

DRP Deputy Director (Anton.Vegel@nrc.gov)

DRS Director (Roy.Caniano@nrc.gov)

DRS Deputy Director (Troy.Pruett@nrc.gov)

Senior Resident Inspector (Nick.Taylor@nrc.gov)

Resident Inspector (Michael.Chambers@nrc.gov)

Branch Chief, DRP/C (Geoffrey.Miller@nrc.gov)

Senior Project Engineer, DRP/C (David.Proulx@nrc.gov)

Public Affairs Officer (Victor.Dricks@nrc.gov)

Team Leader, DRP/TSS (Chuck.Paulk@nrc.gov)

RITS Coordinator (Marisa.Herrera@nrc.gov)

K. S. Fuller (Karla.Fuller@nrc.gov)

Senior Enforcement Specialist (Mark.Haire@nrc.gov)

OEDO RIV Coordinator (John.Adams@nrc.gov)

File located: R:\_REACTORS\_CNS\2009\CNS Assessment Followup Letter.doc ADAMS ML091270258 SUNSI Rev Compl. 7Yes No ADAMS 7Yes No Reviewer Initials GBM Publicly Avail 7Yes No Sensitive Yes 7 No Sens. Type Initials GBM RIV:SPE:DRP/C C:DRP/C D:DRP DLProulx GBMiller DDChamberlain

/RA/ /RA/ /RA/

05/04/2009 05/04/2009 05/07/2009 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY T=Telephone E=E-mail F=Fax