ML020700279

Annual Assessment Letter - LaSalle County Station (Report 373/02-01; 374/02-01)

ML020700279
Person / Time
Site:	LaSalle
Issue date:	03/04/2002
From:	Grant G Division Reactor Projects III
To:	Skolds J Exelon Generation Co, Exelon Nuclear
References
IR-01-018, IR-02-001
Download: ML020700279 (6)

Text

March 4, 2002 Mr John L. Skolds, President Exelon Nuclear Exelon Generation Company, LLC 4300 Winfield Road Warrenville, IL. 60555

SUBJECT:

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER - LASALLE COUNTY STATION (REPORT 373/02-01; 374/02-01)

Dear Mr. Skolds:

On January 30, 2002, the NRC staff completed its end-of-cycle plant performance assessment of LaSalle County Station. The end-of-cycle review for LaSalle County Station involved the participation of all technical divisions in evaluating performance indicators (PIs) for the most recent quarter and inspection results for the period from April 1 through December 31, 2001.

This letter is to inform you of our assessment of your safety performance during this period. In addition, we are providing our plans for future inspections at your facility so that you will have an opportunity to prepare for these inspections and to inform us of any planned inspections which may conflict with your plant activities.

As discussed in our May 31, 2001 annual assessment letter, this inspection and assessment cycle consisted of three quarters (i.e., the second, third, and fourth calendar quarters of calendar year 2001) instead of the usual four quarters. This change was implemented to align the inspection and assessment cycle with the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2002.

Overall, LaSalle County Station operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety and fully met all cornerstone objectives. Plant performance for LaSalle Unit 1 for the most recent quarter, as well as the first two quarters of the assessment cycle, was within the Licensee Response Band Column of the NRCs 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). However, plant performance for LaSalle Unit 2 for the most recent quarter was within the Regulatory Response Column of the NRCs Action Matrix, based on a single WHITE Performance Indicator for Unplanned Scrams, where feedwater control and human performance issues negatively impacted the initiating events cornerstone.

The LaSalle County Station Unit 2 Performance Indicator for Unplanned Scrams Per 7,000 Critical Hours exceeded the licensee response band Green/White threshold as reported in Exelons October 2001 performance indicator submittal. Your staffs evaluation identified a number of common causes for the indicator crossing the Green/White threshold including:

Corrective actions for known problems were not always completed in a timely manner; compensatory measures were not always effective; risk assessments on occasion resulted in maintenance errors; root cause analysis were not always effective in preventing recurrence;

J. Skolds personnel performance was not always consistent with expectations (work standards); and the Operating Experience (OPEX) program missed opportunities to prevent events.

In response to the WHITE Performance Indicator, the NRC conducted a Supplemental Inspection (IR 374/2001018). The Supplemental inspection concluded that your staffs assessment was reasonably thorough and the process used to identify the common causes was effective. The Supplemental inspection also concluded that your staffs corrective action, if properly implemented, should prevent recurrence of the conditions In addition, the NRC staff identified a potential adverse trend in the cross-cutting area of Human Performance. Each human performance error had an adverse impact on safety by increasing the frequency of initiating events, or potentially or actually affecting the reliability, operability, and functionality of a structure, system, or component. Specifically, three Unit 2 reactor scrams were caused by human performance errors; site staff failed to identify material in the suppression pool which represented a potential challenge to ECCS suction strainer performance; chemistry personnel failed to adhere to a sampling procedure causing the offgas pre-treatment radiation monitor to isolate; operator actions, not prescribed in a procedure, caused the Unit 2 Division 2 RHR Service Water system to become inoperable; and operator errors, following the September 3, 2001 reactor scram, adversely impacted plant stabilization.

This adverse human performance trend is considered a substantive cross-cutting issue.

The enclosed inspection plan details the inspections scheduled through March 31, 2003. The inspection plan is provided to minimize the resource impact on your staff and to allow for scheduling conflicts and personnel availability to be resolved in advance of inspector arrival onsite. Routine resident inspections are not listed due to their ongoing and continuous nature.

The last 6 months of the inspection are tentative and may be revised at the Mid-Cycle Review meeting.

In addition to the baseline inspection program, the NRC issued safeguards advisories recommending that nuclear power plant licensees go to the highest level of security immediately following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and all promptly did so. With continued uncertainty about the possibility of additional terrorist activities, the Nation's nuclear power plants, including LaSalle County Station, remain at a high level of security. On February 25, 2002, the NRC issued an Order to all nuclear power plant licensees, requiring them to take certain additional interim compensatory measures to address the generalized high-level threat environment. These additional compensatory requirements will provide the NRC with reasonable assurance that public health and safety and the common defense and security continue to be adequately protected in the current generalized high-level threat environment. These requirements will remain in effect pending notification from the Commission that a significant change in the threat environment occurs, or until the Commission determines that other changes are needed following a more comprehensive re-evaluation of current safeguards and security programs. To date, we have monitored LaSalle County Stations actions in response to the terrorist attacks through a series of audits. With the issuance of the Order, we will evaluate LaSalle County Stations compliance with these interim requirements.

J. Skolds In accordance with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRCs Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be made 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/NRC/ADAMS/index.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 Bruce Burgess at 630/829-9629 with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.

