ML20147C068

Discusses NRC Senior Managers Meeting Re Evaluation of Nuclear Safety Performance of Operating Reactors

ML20147C068
Person / Time
Site:	Crystal River
Issue date:	01/27/1997
From:	Thompson H NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:	Richardson J FLORIDA POWER CORP.
References
NUDOCS 9702050230
Download: ML20147C068 (3)

Text

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• UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 2006db 0001

\.....p'f January 27, 1997 l

Mr. Joe Richardson President and Chief Operating Officer

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Florida Power Corporation P.O. Box 14042 St. Petersburg, FL 33733

Dear Mr. Richardson:

On January 14, 15, and 17, 1997, NRC senior managers met to evaluate the j

' nuclear safety performance of operating reactors, fuel facilities, and other  !

materials licensees. The NRC conducts this meeting semiannually to determine '

if the safety performance of various licensees exhibits sufficient weaknesses to warrant increased NRC attention or if it is trending adversely and requires steps be taken to communicate concerns to the utility's president or board of i

• directors. At the January 1997 Senior Management Meeting, the Crystal River facility was discussed.

The Crystal River facility was placed on the NRC Watch List as a Category 2 plant. Plants in this category have been identified as having weaknesses that warrant increased NRC attention until the licensee demonstrates a period of i

improved performance. A summary of NRC discussions related to Crystal River j follows:

Declining performance at Crystal River was first discussed during j the June 1996 Senior Management Meeting. Performance concerns at l

Crystal River 3 involved Florida Power Corporation's (FPC) '

mishandling of several design issues; improper interpretation of  ; I NRC regulations; and weaknesses in operator performance, i corrective actions and management oversight. Overall performance 4

of the facility has continued to decline from the previous assessment period as documented in the most recent SALP issued on November 25, 1996.

Modifications made to the plant during a recent refueling outage created an Unreviewed Safety Question (USQ) regarding emergency diesel generator (EDG) loading and introduced additional failure modes in the emergency feedwater system. These significant issues, the engineering reviews and modifications required, resulted in your decision to maintain Crystal River shutdown for an extended period of time to ensure safety system operability and to increase design margins.

The Management Corrective Action Plan (MCAP) which is being implemented contains thorough corrective actions to resolve the issues that led to the unit shut down, but successful implementation prior to the unit startup will require extensive licensee and NRC attention.

t 9702050230 970127 57 NN PDR ADOCK 05000302 p PDR

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l Mr. Joe Richardson 2  ;

j Luis A. Reyes, the NRC Region II Administrator, has discussed the bases for

our conclusions with regard to the Crystal River facility with members of your j staff.

An NRC Commission meeting, open to the public, has been scheduled to be held ,

in the Commissioners' Conference Room in Rockville, Maryland, on January 29, .)

i 1997, at 10:00 a.m. to review the results of the latest meeting of NRC senior i managers.

1 l If you have any questions regarding this matter, do not hesitate to call me.

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Sincerely, i.

Original signed by:

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Hugh L. Thompson, Jr.

Acting Executive Director for Operations Docket No. 50-302 cc: See next page 1

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