IR 05000387/2010001

IR 05000387-10-001 and 05000388-10-001 on 08/11/2010 for Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 & 2, Mid-Cycle Assessment Letter 2010

ML102440462
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	09/01/2010
From:	Clifford J W Reactor Projects Region 1 Branch 4
To:	Rausch T S Susquehanna
KROHN P G, RI/DRP/PB4/610-337-5120
References
Download: ML102440462 (6)

Text

UNITED NUCLEAR REGULATORY REGION 475 ALLENDALE KING OF PRUSSIA, PA September 1, 2010 Mr. Timothy Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer PPl Susquehanna, lLC 769 Salem Boulevard Berwick, PA 18603-0467 MID-CYCLE ASSESSMENT lETTER -SUSQUEHANNA STEAM STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2 (05000387/2010001 and

Dear Mr. Rausch:

On August 11,2010, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff completed its performance review of the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (Susquehanna).

Our technical staff reviewed performance indicators (Pis) for the most recent quarter and inspection results for the period from July 1. 2009 through June 30, 2010. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of our assessment of your safety performance during this period and our plans for future inspections at your facility.

This performance review and enclosed inspection plan do not include security information.

A separate letter designated and marked as "Official Use Only -Security Information" will include the security cornerstone review and resultant inspection plan. Overall, Susquehanna Units 1 and 2 operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety and fully met all cornerstone objectives.

Plant performance for the most recent quarter, as well as for the first three quarters of the assessment cycle, was within the Licensee Response column of the NRC's Action Matrix, based on ali inspection findings being classified as having very low safety significance (Green) and all Pis indicating performance at a level requiring no additional NRC oversight (Green). Therefore, we plan to conduct reactor oversight process (ROP) baseline inspections at Susquehanna Units 1 and 2. We also plan on conducting Inspection Procedure (IP) 71004, "Power Uprate," for uprate activities prior to your implementation of the power uprate on Unit 2. In addition, we will be conducting an infrequently performed inspection using IP 92723, "Follow-Up Inspection for Three or More Severity Level IV Traditional Enforcement Violations in the Same Area in a 12-Month Period," to follow up on three traditional enforcement violations in the area of impeding the regulatory process. The NRC will schedule and conduct IP 92723 when your staff has notified us of your readiness for this inspection.

On January 28, 2009, we issued you a potential Chilling Effect Letter (CEl) regarding the Safety Conscious Work Environment (SCWE) at Susquehanna (ML090280115)1.

In that letter we expressed concern with the progress and effectiveness of your actions to address indications of a declining SCWE and negative employee perceptions during 2008, as it may have impacted employee willingness to raise safety concerns and could lead to a chilling effect on site. As 1 Designation in parenthesis refers to an Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) accession number. Documents referenced in this letter are publicly available using the accession number in ADAMS. discussed in the 2009 Mid-Cycle and 2009 Performance Assessment letters (Ml0924402700 and ML 100621039), issuance of the potential CEl met the first criterion for consideration of a SCWE Substantive Cross Cutting Issue (SCC!) over the next three plant assessment cycles. This mid-cycle 2010 assessment is the third assessment of SCWE as a theme described in Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 0305, "Reactor Oversight Process." During 2009 and 2010, we reviewed your action plans and root cause evaluation to address SCWE issues at the site. We also performed targeted inspection samples and trend reviews to monitor your progress, and we reviewed the results of an independent culture survey (Ml100321652, Ml1003216520, Ml100740339, Ml102250028).

In addition, NRC management conducted several site visits and held a public meeting on July 6, 2009, to discuss work environment issues (Ml091940440).

Based on these activities, we note that PPl has taken reasonable actions to address SCWE issues at the site. These actions are documented in your Work Environment Improvement Plan (Ml100260405).

NRC inspections confirmed the effectiveness of these actions and documented an improving work environment.

SCWE metrics, and safety culture survey results. Furtbermore, we noted that the number of allegations received by the NRC from onsite sources during this assessment period (15), although still greater than the industry norm, was lower than the corresponding period last year (19). Finally, a potential discrimination case regarding an SRO durill9 the March 2008 refueling outage was determined to be unsubstantiated (Ml1014809970)

and inspectors determined that PPl had taken, or planned, reasonable corrective actions to address the SCWE impacts of the event and to prevent reoccurrence.

Based on direct inspection, allegation trend data, SCWE metrics, and survey results, the NRC has determined that you have made reasonable progress in addressing SCWE issues at Susquehanna during 2009 and 2010. Specifically, in evaluating your scope of efforts and progress in addressing SCWE issues, the staff determined that you recognized the issues impacted multiple areas across the site, took appropriate and timely actions to address these SCWE issues, and have implemented a range of corrective actions. The NRC staff has determined that your actions have been effective in addressing the underlying issues that led to the issuance of the CEl. As a result, the staff considers that the SCWE theme, as discussed in IMe 0305 and Enforcement Manual Section 6.5.4, "Chilling Effect of Actual or Potential Discrimination," no longer exists at Susquehanna and the potential CEl will no longer be considered for plant assessment purposes.