Sincerely,

/RA/

Geoffrey E. Grant, Director Division of Reactor Projects, Region III Docket Nos. 50-373; 50-374 License Nos. NPF-11; NPF-18

Enclosure:

LaSalle County Station Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/encl: W. Bohlke, Senior Vice President, Nuclear Services C. Crane, Senior Vice President - Mid-West Regional J. Cotton, Senior Vice President - Operations Support J. Benjamin, Vice President - Licensing and Regulatory Affairs R. Hovey, Operations Vice President J. Skolds, Chief Operating Officer K. Jury, Director - Licensing R. Helfrich, Senior Counsel, Nuclear DCD - Licensing G. Barnes, Site Vice President M. Schiavoni, Station Manager W. Riffer, Regulatory Assurance Supervisor M. Aguilar, Assistant Attorney General Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety State Liaison Officer Chairman, Illinois Commerce Commission DOCUMENT NAME: G:\EOC Ltrs\2002\las-eoc02.wpd To receive a copy of this document, indicate in the box:"C" = Copy without enclosure "E"= Copy with enclosure"N"= No copy OFFICE RIII RIII RIII NAME GWright/co BBurgess GGrant DATE 03/ /02 03/ /02 03/ /02 OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

J. Skolds ADAMS Distribution:

AJM DFT DMS6 H. Nieh, OEDO T. Boyce, NRR Project Director, NRR Project Mgr., NRR RidsNrrDipmlipb J. Caldwell, RIII G. Grant, RIII B. Clayton, RIII R. Lickus, RIII SRI LaSalle DRPIII DRSIII PLB1 JRK1 BAH3

Page 1 of 2 Lasalle 03/08/2002 06:51:14 Inspection / Activity Plan Report 22 03/04/2002 - 03/31/2003 Unit No. of Staff Planned Dates Inspection Number Inspection Activity Title on Site Start End Type FY 2002 - LASALLE INIT PREP 03/2002 4 1 W90057 OL - INITIAL EXAM - LASALLE - MAR/APR 2002 03/18/2002 03/22/2002 Not Applicable IP 71114 - BIENNIAL EP EXERCISE INSPECTION 3 1, 2 IP 7111401 Exercise Evaluation 03/18/2002 03/22/2002 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification 03/18/2002 03/22/2002 Baseline Inspections HTSINK B - BIENNIAL HEAT SINK 1 1, 2 IP 7111107B Heat Sink Performance 04/01/2002 04/05/2002 Baseline Inspections FY 2002 - LASALLE INIT EXAM 04/2002 5 1 W90057 OL - INITIAL EXAM - LASALLE - MAR/APR 2002 04/08/2002 04/26/2002 Not Applicable IP 71122 - REMP INSPECTION 1 1, 2 IP 7112203 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program 04/29/2002 05/03/2002 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification 04/29/2002 05/03/2002 Baseline Inspections IP 71121 - RP ACCESS CNTRL & INSTRUMENT INSPECTION 1 1, 2 IP 7112101 Access Control to Radiologically Significant Areas 08/05/2002 08/09/2002 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 7112103 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation 08/05/2002 08/09/2002 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification 08/05/2002 08/09/2002 Baseline Inspections MAINT B - BIENNIAL MAINTENANCE RULE 1 1, 2 IP 7111112B Maintenance Rule Implementation 08/26/2002 08/30/2002 Baseline Inspections SSDI - SAFETY SYSTEM BIENNIAL (DRS) 6 1, 2 IP 7111121 Safety System Design and Performance Capability 09/09/2002 09/27/2002 Baseline Inspections 71130 - SAFEGUARDS INSPECTION-AA/AC/PI/PC 1 1, 2 IP 7113001 Access Authorization Program (Behavior Observation Only) 10/21/2002 10/25/2002 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 7113002 Access Control (Search of Personnel, Packages, and Vehicles: Identification and Authorization) 10/21/2002 10/25/2002 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 7113004 Security Plan Changes 10/21/2002 10/25/2002 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification 10/21/2002 10/25/2002 Baseline Inspections IP 71122 - RAD MATERIAL PROC/SHIPPING INSPECTION 1 1, 2 IP 7112202 Radioactive Material Processing and Transportation 11/12/2002 11/15/2002 Baseline Inspections IP 71114 - NON-EXERCISE BASELINE EP INSPECTION 1 1, 2 IP 7111402 Alert and Notification System Testing 02/03/2003 02/07/2003 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 7111403 Emergency Response Organization Augmentation Testing 02/03/2003 02/07/2003 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 7111405 Correction of Emergency Preparedness Weaknesses and Deficiencies 02/03/2003 02/07/2003 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification 02/03/2003 02/07/2003 Baseline Inspections IP 71122 - LIQ/GASEOUS EFFLUENTS INSPECTION 1 1, 2 IP 7112201 Radioactive Gaseous and Liquid Effluent Treatment and Monitoring Systems 02/03/2003 02/07/2003 Baseline Inspections This report does not include INPO and OUTAGE activities.

This report shows only on-site and announced inspection procedures.

Page 2 of 2 Lasalle 03/08/2002 06:51:14 Inspection / Activity Plan Report 22 03/04/2002 - 03/31/2003 Unit No. of Staff Planned Dates Inspection Number Inspection Activity Title on Site Start End Type IP 71122 - LIQ/GASEOUS EFFLUENTS INSPECTION 1 1, 2 IP 71151 Performance Indicator Verification 02/03/2003 02/07/2003 Baseline Inspections MOD50.59 - BIENNIAL PLANT MODS AND 50.59 3 1, 2 IP 7111102 Evaluation of Changes, Tests, or Experiments 03/10/2003 03/14/2003 Baseline Inspections 1, 2 IP 7111117B Permanent Plant Modifications 03/10/2003 03/14/2003 Baseline Inspections This report does not include INPO and OUTAGE activities.

This report shows only on-site and announced inspection procedures.