IR 05000346/2011006

Download: ML112440127

Text

September 1, 2011

Mr. Barry Allen Site Vice President FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station 5501 North State Route 2, Mail Stop A-DB-3080 Oak Harbor, OH 43449-9760

SUBJECT: MID-CYCLE LETTER FOR DAVIS-BESSE NUCLEAR POWER STATION; 05000346/2011-006

Dear Mr. Allen:

On August 10, 2011, the NRC staff completed its mid-cycle performance review of Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station. Our technical staff reviewed performance indicators (PIs) for the most recent quarter and inspection results for the period from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of our assessment of your safety performance during this period and our plans for future inspections at your facility. This performance review and enclosed inspection plan do not include security information. A separate letter designated and marked as "Official Use Only - Security Information" will include the Security Cornerstone review and resultant inspection plan.

The NRC determined the plant performance for the most recent quarter was within the Licensee Response Column of the NRC=s Action Matrix, based on all inspection findings being classified as having very low safety significance (Green) and all PIs indicating performance at a level requiring no additional NRC oversight (Green). Therefore, we plan to conduct reactor oversight process (ROP) baseline inspections at your facility. The enclosed inspection plan details the inspections, less those related to physical protection, scheduled through December 31, 2012. The inspection schedule includes a triennial Component Design Bases Inspection in late-2012. The inspection plan is provided to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issues well in advance of inspector arrival onsite. Routine resident inspections are not listed due to their ongoing and continuous nature. The inspections in the last nine months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised at the end-of-cycle review. 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 and its enclosure 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), accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room). If circumstances arise which cause us to change this inspection plan, we will contact you to discuss the change as soon as possible. Please contact me at 630-829-9833 with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.

Sincerely,/RA/ Jamnes L. Cameron, Chief Branch 6 Division of Reactor Projects Docket No. 50-346 License No. NPF-3

Enclosure:

Davis Besse Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/encl: Distribution via ListServ