Press Release-I-10-034, NRC to Provide Results of Supplemental Inspection Conducted at Ginna Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-10-034: NRC to Provide Results of Supplemental Inspection Conducted at Ginna Nuclear Power Plant

ML102090712
Person / Time
Site:	Ginna
Issue date:	07/28/2010
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-10-034
Download: ML102090712 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Site: http://www.nrc.gov No. I-10-034 July 28, 2010

Contact:

Diane Screnci 610/337-5330 Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan 610/337-5331 NRC TO PROVIDE RESULTS OF SUPPLEMENTAL INSPECTION CONDUCTED AT GINNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Results from a Nuclear Regulatory Commission supplemental team inspection performed at the Ginna nuclear power plant will be presented at a public meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 4.

The session is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at Ontario Town Hall, at 1850 Ridge Road in Ontario, N.Y.

Members of the public are invited to observe the meeting and will have an opportunity to ask questions of NRC staff regarding the inspection and related issues prior to adjournment.

Ginna, which is located in Ontario and operated by Constellation Energy, has been under additional NRC oversight since receiving two white (low to moderate safety significance) inspection findings and a white performance indicator in 2009. The findings and performance indicator involve problems affecting a turbine-driven auxiliary feedwater pump, which is used to help cool down the reactor during a sudden shutdown.

Specifically, one of the inspection findings was identified in the first quarter of 2009 and related to inadequate implementation of a preventive maintenance program for, and subsequent failure of, a speed-control device on the pump. The second finding was identified in the fourth quarter of last year. It pertained to inadequate corrective actions that led to the same speed-control device becoming stuck, or binding, due to corrosion and consequently the failure of the same pump to operate during testing.

With respect to the performance indicator, the problems with the turbine-driven auxiliary feedwater pump resulted in Ginna exceeding the white threshold for the Mitigating Systems Performance Index/Heat Removal Systems Performance Indicator in the third quarter of 2009 due to reliability and unavailability issues with the pump.

Four NRC inspectors conducted the supplemental inspection from July 5 to 23, 2010. The objectives of the inspection were to ensure Constellation fully understood the root and contributing causes of the problems; to allow the NRC to independently assess the extent of the

condition and determine if safety culture problems contributed to the issues; and to provide assurances that sufficient corrective actions have been implemented to prevent a recurrence.

Additional NRC oversight would continue unless the NRC determines these steps have taken place.

News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.