ML20217D025
| ML20217D025 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 09/23/1999 |
| From: | Blaha J NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| SECY-99-233, SECY-99-233-R, WIR-990917, NUDOCS 9910140143 | |
| Download: ML20217D025 (23) | |
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INFORMATION REPORT ! ~~- Sh J September 23.1999 SECY 99-233 Egr: The Commissioners From: James L. Blaha, Assistant for Operations, Office of the EDO Sublej;3: WEEKLY INFORMATION REPORT - WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 17,1999 Contents Enclosure Nuclear Reactor Regulation A Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards B l Nuclear Regulatory Research C incident Response Operations D General Counsel E* Administration F Chief Information Officer G Chief Financial Officer H* Human Resources l Small Business & Civil Rights J' Enforcement K* State , Program L* Public Affairs M International Programs N Office of the Secretary O Region i Region 11 P P {) Region lli P Region IV P Executive Director for Operations O hIg,7 Congressional Affairs R \
/
*No input this week.
U. '( '[1 James L. Blaha Assistant for Operations, OEDO
Contact:
M. Tschiltz, OEDO
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I Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation items of Interest Week Ending September 17,1999 Millstone On Wednesday, September 15,1999, Northeast Utilities (NU) issued a press release announcing its plans to auction the Millstone Station nuclear power plant assets of its subsidiaries, the Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) and Westecn Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO), as soon as practical. NU also announced that none of its subsidiaries would be bidding in the auction. The press release indicates that NU expects the auction process to begin with the filing, in November 1999, of a divestiture plan with the Connecticut Department of Public Utilities Control (DPUC). The auction will include CL&P's 81
- percent share of Millstone Unit 2, and its 53 percent share of Millstone Unit 3. Also, it will include WMECO's 19 percent share of Unit 2 and WMECO's 12 percent share of Unit 3. NU indicated that it plans to include Unit 1, currently in decommissioning, in the auction process.
The press release also indicated that the 36 percent share of Seabrook owned by North Atlantic e Energy Corporation (an NU subsidiary) will be put up for public auction. However, no date will be set for this auction until final approval is received for the settlement agreement between NU/Public Service Company of New Hampshire and the State of New Hampshire. When the agreement is approved, NU anticipates that CL&P's 4.06 percent interest in Seabrook will also be sold in the auction. Nine Mile Point (NMP1 and NMP2) By cover letter dated September 10,1999, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation (NMPC), New York State Electric & Gas Corporation (NYSEG), and AmerGen Energy Company, LLC (AmerGen), filed a joint application to the NRC requesting consenting orders and conforming
- license amendments that would (1) transfer the NMP1 operating license from NMPC to AmerGen, and (2) transfer NMPC's and NYSEG's interests in, and NMPC's operating authority under, the NMP2 operating license to AmerGen. Currently, NMPC is the sole operator and exclusive owner of NMP1; NMPC is the sole operator and 41% co-owner of NMP2. NYSEG is currently an 18% co-owner and non-operating licensee of NMP2. Following the proposed transfers, AmerGen (a joint venture of PECO Energy Company and British Energy plc) would become the licensed operator of both NMP units, the sole owner of NMP1, and a 59% owner of NMP2.
The NRC staff has scheduled review of the application consistent with the joint applicants' request for approval by January 15, 2000. The other non-operating co-owners of NMP2 (Long Island Lighting Company, Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation, and Central Hudson Gas & Electric Company) have not announced any plans to participate in the sale and, therefore, they retain their respective ownership
. Interests of 18%,14%, and 9%.
September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE A A
1 Ovster Creek Nuclear Generatina Station On Sep' tember 14,1999, GPU, Inc. and AmerGen Energy jointly issued a press release announcing that they have reached agreement in principle for GPU to sell its Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Facility in Lacey Township, NJ, to AmerGen for $10 million. The purchase agreement was conducted using a competitive bidding process approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. The sale concludes GPU's divestiture of domestic merchant generating facilities, enabling it to concentrate on the transmission, distribution, and related energy services businasses. AmerGen, a joint venture of PECO Energy Company and British Energy Company also is in the
; process of purchasing TMI Unit 1, the Clinton Power Station, Nine Mile Point 1 and a controlling interest in Nine Mile Point 2. It is also involved in negotiations for several other as yet -
undisclosed nuclear power plants.
. The transaction is subject to the negotiation of a definitive asset purchase agreement, that is expected by early- to mid-October. The parties anticipate closing the transaction in the Spring of 2000. The licensee has not provided a date for the submittal of a license transfer request.
The sale is subject to regulatory approval including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Under the terms of the purchase agreement, AmerGen assumes full responsibility for the ultimate decommissioning of Oyster Creek and, GPU will provide funding for the decommissioning trust of $430 million. The parties stated that the transaction will reduce by more than $150 million the costs GPU customers would bear for decommissioning and for other plant-related transitional costs if the plant were shut down rather than sold to AmerGen. The agreement provides that GPU will purchase the electricity generated by Oyster Creek at a fixed price for three years. GPU will fund the outage costs, including re-load fuel, for the next refueling at Oyster Creek, scheduled for the Fall of 2000, estimated at a cost of up to $84 million subject to a cap. Crystal River Unit 3 - On September 8,1999, the NRC issued an Order approving the transfer of the 1.3333-percent ownership interest in Crystal River Unit 3 held by the City of Tallahassee to Florida Power Corporation (FPC). FPC is the current majority owner with 90.4473 percent ownership. Tallahassee agreed to the sale of its ownership interest in exchange for FPC assuming responsibility for future operating liabilities, and, in a separate power sales agreement, FPC will sell Tallahassee 11.4 megawatts of system capacity for nine years at a fixed price. Carolina Power and Licht Comoany On September 14,1999, representatives of Carolina Power & Light Company (CP&L) met with the NRC staff to discuss their plans to create a holding company for CP&L. Under the proposal, CP&L would become a wholly owned subsidiary of CP&L Holdings, Inc. CP&L Holdings, Inc. with a slightly different structure from the current company, will have greater flexibility by providing clearer separation of regulated businesses from each other and from September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE A I
unregulated businesses. CP&L will operate its utility business as a subsidiary of the holding l company. The formation of the new company will transfer, one-for-one, existing stockholders shares of common stock to the holding company, and require approvals from the North l Carolina Utilities Commission, the South Carolina Public Service Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission in addition to NRC. Formation of the holding company will require the indirect transfer of the NRC operating licenses for Brunswick Units 1 and 2, Harris, Robinson, and the independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation at Robinson. CP&L expects to submit its request for approval of the indirect license transfers (under 10 CFR 50.80) to the NRC later this week and requested that the review be completed by December 15,1999. According to the CP&L representatives, the potential acquisition of Florida Progress Corporation is not part of the current application which will be addressed separately in one planned for 2000. Licensino Workshoo A licensing workshop was held on September 13 and 14,1999 with the members of the Utilities Service Alliance (USA) owners group. The USA members include Cooper, Fort Calhoun, WNP-2, Fermi-2, Clinton, Palisades, and Wolf Creek. Other participants included representatives from NEl, Comed and Ameran/UE. The goals of the workshop were to improve license submittal quality to reduce resources expended during review for both the industry and the NRC. Improving the licensee /NRC interface was also a goal of the workshop. The workshop included presentations and discussions that were facilitated by NRC and industry personnel. Topics discussed included regulatory processes (50.90,50.91,50.59, etc.), Division of Licensing Project Management (DLPM) Project Manager (PM) responsibilities, current regulatory issues (50.59 changes, licensing action task force efforts, reporting requirements proposed rule change, and electronic information exchange), and Cooper's and Ft Calhoun's experience as pilot plants with the New Reactor Oversight Process. Small group break-out , sessions were utilized to facilitate discussion of license submittal quality issues. Haddam Neck The Haddam Neck Plant began active dismantlement of large radioactive components the week of September 13,1999. Cutting of the main steam and feedwater piping from the steam generators began. The steam domes will be cut from the steam generators and shipped by truck to Tennessee for reprocessing. The body of the steam generators will be shipped by barge to South Carolina for disposal. The licensee hopes to remove all four steam generators from containment by the end of November. Due to the drought on the East Coast, water level in the Savannah River is too low to allow the barges to reach their disembarkment point. The licensee will store the steam generator bodies on site until water levels rise. Maine Yankee 1 On September 15,1999, Maine Yankee filed suit in U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine, against the State of Maine regarding the role that the State proposes to take in the licensing of ) the MY lSFSI. The suit stems from August 19,1999, decision by the State Board of l Environment Protection (BEP) to assert jurisdictim on MY's plans to store fuel in an onsite ISFSt. The State is offering an opportunity for a public hearing under its site permitting authority. September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE A
7 l Maine Yankee intends to construct the ISFSI under the general license provisions of Subpart K
. of 10 CFR Part 72 in what is now a parking lot near the low level waste storage building. The licensee is planning to use the NAC International (NAC) Universal Multi-Purpose Canister System (UMS) for storage of its fuel and greater-than-class-C waste consisting of irradiated :
core internals. The licensee intends to build eight concrete pads on which it will store up to 66 UMS casks (60 for spent fuel and six for greater-than-c: ass-C waste). Fuel movement from the spent fuel pool would begin in the spring of 2001 and be completed by the fall of 2002. l l l 1 i September 17.,1999 ENCLOSURE A
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l Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards items of Interest Week Ending September 17,1999 Portsmouth Insoection During the week of September 13,1999, an inspection team comprised of health physics , specialiste from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Region I, and Region lil conducted a confirmatory inspection of the Portsmouth gaseous diffusion plant's Radiation Protection (RP) program. The inspection was limited to the RP program's application to the enrichment processes which are regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and are under the control of the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC). The objectives of the inspection were to confirm the adequacy of USEC's:(1) understanding of the radiological contamination on-site, (2) controls for worker protection for transuranic (TRU), Tc and U radionuclides, (3) internal and external dose assessment program for TRU, Tc and U radionuclides, (4) characterization methodology for measuring TRU and Tc radionuclides, and (5) environmental and effluent monitoring practices for TRU, Tc and U radionuclides. A similar inspection was conducted at the Paducah gaseous diffusion plant during the week of August 30,1999. NRC plans to conduct open inspection exit meetings near the two sites in early October 1999. Public Stakeholder Meetina Concernina the Revision of the Safety insoection Proaram for
- Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities I
On September 16,1999, NMSS staff conducted a public meeting concorning planned revisions of the safety inspection program for nuclear fuel cycle facilities. The NMSS planned revisions are described in SECY-99-188. Representatives of the public, including fuel cycle licensees, { the United States Enrichment Corporation, and the Nuclear Energy Institute made presentations and provided comments. Part 70 Public Meetina On September 14-15,1999, NMSS staff hosted a public meeting to discuss the proposed revisions to 10 CFR Part 70, which were published for public comment in July 1999, and the associated Standard Review Plan (SRP). During the first part of the meeting, NMSS staff l presented information on the major revisions to the rule and on areas of specific Commission I interest. During the second part of the meeting, NMSS staff and other participants discussed comments from the Nuclear Enetgy Institute (NEI), the only comments received to date. By late December, the staff intends to complete its initial review of all comments received during the public comment period. A subsequent public meeting, to discuss the public comments and matters which still require clarification, is planned for late January or early February 2000. The final rule package is due to the Commission in May 2000. l All Aareement States Meetina l On September 8-10,1999, representatives from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) made presentations at the 1999 All Agreement States Meeting that was held in Austin, Texas. NMSS staff provided meeting attendees with information on: September 17,19D9 ENCLOSURE B
e l (1) performance-based and risk-informed regulation, (2) draft guidance on license renewai, (3) ongoing initiatives in handling orphan sources, and (4) the status of ongoing rulemakings or actions under consideration for rulemaking, e.g.,10 CFR Part 35, general license, control of solid materials, and 10 CFR 40.13.
' De,Tioneiret;on Soent Fuel Storaae Cask Ooened at INEEL in the mid.1980's, as part of the Department of Energy (DOE) demonstration project for spent fuel dry cask storage, four storage casks representing different storage designs were loaded with fuel, instrumented and stored at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmentali
- Laboratory (INEEL), in Idaho Falls, Idaho. On Wednesday, September 8,1999, under a joint
. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, DOE, and industry initiative, the Castor V21 demonstration cask was opened.?The cask and its fuel assemblies, originally loaded with fuel from the Surry plant.and_ sealed in August 1985, are currently being visually examined. Initial examination has found no adverse conditions or degradation. Once the visual examination is completed, a number of spent fuel pins will be removed and shipped to Argonne National Laboratory (East)
- for destructive testing. The findings from the examination will be used to support cask and independent spent fuel storage installation license renewal efforts.
Presentations to the Interaaency Steerina Committee on Radiation Standards NORM
. Subcommittee on Uranium Recoverv Proaram Chanaes
. . . I On September.15,1999, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards staff attended the interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards (ISCORS) NORM Subcommittee meeting, to present the proposed changes to the NRC's Uranium Recovery Program. A representative from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Underground Injection
' Control program also attended the presentations. These changes are detailed in three Commission Papers (SECY-99-011, SECY-99-012, and SECY-99-013), and include the new
- Part 41 rulemaking, active regulation of ground water at in situ leach urar 5m recovery facilities, attemate feed at conventional mills, and the disposal of wastes other than 11e.3) byproduct material in mill tailings impoundments. Staff presentations were similar to presentations given at the June 1999 NRC/ National Mining Association Workshop in Denver. At the concasion of the -
~ presentations, staff indicated that coordination of the potential program changes witt EPA i offices and regions, along with EPA-authorized states, would be a continuing effort, a nd asked i
~ for input from the subcommittee on the proposed changes. The subcommittee chairman indicated that, due to other subcommittee priorities, formal input would likely occur after the Commission's decisions on the three Commission Papers have been finalized. Staff will continue to interface with 1he subcommittee and to solicit timely subcommittee input before the ,
- Commission decisions are finalized.
l 1 I I l September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE B e ,
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I Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research items of interest Week Ending September 17,1999 Grand Gulf and Indian Point 2 Pilot Plant Applications Use the Revised Source Term in conjunction with ongoing NRR/RES activities in support of the revised source term at operating reactors (in NUREG-1465, " Accident Source Terms for Light-Water Nuclear Power j Plants," February 1995), RES has worked closely with NRR to assess the Grand GL.lf pilot plant ' application. RES has assisted in the evaluation of a BWR Owners Group report submitted by the licensee. The BWR Owners Group report estimated that the fission product release from I the pellet-cladding gar begins no earlier than 121 seconds for a design basis loss of coolant
- accident for the limiting BWR configuration, which includes the smallest volume reactor coolant
. system and the highest power density core. (NUREG-1465 states that the fission product ;
release from the gap will begin between 10 and 30 seconds for PWRs and may begin l significantly later for BWRs.). The RES independent evaluation of this limiting configuration, using the SCDAP/RELAPS detailed severe accident code, estimated a time of 154 seconds, i confirming the BWR Owners Group report. Based on the RES evaluation, NRR recently issued l an SER for Grand Gulf allowing changes to systems such as containment isolation systems that previously were required to respond to an instantaneous source term (from TID-14844,
" Calculation of Distance Factors for Power and Test Reactor Sites," USAEC,1962).
RES also assisted NRR in its initial review of the Indian Point 2 pilot plant application. This is the first license amendment for a PWR being considered by the NRC that is based on the revised source term. Indian Point 2 proposed changes to its facility, including removal of the high-efficiency part'culate air and charcoal filters in its containment fan coolers. RES assisted by evaluating the impact of source term aerosols on fan cooler performance under design basis accident conditions. (The revised source term is mainly aerosol whereas the TlD-14844 source term is mainly vapor.) In consultation with NRR staff, RES performed in-house sensitivity studies using the RADTRAD radiological consequence code to estimate the amount of aerosols removed by the fan cooler coils. As part of these sensitivity studies, RES also performed a number of comparisons between RADTRAD-calculated radiological doses and those of the licensee to benchmark the staff's RADTRAD modeling of Indian Point 2. The results of our assessment indicate that source term aerosols are expected to have a negligible effect on fan + cooler performance, because ample water would be available to wash down the fan cooler coils. September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE C
Incident Response Operations items of Interest Week Ending September 17,1999 On September 1 and 2, a State Outreach session was conducted for the State of Arizona in preparation for the post-plume phase exercise scheduled for November 1999 at the Palo Verde plant. Participants included other Federal responders from DOE, FEMA, USDA, and FDA. A representative from the American Nuclear Insurers also made a presentation. The objectives of . the incident response State Outreach program are to foster working relationships among those who would have principal response roles and to communicate those Federal resources that are available to State and local emergency responders. Preliminarv Notifications:
- 1. PNO l-99-041 A, Metorex, Inc., UPDATE - LOST GENERALLY LICENSED DEVICES
- 2. PNO-l-99-043, Calvert Cliffs 12, Sales Hope Creek, Oyster Creek, PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD - SALEM, HOPE CREEK, CALVERT CLIFFS, OYSTER CREEK
- 3. PNO-l 99-043, Calvert Cliffs 12, Salem Hope Creek, Oyster Creek Lusby, MD, PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD - SALEM, HOPE CREEK, CALVERT CLIFFS, OYSTER CREEK
- 4. PNO-l-99-043, Various Facilities, UPDATE ON HURRICANE FLOYD PREPARATIONS
- SALEM, HOPE CREEK, CALVERT CLIFFS, OYSTER CREEK
- 5. PNO-l-99-044, Holy Redeemer Hospital, MEDICAL MISADMINISTRATION 6.- PNO-II-99-037, Florida Power & Light Company.(Turkey Point 3 & 4/St. Lucie 1 & 2),
PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 7. PNO-ll-99-037A -Florida Power & Light Company (Turkey Point 3 & 4/St. Lucie 1 & 2),
PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 8. PNO-Il 99-037B, Florida Power & Light Company (Turkey Point 3 & 4/St. Lucie 1 & 2),
PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 9. PNO-il-99-037C, Florida Power & Light Company (Turkey Point 3 & 4/St. Lucie 1 & 2),
PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD ,
.10. PNO-II-99-037D, Florida Power & Light Company (Turkey Point 3 & 4/St. Lucie 1 & 2), l
' PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 11. PNO-II 99-037E, Cpl, (Brunswick 1 &2), PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD 1
- 12. PNO-il 99-037F, Cpl, (Brunswick 1 &2), PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD i
September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE D
- 13. PNO-il-99-037G, Cpl (Brunswick 1 &2), PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 14. PNO-ll-99-037H, Cpl, (Brunswick 1 &2), PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 15. PNO-il-99-0371, (Ge Wilmington (Brunswick 1 & 2/Surry 1 &2), PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 16. ' PNO-il-99-037J, GE Wilmington (Brunswick 1 & 2/Surry 1 & 2), PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 17. PNO-ll 99-37K, GE Wilmington (Brunswick 1 & 2/Surry 1 & 2), PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 18. PNO-II-37L, GE Wilmington (Brunswick 1 & 2/Surry 1 & 2), PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 19. PNO-II-99-037M, Brunswick 1 & 2/Surry 1 & 2, PREPARATIONS FOR HURRICANE FLOYD
- 20. PNO-IV-99-038, Entergy Operations, Inc, (Waterford 3), PLANT SHUTDOWN DUE TO i REACTOR COOLANT PUMP MALFUNCTION I
i September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE D
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L. 1 l 4 l Office of Administration 1 Items of Interest i Week Ending September 17,1999 Acauisition Reaulation (48 CFR Chaoter 20) A final rule that revises the NRC's regulation governing the procurement of goods and services was published in the Federal Register on September 10,-1999 (64 FR 49322). The final rule , revises these regulations to conform to recently enacted legislation that streamlines the Federal Acquisition Regulation. The final rule becomes effective October 12,1999. 1 l l i l l l t l-l l l September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE F
I I I' Chief Information Officer L ltems of Interest Week Ending Septernber 17,1999 Freedom of information and Privacy Act Reauests received durina the 5-Day Period of September 10.1999 throuah Seotember 16.1999: U.S. Navy, authorizations to use uranium or other radioactive elements in Vieques, Puerto Rico (PR). (FOINPA 99-356) Vacancy announcement 9948032, copy of CERT package. (FOIA/PA 99-357) Laundry license applications & related correspondence since 6/1/98, and all correspondence between NRC & Eastern Technologies since 5/28/98. (FOIA/PA 99-358) Summit power station, Delmarva Power & Light Co.,1974 Dames & Moore preliminary safety analysis report, v.2, ssc. 2.5, regarding geology & seismic-reflection data. (FOIA/PA 99-359) MLTS database for specific program codes. (FOIA/PA 99-360) ' Zion plant, Commonwealth Edison Co,01 case on whistle blower complaint filed 1/99.
-(FOIA/PA 99-361)
Self, OlG report 98-82H. (FOIA/PA 99-362) Self, OlG report. (FOIA/PA 99-363) l i i i l l September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE G
? - Office of Human Resources l ltems of Interest Week Ending September 17,1999 ! 1999 Combined Federal Camoaian (CFC) Kick Off Attended On September 14,1999, Henry Rubin, CFC Agency Coordinator, atter ded the 1999 CFC Kick Off of the National Capital Area held at Constitution Hall. The Honorable Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services md Chair of this year's campaign, hosted the kick off. NRC's CFC Kick Off is scheduled for October 28,1999, at 10:00 a.m. in the Commissioners' Conference Room. Arrivals GALVIN, Dennis GENERAL ENGINEER NMSS ZEMBRUSKI, Elizabeth LAW CLERK ASLBP I September 17,1999 ENCLOSUREI
r Office of Public Affairs items of Interest Week Ending September 17,1999 Media interest There was high media interest in Region 11 on the monitoring status of Hurricane Floyd. There were demonstrations outside the NRC meeting on the release of solid materials in San Francisco. The protesters were urging the shutdown of all nuclear power plants before the end of the year to avoid Y2K problems. Press Releases Headquarters: . 99-195 Note to Editors: NRC Extends Date for Submitting ACNW , Applications 99-196 Note to Editors: ACRS meeting September 29 1 99-197 NRC Names New Special Assistant to the Director of Public Affairs - 99-198 NRC Expands Regulations for Spent Fuel Storage Cask Certificates Regions: ll 99-47 NRC Monitors Hurricane Floyd l ll-99-48 NRC Continues to Monitor Hurr, cane Floyd l IV-99-33 Jeffrey Clark Assigned as NRC Senior Resident lnepcet0r at Cooper l I l September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE M
l, Office of International Programs items of interest Week Ending September 17,1999
. Trainina Mission for Chinese Utility Manaaers L
l The IAEA is planning to conduct a one-week training mission for the management of China's !- Oinshan Nuclear Power Plant at Arkansas Units 1 and 2, tentatively scheduled for late November. The purpose is to work with the Chinese utility to help them improve their. regulator / operator interface and address operational mfety-related issues. Next year, a follow-up workshop will be held when foreign utility representatives visit the Qinshan NPP in China.
