ML20134Q343

Forwards Insp Repts 50-324/96-15 & 50-325/96-15 on 960915-1026 & Notice of Violations

ML20134Q343
Person / Time
Site:	Brunswick
Issue date:	11/22/1996
From:	Shymlock M NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
To:	Campbell W CAROLINA POWER & LIGHT CO.
Shared Package
ML20134Q346	List: IR 05000324/1996015 ML20134Q343 ML20134Q350
References
EA-96-442, NUDOCS 9612030006
Download: ML20134Q343 (5)

See also: IR 05000324/1996015

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November 22, 1996 l

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EA 96 442

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Carolina Power & Light Company

ATTN: Mr. W. R. Campbell

Vice President l

Brunswick Steam Electric Plant I

P. O. Box 10429 i

Southport, NC 28461

SUBJECT: NRC INTEGRATED INSPECTION REPORT NOS. 50 325/96-15 50-324/96 15

NOTICE OF VIOLATION i

Dear Mr. Campbell: l

On October 26, 1996, the NRC completed an inspection at your Brunswick reactor

facility. The enclosed report presents the results of that inspection. I

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During the six weeks covered by this inspection period, our ins)ectors found

that your staff generally took a safety conscious approach to t1e activities

conducted at the Brunswick Plant with the exception of the vessel disassembly j

performed while secondary containment was not fully operable. We are l

concerned, however, about three violations and one apparent violation of NRC l

requirements that were identified. The first violation was for failure to l

correct the cause of chlorine detectors failures that have occurred over i

several years. This was considered a repeat of a previous violation. We are i

concerned because proper response of this equipment is essential to protect

plant operators from a chlorine gas leak. The second violation was for

failure to follow procedure when area radiation monitor readings were found

outside the normal range. We are concerned because failure to conduct an

assessment could lead to undetected radiation level increases or equipment

problems. The third violation was for procedure errors concerning

modification of seismic supports on electrical cabinets. We are concerned

because procedures must be adequate and followed to insure correct

installation of modifications. .

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These violations are cited in the enclosed Notice of Violation and the

circumstances surrounding the violations are described in detail in the

enclosed report. Please note that you are required to respond to this letter

and should follow the instructions specified in the enclosed Notice when

preparing your response. The NRC will use your response, in part, to

determine whether further enforcement action is necessary to ensure compliance

with regulatory requirements.

Repetitive violations are addressed in the NRC's " Statement of Policy and

Procedure for NRC Enforcement Actions," (Enforcement Policy) NUREG 1600, i

Section IV.B. The Enforcement Policy allows the severity level of a violation I

to be increased if the violation can be considered repetitive. For example. a j

9612030006 961122

PDR ADOCK 05000324

O PDR

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Severity Level IV violation could be increased to Severity Level III with the

attending escalated enforcement action. However, in this case, we have

decided not to increase the severity level of this violation based on your

reporting of these problems in three separate licensee event reports and your

overall satisfactory performance in this area.

Based on the results of this inspection, one apparent violation was identified

and is being considered for escalated enforcement action in accordance with

the " General Statement of Policy and Procedure for NRC Enforcement Actions"

(Enforcement Policy). NUREG-1600. The violation concerns exceeding the

maximum thermal power authorized by the license and a technical saecification

thermal limit. Accordingly, no Notice of Violation is presently aeing issued

for these inspection findings. In addition, please be advised that the number

and characterization of apparent violations described in the enclosed

inspection report may change as a result of further NRC review.

A predecisional enforcement conference to discuss this apparent violation has

been scheduled for December 9, 1996. The decision to hold a predecisional

enforcement conference does not mean that the NRC has determined that a

violation has occurred or that enforcement action will be taken. This

conference is being held to obtain information to enable the NRC to make an

enforcement decision, such as a common understanding of the facts, root

causes, missed opportunities to identify the apparent violation sooner,

corrective actions, significance of the issues, and the need for lasting and

effective corrective action. In particular, we expect you to address adequacy

of the plant process computer and recurring engineering problems. In

addition, this is an opportunity for you to point out any errors in our

inspection report and for you to provide any information concerning your

perspectives on 1) the severity of the violation, 2) the application of the

factors that the NRC considers when it determines the amount of a civil

penalty that may be assessed in accordance with Section VI.B.2 of the

Enforcement Policy, and 3) any other application of the Enforcement Policy to

this case, including the exercise of discretion in accordance with Section

VII.

In accorda~nce with 10 CFR 2.790 of the NRC's " Rules of Practice," a copy of

this letter and its enclosures will be placed in the NRC Public Document Room

(PDR).

Sincerely,

( Original signed by H. Shymlock )

Milton B. Shymlock, Chief

Reactor Projects Branch 4

Division of Reactor Projects

Docket Nos. 50-325 and 50-324

License Nos. DPR 71 and DPR-62

Enclosures: (See page 3)

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Enclosures: 1. Notice of Violation I

2. NRC Inspection Report

cc w/encls:

W. Levis, Director  !

Site Operations I

Brunswick Steam Electric Plant

P. O. Box 10429

Southport, NC 28461

R. P. Lopriore l

Plant Manager

Brunswick Steam Electric Plant

Carolina Power & Light Company

P. O. Box 10429

Southport, NC 28461

,

J. Cowan, Vice President

Operations & Environmental

Support MS OHS 7

Carolina Power & Light Company

P. O. Box 1551

Raleigh, NC 27602

Gerald D. Hicks

Manager Regulatory Affairs

Carolina Power & Light Company

P. O. Box 10429

Southport, NC 28461

W. D. Johnson, Vice President

and Senior Counsel 4

Carolina Power & Light Company

P. O. Box 1551

Raleigh, NC 27602

Dayne H. Brown, Director

Division of Radiation Protection

artment of Environmental

N.Health

C. Dep& Natural Resources

P. O. Box 27687

Raleigh, NC 27611 7687

(cc w/encls cont'd See page 4)

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(cc w/encls cont'd)

Karen E. Long

Assistant Attorney General

State of North Carolina

P. O. Box 629

Raleigh, NC 27602

Robert P. Gruber

Executive Director

Public Staff - NCUC

P. O. Box 29520

Raleigh, NC 27626-0520

Public Service Commission

State of South Carolina

P. O. Box 11649

Columbia, SC 29211

Jerry W. Jones, Chairman

Brunswick County Board of

Commissioners

P. O. Box 249

Bolvia, NC 28422

Dan E. Summers

Emergency Management Coordinator

New Hanover County Department of

Emergency Management

P. O. Box 1525

Wilmington, NC 28402

William H. Crowe, Mayor

City of Southport

201 East Moore Street

Southport, NC 28461

Distribution w/encls:

M. Shymlock, RII

D. Trimble, NRR

M. N. Miller, RII

R. Aiello, RII

G. A. Hallstrom, RII

PUBLIC

(Distribution w/encls cont'd - See page 5)

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(Distribution w/encls cont'd)  !

NRC Resident Inspector

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

8470 River Road, SE

Southport, NC 28461

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