IR 05000424/2011006

Mid-Cycle Performance Review and Inspection Plan for Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Units 1 and 2 Inspection Report 05000424-11-006, & 05000425-11-006 (DRS)

ML112440286
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	09/02/2011
From:	Jim Hickey NRC/RGN-II/DRP/RPB2
To:	Tynan T Southern Nuclear Operating Co
Shared Package
ML112440284	List: IR 05000424/2011006 ML112440292
References
IR-11-006
Download: ML112440286 (6)

Text

UNITED STATES September 1, 2011

SUBJECT:

MID-CYCLE ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT UNITS 1 AND 2 (REPORT 05000424/2011006, AND 05000425/2011006)

Dear Mr. Tynan:

On August 9, 2011, the NRC completed its mid-cycle performance review of Vogtle Electric Generating Plant. 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 NRCs 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 NRCs assessment of your performance in the Security Cornerstone and its security-related inspection plan.

The NRC determined the performance at Vogtle Units 1 and 2 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 nominal, expected range (i.e., Green).

Therefore, the NRC plans to conduct ROP baseline inspections at your facility.

The enclosed inspection plan lists the inspections scheduled through December 31, 2012.

Routine inspections performed by resident inspectors are not included in the inspection plan.

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 addition to ROP baseline inspection activities, we also plan on conducting Temporary Instruction (TI) 2515/177 Managing Gas Accumulation in Emergency Core Cooling, Decay Heat Removal, and Containment Spray Systems, and Initial Operator License Examinations.

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 NRCs processes and regulations to determine whether the agency should make additional improvements to its regulatory system. The NRC has since completed TI-183,

SNC 2 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 NRCs 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 Commission is currently reviewing the Task Forces recommendations to determine whether additional actions may be warranted.

In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC=s ARules 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 Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

Please contact me at (404) 997-4548 with any questions you have regarding this letter.

Sincerely,

/RA/

James Hickey, Acting Chief Projects Branch 2 Division of Reactor Projects Docket Nos.: 50-424, 50-425 License Nos.: NPF-68, NPF-81 Enclosure: Vogtle Inspection/Activity Plan (09/01/2011 - 12/31/2012)

cc w/encl: (See page 3)

________ML112440286_________ X SUNSI REVIEW COMPLETE OFFICE RII:RDP RII:DRP RII:DRP SIGNATURE GSC /RA/ JAH /RA/ TXL /RA/

NAME GCroon JHickey TLighty DATE 08/28/2011 08/26/2011 08/25/2011 E-MAIL COPY? YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO

SNC 3 cc w/encl: M. J. Ajluni Nuclear Licensing Director S. Kuczynski Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

Chairman, President and CEO Electronic Mail Distribution Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

Electronic Mail Distribution B. D. McKinney, Jr.

Regulatory Response Manager Jeffrey T. Gasser Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

Chief Nuclear Officer Electronic Mail Distribution Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

Electronic Mail Distribution T. D. Honeycutt Regulatory Response Supervisor N. J. Stringfellow Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

Licensing Manager Electronic Mail Distribution Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

Electronic Mail Distribution L. P. Hill Licensing Supervisor Paula Marino Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

Vice President Electronic Mail Distribution Engineering Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. R. L. Gladney Electronic Mail Distribution Licensing Engineer Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

L. Mike Stinson Electronic Mail Distribution Vice President Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant L. L. Crumpton Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. Administrative Assistant, Sr.

Electronic Mail Distribution Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.

Electronic Mail Distribution Dennis R. Madison Vice President S. C. Swanson Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant Site Support Manager Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Electronic Mail Distribution Electronic Mail Distribution J. L. Pemberton Bob Masse SVP & General Counsel-Ops & SNC Resident Manager Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Electronic Mail Distribution Oglethorpe Power Corporation Electronic Mail Distribution T. Site Vice President Arthur H. Domby, Esq.

Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Troutman Sanders Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. Electronic Mail Distribution Electronic Mail Distribution (cc w/encl continued next page)

Hickox, T. Mark Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Electronic Mail Distribution

SNC 4 (cc w/encl continued) James A. Capp Program Coordination Branch Chief Sandra Threatt, Manager Environmental Protection Division Nuclear Response and Emergency Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Surveillance Electronic Mail Distribution Bureau of Land and Waste Management Department of Health and Environmental James C. Hardeman Control Environmental Radiation Program Manager Electronic Mail Distribution Environmental Protection Division Georgia Department of Natural Resources Division of Radiological Health Electronic Mail Distribution TN Dept. of Environment & Conservation 401 Church Street Al Frazier Nashville, TN 37243-1532 Emergency Response and Radiation Program Manager Richard Haynes Environmental Protection Division Director, Division of Waste Management Georgia Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Land and Waste Management Electronic Mail Distribution S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Mr. Steven M. Jackson 2600 Bull Street Senior Engineer - Power Supply Columbia, SC 29201 Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia Electronic Mail Distribution Lee Foley Manager of Contracts Generation Reece McAlister Oglethorpe Power Corporation Executive Secretary Electronic Mail Distribution Georgia Public Service Commission Electronic Mail Distribution Mark Williams Commissioner Office of the Attorney General Georgia Department of Natural Resources 40 Capitol Square, SW Electronic Mail Distribution Atlanta, GA 30334 F. Allen Barnes Director Director Consumers' Utility Counsel Division Environmental Protection Division Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs Georgia Department of Natural Resources 2 M. L. King, Jr. Drive Electronic Mail Distribution Plaza Level East; Suite 356 Atlanta, GA 30334-4600 Cynthia A. Sanders Radioactive Materials Program Manager Amy Whaley Environmental Protection Division Engineer Georgia Department of Natural Resources Nuclear Generation Development and Electronic Mail Distribution Construction Electronic Mail Distribution Office of the County Commissioner Burke County Commission Electronic Mail Distribution

SNC 5 Letter to Tom from James Hickey dated September 1, 2011 SUBJECT: MID-CYCLE ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT UNITS 1 AND 2 (REPORT 05000424/2011006, AND 05000425/2011006)

Distribution w/encl:

C. Evans, RII OE Mail RIDSNRRDIRS PUBLIC RidsNrrPMVogtle Resource ROP Assessment Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO)