IR 05000331/2011006

Mid-Cycle Letter for Duane Arnold Energy Center; 05000331-11-006

ML11244A005
Person / Time
Site:	Duane Arnold
Issue date:	09/01/2011
From:	Riemer K R NRC/RGN-III/DRP/B2
To:	Wells P NextEra Energy Duane Arnold
References
IR-11-006
Download: ML11244A005 (5)

Text

September 1, 2011

Mr. Peter Wells Vice President NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC 3277 DAEC Road Palo, IA 52324-9785

SUBJECT: MID-CYCLE LETTER FOR DUANE ARNOLD ENERGY CENTER; 05000331/2011-006

Dear Mr. Wells:

On August 10, 2011, the NRC completed its mid-cycle performance review of the Duane Arnold Energy Center. The NRC reviewed the most recent quarterly performance indicators (PIs) in addition to inspection results and enforcement actions from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011. This letter informs you of the NRC's assessment of your facility during this period and its plans for future inspections at your facility. This performance review and enclosed inspection plan do not include security information. A separate letter will include the NRC's assessment of your performance in the Security Cornerstone and its security-related inspection plan. The NRC determined the performance at the Duane Arnold Energy Center during the most recent quarter was within the Licensee Response Column of the NRC's Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Action Matrix because all inspection findings had very low (i.e., green) safety significance and all PIs indicated that your performance was within the normal, expected range (i.e. green). Therefore, the NRC plans to conduct ROP baseline inspections at your facility. The enclosed inspection plan details the inspections, less those related to physical protection, scheduled through December 31, 2012. Routine resident inspections are not included in the inspection plan. In addition to the ROP baseline inspections, the NRC will be conducting the following additional inspections at your facility: IP 60855.1, "Operation of an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) at Operating Plants"; and IP 71003, "Post-Approval - License Renewal." The inspections listed during the last nine months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised at the end-of-cycle performance review. The NRC provides the inspection plan to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issues. The NRC will contact you as soon as possible to discuss changes to the inspection plan should circumstances warrant any changes. In the days following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in Japan, the Commission directed the staff to establish a senior-level agency task force to conduct a methodical and systematic review of the NRC's processes and regulations to determine whether the agency should make additional improvements to its regulatory system. The NRC has since completed Temporary Instruction (TI) 183, "Follow-up to Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Station Fuel Damage Event," and TI-184, "Availability and Readiness Inspection of Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMGs)" at your facility. Results of these inspections can be found here: http://www.nrc.gov/japan/japan-activities.html. Additionally, on May 11, 2011, the agency issued NRC Bulletin 2011-01, "Mitigating Strategies," to confirm compliance with Order EA-02-026, subsequently imposed license conditions, and 10 CFR 50.54(hh)(2), and to determine the status of licensee mitigating strategies programs. On July 12, 2011, the NRC's Task Force made its recommendations to the Commission in its report, "Recommendations for Enhancing Reactor Safety in the 21st Century: The Near-Term Task Force Review of Insights from the Fukushima Daiichi Accident." The NRC is currently reviewing the Task Force's recommendations to determine what additional actions may be warranted. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRC's document system (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room). Please contact me at (630) 829-9628 with any questions you may have regarding this letter.

Sincerely,/RA/

Kenneth Riemer, Branch Chief Branch 2 Division of Reactor Projects Docket No. 50-331 License No. DPR-49

Enclosure:

Duane Arnold Energy Center Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/encl: Distribution via ListServe