ML20247D396

Forwards Summary of NRC Comments Re Action Items Arising from McGuire Alert Critique on 890307-08.Alert Critique Beneficial & Should Result in Improved Coordination of Joint Response to Future Emergency Situations

ML20247D396
Person / Time
Site:	McGuire, Mcguire
Issue date:	07/14/1989
From:	Ebneter S NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE REGION II)
To:	Tucker H DUKE POWER CO.
References
NUDOCS 8907250184
Download: ML20247D396 (3)

Text

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.c Jul.141989 C&Q(Lf Duke Power Company D' ATTN: Mr. H. B. Tucker, Vice President Nuclear Production Department

.422. South Church Street Charlotte NC. 28242

' Gentlemen:

SUBJECT:

NRC FOLLOW-UP ON MCGUIRE ALERT (MARCH 7-8,1989) CRITIQUE ACTION ITEMS This refers to your. letter of April 4,1989, addressing the Duke Power Company McGuire Alert critique with selected members of the NRC Regional staff on March 14,1989. The enclosure summarizes our comments regarding the' action items arising from the critique as listed in Attachment I to your letter.

W.. H. Rankin, Chief, Emergency Preparedness Section, Region II, will serve as primary contact for the action items you proposed in your letter and' for coordination of a drill with communications emphasis, as deemed necessary, once your changes are in place. .

It .is our opinion that .the McGuire Alert critique was benaficial and should result in improved coordination of our joint response to future emergency situations.

' Should you have any questions concerning this letter, we will be pleased 'to discuss them.

Sincerely Of19InCt l. SlhWO Stewart D. bneter Regional Administrator

Enclosure:

Comments on McGuire Alert Critique Action Items

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• Enclosure '2 monitor the. licensee's actions which requires as full an awareness as possible on changing plant conditions.

We ' concur with Duke Power's plans in this regard. I

2. ' Radioactive Release d

.The critiqueTactior item addressing - radioactive release (s) during the McGuire Alert relatas more directly to the presence ~of releases, . release-frequency and : intervals, and the routine reporting of releases on emergency notification forms used for notifying the State and counties. ,

The NRC . continues to express : concern that following issuance of the  !

initial notification .of Alert, additional releases were not explicitly reported in followup: Notifications.

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It was noted, ho# ser,- that the-subject action-item placed major emphasis on definition of the term-

" radioactive release" during ~ emergency situations in order to preclude j.

misleading the State, counties, and public where such releases were within specific limits for normal operation under the McGuire Station's Technical

Specifications.

The Duke Power Company agreed in the McGuire Alert critique to define

" radioactive release" as it relates to accident . conditions, and . to determine how such information should be entered on Emergency Notification forms and press releases. It was further requested that the NRC consider providing _ generic _ guidance to the . industry on the definition . of 1

" radioactive release" under emergency conditions. It is our position that l quantifiable; unplanned radioactive releases which are within regulatory I limits for normal plant operation should be reported . on Emergency Notification Forms and in press releases during emergency situations,.

-putting such radioactive releases in proper perspective in these communications.

3 . -- Coordination of News Conferences and Press Releases The NRC recognizes the importance of holding joint news conferences with licensees and coordinating news releases during emergencies. During an Alert emergency classification, and prior to the arrival of an NRC Site .

Team, logistics may present a problem regarding joint news conferences. I However, the Region has in place a procedure which designates the Regional Public Affairs Manager to coordinate public affairs activities with the licensee and other involved organizations. It should be noted that the Public Affairs Manager, or a person designated to act in that capacity, is .i i

included in the NRC Site Team.

If no NRC team Sas been sent to the site, the Regional Public Affairs A Manager, or his designee, will coordinate news releases with the Duke Power staff via facsimile and telephone communications prior to dissemination of releases to the media. This practice should coordinate public affairs issues during the period prior to deployment and arrival of the NRC team. Mr. Kenneth M. Clark of the Regional staff is available to assist you in this matter.

1

. m .. 4 ENCLOSURE COMMENTS ON MCGUIRE ALERT CRITIQUE ACTION ITEMS

1. Communications The following comments on communications are provided in order to better clarify the NRC's emergency communication needs and to assist you in defining needed emergency communication links.

I The McGuire Alert critique stated, and we concur, that the effectiveness j of communications between the Regional Incident Response Center (IRC) and j the licensee's Technical Support Center (TSC) demonstrated during the  !

incident requires improvement. This finding was listed as a critique action item.

Duke Power Company's planning for providing the NRC information during the event apparently did not contemplate fully the amount and, to some extent, the type of information the NRC would require. During the event, the NRC experienced some difficulty obtaining details of the progress of the event and the licensee's response to the event through the Emergency Notification System (ENS) phone line, particularly details associated with the reasons for performing or not performing certain actions. As a result, there was a need, at times, for the NRC to communicate directly with the licensee's Emergency Coordinator. It is likely that during an event- that has proceeded to an ALERT, the NRC will require detailed information on the plant status and the licensee's response to the event even if the NRC does not enter Standby. This information may on occasion include the need for the NRC to obtain the licensee's rationale and reasoning for undertaking certain actions in response to the event. A licensee should include, in their emergency procedures, training, and staffing, a provision to provide such details. In addition, after the NRC residet inspector arrives onsite, he should be kept fully informed of decisions and the bases for l such decisions on a real time basis. The resident inspector's role is to monitor a licensee's response to an event. The resident's role should not be confined to providing information to the other NRC components on a continuous basis. Some licensees nsve found it useful to fax to the NRC their emergency response data sheets as they are distributed to their onsite organizations.

It is our understanding that Duke Power Company plans to provide a procedure requiring designated trained TSC contacts to directly respond to and coordinate communications with the NRC during emergencies. Personnel selected will have a technical background equivalent to at least a Senior Reactor Operator, and demonstrate required knowledge of Duke Power Company's reactor operation and emergency procedures. Additionally,  ;

contact personnel should keep the Emergency Coordinator informed regarding communications with the NRC, and upon request, make the Emergency Coordinator available within a reasonable time to communicate directly with the Regional Incident Response Center Base Team Manager. It should be recognized that the NRC's primary function during emergencies is to L-_________