ML23058A229

Annual Assessment Letter for Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit 3 (Report 05200025/2022012)

ML23058A229
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	03/01/2023
From:	Bradley Davis NRC/RGN-II/DCI
To:	Coleman J Southern Nuclear Company
References
IR 2022012
Download: ML23058A229 (6)

Text

March 1, 2023 Jamie Coleman Regulatory Affairs Director Southern Nuclear Company 7825 River Road, BIN 63031 Waynesboro, GA 30830

SUBJECT:

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT LETTER FOR VOGTLE ELECTRIC GENERATING PLANT, UNIT 3 (REPORT 05200025/2022012)

Dear Ms. Coleman:

The NRC has completed its end-of-cycle performance assessment of Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit 3, reviewing performance indicators (PIs), inspection results, and enforcement actions from August 3, 2022, through December 31, 2022. This letter informs you of the NRCs assessment of your facility during this period and its plans for future inspections at your facility.

The NRC concluded that overall performance at your facility preserved public health and safety.

The baseline inspection program was completed at your facility in accordance with Section IV.B of the Transition to the Reactor Oversight Process for Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 3

& 4 memo (ML20191A383).

The NRC determined the performance at Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit 3 during the most recent quarter was within the Licensee Response Column, the highest performance category of the NRCs Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) Action Matrix, because all inspection findings had very low safety significance (i.e., Green), and all PIs were within the expected range (i.e., Green). Therefore, the NRC plans to conduct ROP baseline inspections at your facility.

The enclosed inspection plan lists the inspections scheduled through December 31, 2024.

The NRC provides the inspection plan to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issues. Routine inspections performed by resident inspectors are not included in the inspection plan. The inspections listed during the last twelve months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised. The NRC will contact you as soon as possible to discuss changes to the inspection plan should circumstances warrant any changes.

In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), the NRC adjusted inspection plans and schedules to safeguard the health and safety of both NRC and licensee staff while still effectively implementing the ROP. While the PHE continues, overall conditions throughout the country support performance of our inspection and oversight activities returning to normal onsite presence by our resident and region-based inspectors and completion of nominal baseline inspection samples.

J. Coleman 2 We continue to monitor site-specific conditions and, as discussed in our November 2, 2021, memo, Implementation of Inspection Programs Following Re-Entry from the Public Health Emergency for the Reactor Safety Program (ML21295A302), it may be necessary to alter how and when we perform our inspection and oversight activities as we balance the importance of protecting the health and safety of our staff with the need to conduct effective oversight that supports the NRCs critical safety mission.

For inspections requiring extensive coordination with offsite organizations, such as evaluated emergency preparedness exercises, NRC guidance and frequently asked questions for security and emergency preparedness can be found here: https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/covid-19/security-ep/. Similarly, the NRC has developed guidance if force-on-force inspections cannot be completed as scheduled due to an emergency, such as the COVID-19 PHE. These changes help ensure the health and safety of both NRC and licensee staff while maintaining the NRCs important safety and security mission during the COVID-19 PHE. The attached inspection plan is accurate on the date of issuance but remains subject to change based on approval of potential exemption requests or other changes needed due to changing conditions in the COVID-19 PHE. NRC staff will contact your appropriate regulatory affairs staff in order to coordinate inspection planning and scheduling.

Beginning on January 1, 2023, the engineering inspection frequency will transition from a triennial (3-year) to a quadrennial (4-year) cycle. The new engineering inspection program will consist of a Comprehensive Engineering Team Inspection (CETI)1 and three Focused Engineering Inspections (FEIs) that will be performed in each quadrennial cycle. For the cycle beginning in 2023, the FEIs will be: Fire Protection Team Inspection, Commercial Grade Dedication and an engineering inspection that reviews age-related degradation and management2.

1 Aspects of the Design Basis Assurance Inspection (DBAI), Evaluations of Changes, Tests, & Experiments, and Heat Sink inspections will be included in the new CETI inspection. Previously scheduled Evaluation of Changes, Tests, & Experiments and Heat Sink inspections have been cancelled and removed from attached Report 22.

2 The Age-Related Degradation procedure is publicly, and the NRC plans to implement the first inspection of this type beginning in July 2023.

J. Coleman 3 In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 2.390 of the NRCs Rules of Practice, a copy of this letter will be 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/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

Please contact me at 404-997-4428 with any questions you have regarding this letter.

Sincerely, Signed by Davis, Bradley on 03/01/23 Bradley J. Davis, Chief Construction Inspection Branch 2 Division of Construction Oversight Docket No. 05200025 License No. NPF-92

Enclosure:

Vogtle Unit 3 Inspection/Activity Plan cc w/ encl: Distribution via LISTSERV

ML23058A229 X SUNSI Review X Non-Sensitive X Publicly Available Sensitive Non-Publicly Available OFFICE RII/DCO RII/DCO NAME C. Even B. Davis DATE 02/27/23 03/01/23 Site Inspection Activity Plan Vogtle 3 03/01/2023 - 12/31/2024 Unit Start End Activity CAC Title Staff Count CYBER SECURITY INSPECTION 4 3 3/13/2023 3/17/2023 IP 81000.09 001465 Cyber Security Inspection for Construction EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM INSPECTION 2 3 4/10/2023 4/14/2023 IP 71114.04 000719 Emergency Action Level and Emergency Plan Changes 3 4/10/2023 4/14/2023 IP 71151 001397 Performance Indicator Verification BASELINE SECURITY INSPECTION 1 3 5/15/2023 8/18/2023 IP 71130.02 000734 Access Control 3 5/15/2023 8/18/2023 IP 71130.09 001656 Security Plan Changes 3 5/15/2023 8/18/2023 IP 71151 001338 Performance Indicator Verification TARGET SET INSPECTION 2 3 6/5/2023 6/9/2023 IP 71130.14 000743 Review of Power Reactor Target Sets RP OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION SAFETY BASELINE INSPECTION 2 3 8/14/2023 8/18/2023 IP 71124.01 000725 Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls 3 8/14/2023 8/18/2023 IP 71124.05 000729 Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation SECURITY BASELINE INSPECTION 2 3 10/23/2023 10/27/2023 IP 71130.01 000733 Access Authorization 3 10/23/2023 10/27/2023 IP 71130.06 000738 Protection of Safeguards Information 3 10/23/2023 10/27/2023 IP 71130.08 000740 Fitness For Duty Program FOCUSED ENGINEERING INSPECTION (FIRE PROTECTION) 4 3 1/22/2024 1/26/2024 IP 71111.21N.05 001646 Fire Protection Team Inspection (FPTI) 3 2/5/2024 2/9/2024 IP 71111.21N.05 001646 Fire Protection Team Inspection (FPTI)

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION & RESOLUTION 3 3 2/26/2024 3/1/2024 IP 71152B 000747 Problem Identification and Resolution CYBER SECURITY INSPECTION 2 3 3/25/2024 3/29/2024 IP 71130.10 000741 Cybersecurity UNIT 3 IN-SERVICE INSPECTION +SG 2 3 5/20/2024 5/24/2024 IP 71111.08P 000702 Inservice Inspection Activities (PWR)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE INSPECTION 5 3 5/20/2024 5/24/2024 IP 71114.01 000716 Exercise Evaluation 3 5/20/2024 5/24/2024 IP 71114.04 000719 Emergency Action Level and Emergency Plan Changes SECURITY BASELINE INSPECTION 2 3 5/20/2024 5/24/2024 IP 71130.04 000736 Equipment Performance, Testing, and Maintenance 3 5/20/2024 5/24/2024 IP 71130.07 000739 Security Training Enclosure

Site Inspection Activity Plan RP RAD SAFETY PUBLIC BASELINE INSPECTION 3 3 6/10/2024 6/14/2024 IP 71124.06 000730 Radioactive Gaseous and Liquid Effluent Treatment 3 6/10/2024 6/14/2024 IP 71124.07 000731 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program 3 6/10/2024 6/14/2024 IP 71151 000746 Performance Indicator Verification SECURITY BASELINE INSPECTION 2 3 7/29/2024 8/8/2024 IP 71130.02 000734 Access Control 3 7/29/2024 8/8/2024 IP 71130.09 001656 Security Plan Changes SECURITY BASELINE INSPECTION 3 3 10/21/2024 10/25/2024 IP 71130.05 000737 Protective Strategy Evaluation 2