~ New Resource Reauirement Because of Deoartment of State Cutback The Office of Nuclear Energy Affairs at the Department of State (NP/NEA) has advised OIP that, because of resource rollbacks which are expected to be permanent, it will no longer be L able to sponsor the verifications of textual authenticity required when international agreements are to be concluded in both English and the language of the partner country. State's Division of Language Services (DLS) had previously performed these verifications free-of-charge to NRC, because NP/NEA absorbed the costs within its operating budget. About one-third of NRC's 34 I technical information exchange and general cooperation arrangement partners are currently required by their national law to sign such agreements in both languages. They prepare the
? foreign language text which, when signed,is accorded equal standing with the English~ text. t
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4 h : September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE N i
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l Office of the Secretary l l Items of Interest j Week Ending September 17,1999 i l Document Released Date Subject l to Public Decision Documents
- 1. SECY-99-176 7/12/99 Plans for Pursuing Performance Based )
Initiatives { SRM on 99-176 9/13/99 (same) Commission Voting 9/13/99 (same) Record on 99-176
- 2. SRM on COMSECY 7/7/99 Recommendations 2 and 3 of the MIRT, 016 Regarding Witness Credibility and Ol Conclusions, Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM)
- 3. COMCECY-99-031 9/7/99 Additional Information Concerning Staff Requirements - SECY-99-070 -
Implementation Plan for the Public Communications initiative (DSI-14) SRM on 99-031 9/17/99 (same) Chmn. Dieus comments 9/9/99 (same) on 99-031 Comm. Diaz comments 9/8/99 (same) on 99-031 Comm. McGaffigan 9/13/99 (same) comments on 99-031 Comm. Merrifield 9/14/99 (same) comments on 99-031
- 4. SECY-99-192 7/23/99 Proposed Rule: Revision of Part 50, Appendix K, "ECCS Evaluation Models" SRM on 99-192 9/17/99 (same)
Commission Voting 9/17/99 (same) Record on 99-192 l l l l September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE O
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- 5. SECY-99-200 8/3/99 Federal Register Notice Responding to Public Comments Received on an l Emergency Final Rule for Fissile Material Exempt Shipments SRM on 99-200 9/17/99 (same) l Commission Voting 9/17/99 (same)
Record on 99-200 Information Papers
- 1. SECY-99-221 9/1/99 Weekly Information Report - Week Ending August 27,1999 Memoranda
- 1. M990907 9/17/99 Staff Requirements - Briefing on PRA Implementation Plan, Tuesday, September 17,1999 Commission Corresoondence No correspondence was released to the PDR this week.
Federal Reaister Notices issued
- 1. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Meeting Notice for September 30 - October 2,1999.
- 2. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Seeks Qualified Candidates for the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste; Request for R6sumss.
I
- 3. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards; Subcommittee Meeting on Materials and J Metallurgy; Postponed.
l l t i September ,/,1999 ENCLOSURE O l i
i Region l Items of interest Week Ending September 17,1999 Predecisional Enforcement Conference With Howard University and Howard University Hospital A predecisional enforcement conference was held with Howard University and Howard University Hospital on September 13,1999, to discuss the findings of an NRC inspection conducted on July 27-28,1999. The inspection was conducted to review the circumstances j surrounding two events: the loss of a package that contained two millicuries of iodine-125 that was reported to the NRC on July 13,1999, and the loss of control of a package containing 1.3 ) millicuries of iodine-131 that occurred on and was reported to the NRC on August 26,1998. l The conference focused on three violations involving the licensee's procedures for the receipt
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and control of radioactive materials. The licensee discussed its immediate response when the incidents occurred, and its subsequent corrective actions to prevent recurrence. The Region is developing the appropriate enforcement response. Ovster Cregk On September 14,1999, GPU, Inc. and AmerGen Energy Company announced that they have l agreed in principle for GPU to sell Oyster Creek to AmerGen for 10 million dollars. The next ' stage of the sale process is the development and signing of an Asset Purchass Agreement (APA) by October 15,1999. The letter of intent assumes a financial closing date of March 31, 2000. Under the terms of the letter of intent, GPU will fund the 18R refueling outage, including the fuel. AmerGen will repay GPU for the outage costs over a period of nine years. In addition, GPU will purchase power from Oyster Creek at a fixed price for three years. AmerGen will assume full responsibility for the ultimate decommissioning of Oyster Creek. At financial closing, GPU will provide funding for the decommissioning of 430 million dollars. GPU Nuclear ! (GPUN) will continue to plan for plant shutdown and immediate decommissioning until the APA l is signed. When the APA is signed, planning for the 18R outage will begin and decommissioning will be planned as a contingency. GPUN plans immediately to prepare the NRC license transfer application and develop a base scope, schedule and cost for the 18R outage. , Status of Steam Generator Removal Proiect at Haddam Neck With the start of active dismantlement of large radioactive components this week, NRC Region I initiated weekly inspections at the Haddam Neck facility. Inspection coverage this week included observations of the cutting of the main steam and feedwater piping from steam generator number four. September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE P
Q Region il items of Interest Week Ending September 17,1999 Duke Enerov Corooration -- McGuire Self-Assessment Meetina i On September 17,1999, representatives from the Duke Energy Corporation in North Carolina attended a management meeting in the regional office. The purpose of the meeting was to - present a self-assessment of the McGuire Nuclear Station performance. The licensee discussed plant performance, human performance initiatives, operator licensing, and several regulatory issues. Duke Enerav Corooration -- Oconee Site Visit by Deouty EDO On September 13,1999, the Deputy Executive Director for Reactor Programs, accompanied by
' the Deputy Regional Administrator, visited the Oconee nuclear plant in Seneca, South Carolina.
The visit included a discussion with the resident inspectors, a site tour, and a meeting with site managers. I
' Response to Hurricane Floyd From September 14, through September 16,1999, Region ll operated its incident Response i Center to monitor and respond to Hurricane Floyd affects on nuclear facilities. The Hurricane came on shore at the North Carolina coastline and passed over the General Electric Fuel Facility and Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant sites on September 16,1999. Both facilities were in a shutdown mode of operation. The NRC resident inspectors were onsite at the Brunswick facility throughout the storm. The Region dispatched its State Liaison Officer to the State Emergency Operations Center in North Carolina. This individual also participated in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's evaluation of offsite conditions surrounding the Brunswick i l~ site on September 16, through September 19,1999. Details of the NRC, Region 11 response are located in Preliminary Notifications Numbers PNO-il-99-037A - M.
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I l L September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE P
l l. Region 111 Items of Interest { Week Ending September 17,1999 Team Insoection at Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant 1 On September 13,1999, an NRC team inspection began at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion i Plant in Piketon, Ohio.' The purpose of the inspection was to review the radiological monitoring program at the plant. The five-member team also looked at worker practices and at internal and external radiation controls and monitoring. The team previously spent one week at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant and will return to Paducah September 20,1999, to complete the inspection there. Exit meetings with U. S. Enrichment Corporation, which will be open to public observation, will be held following the completion of the inspections at the two sites. Emeroency Exercise - Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant - On September 14,1999, the Region lll staff participated in an emergency exercise involving the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio. The regional participation included activating of the incident Response Center, staffing it with a base team, and monitoring plant activities through the NRC resident inspectors. Predecisional Enforcement Conference - MidMichiaan Medical Center On September 17,1999, the Region 111 staff met in the regional office with representatives of MidMichigan Medical Center, Midland, Michigan, for a predecisional enforcement conference. The conference covered possible violations associated with a medical misadministration which were identified during a Region lli inspection and an Office of Investigations investigation. i i L l September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE P
a. Region IV ltems of interest Week Ending September 17,1999 l
. Manaaement Meetina with STP Nuclear Ooeratina Comoany (
On September 14,1999, a public meeting was held between members of the STP Nuclear ' Operating Company management anc NRC staff. The topics discursed at the meeting included the new management alignment being implemented at the South Texas Project, j general plant performance including areas where improvement had been noted and areas 1 where improvement was needed, and future management challenges. I l
)
l l i
. September 17,1999 ENCLOSURE P
n o D Office of the Executive Director for Operations items of Interest Week Ending September 17,1999 Timina of Release of Documents Throuah ADAMS
' Based on input from the offices, the Office of the Executive Director for Operations (OEDO) and the 0C10 have agreed to the following uniform general policy for timing the release of public documents. Newly received documents from external entities will be released 3 working days after they are added to the ADAMS Main Library. Staff-generated documents addressed to external entities and staff-generated documents addressed to other internal addressees or with no addressee will be released 3 working days from issuance of document (date of cover i
letter for document packages). The delay provides courtesy and caution before the general i public can see this correspondence. However, there are today, and will continue to be f document types that have specific release conditions that are excluded from these categories."
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I J l l l l I September 17,1999 ENCLOSUREO 1 I I L
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