Notwithstanding the staff's conclusions, the NRC will continue to monitor your activities to address SCWE issues at Susquehanna through the baseline inspection program to verify the effectiveness and sustainability of your efforts in this area. The enclosed inspection plan details the inspections, less those related to physical protection, scheduled through June 30, 2011. The inspection plan is provided to allow for the resolution of any scheduling conflicts and personnel availability issues well in advance of inspector arrival onsite. Routine resident inspections are not listed due to their ongoing and continuous nature. The inspections in the last nine months of the inspection plan are tentative and may be revised at the end of cycle review. In accordance with 10 CFR 2.390 of the NRC's "Rules of Practice," a copy of this letter and its enclosure will be made available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records (PARS) component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html(the Public Electronic Reading Room). If circumstances arise which cause us to change this inspection plan, we will contact you to discuss the change as soon as possible.

Please contact Paul Krohn at with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.

Sincerely.

Division of Reactor Projects Docket Nos. 50-387; 50-388 License Nos. NPF-14, NPF u 22

Enclosure:

Susquehanna Inspection!

Activity Plan cc w/encl: Distribution via ListServ If circumstances arise which cause us to change this inspection plan, we will contact you to discuss the change as soon as possible.

Please contact Paul Krohn at 610-337-5120 with any questions you may have regarding this letter or the inspection plan.

Sincerely,JRAJ James W. Clifford, Acting Director Division of Reactor Projects Docket Nos. 50-387; 50-388 License Nos. NPF-14. NPF-22

Enclosure:

Susquehanna Inspectionl Activity Plan cc wiener: Distribution via ListServ Distribution w/encl:(via e-mail) E. Torres. DRP D. Screnci, PAO M. Dapas, Acting RA J. Bream, DRP N. Sheehan, PAO D. Lew, Acting DRA P. Finney, DRP, SRI R. Barkley. ORA J. Clifford.

DRP J. Greives, DRP, RI A. Klett, NRR D. Collins. DRP S. Farrell. DRP, OA RidsNrrPMSusquehanna Resource D. Roberts, DRS L. Trocine. RJ OEDO RidsNrrDirslpab@nrc.gov P. Wilson. DRS DRS Branch Chiefs (6) RidsNrrDorlLpl1-1 Resource P. Krohn, DRP N. McNamara, SLO ROPreportsResource@nrc.gov A. Rosebrook, DRP D. Tifft, SLO SUNSI REVIEW COMPLETE:

PGK (Reviewer's Initials)

ML 102440462 DOCUMENT NAME: S:\ROP-11 Mid-Cycle Review\Branch 4\Susquehanna\Susquehanna_201 O_MOC_LetteCRev4.doc After declaring this document "An Official Agency Record>> it will be released to the Public. To receive a copy of this document, indicate In IDe box: 'C' =Copy witllout alIachmentlenolosure

'E' '" Copy with attachmellt/enclosure

'N' '" No copy , I!OFFICE mmt RIIDRP I RIfDRP HQ/AAC RIIDRP I NAME ARosebrooki AAR PKrohnl PGK LMJarriell**

JCJiffordl JWC DATE 08/26/10 08/30/10 08/31/10 09/01/10 OFFICIAL RECORD -CONCURRENCE VIA EMAIL DATED 8131110 Page 1 of2 08130/2010 14:45:38 Report 22 Planned Dates 1.2 1,2 1,2 1,2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1,2 1.2 1,2 1.2 1,2 1,2 1.2 2 2 2 Start 0612812010 06128/2010 0612812010 08/2312010 0812312010 08/23/2010 0812312010 09/13/2010 09/27/2010 12/13/2010 01/10/2011 10/0412010 10/0412010 10/04/2010 1010412010 10/0412010 11/2912010 11/2912010 03/21/2011 03/21/2011 03(21/2011 03/21/2011 03/21/2011 04111/2011 05/0212011 0510212011 End 07/0212010 0710212010 07/02/2010 08/27/2010 0812712010 08/27/2010 08/2712010 09/1712010 10/08/2010 12/17/2010 01/14/2011 10108/2010 10/08/2010 10/08/2010 10/08/2010 1010812010 1210312010 12103(2010 03/25(2011 03/25/2011 03/25/2011 03/25/2011 03/2512011 04115/2011 05/0612011 71124 IP 71124.01 IP 71124.02 lP 71124.05 71124 IP 60855.1 IP IP 71124.03 Susquehanna Inspection I Activity Plan 07/01/2010

• 12/3112011 Title -HP 1 Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls Occupational ALARA Planning and Controls Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation

-HP & ISFSI 1 Operation of an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation at Operating Plants Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls In-Plant Alrbome Radioactivity Control and Mitigation IP 71151-0R01 Occupational Exposure Control Effectiveness CoBI lP 7111121 IP 7111121 12113EXM U01793 U01793 EPEX IP 7111401 IP 71114Q4 * COMPONENT DESIGN BASES INSPECTION 7 Component Design Bases Inspection Component Design Bases Inspection

-INITIAL OPERATOR LICENSING EXAM 4 FY11-SUSQUEHANNA U1&2IN1TIAL OPERATOR LICENSING EXAM FY11-SUSQUEHANNA U1&2 INITIAL OPERATOR LICENSING EXAM -EP EXERCISE EVALUATION 4 Exercise Evaluation Emergency Action Level and Emergency Plan Changes IP 711S1-EP01 Drill/Exercise Perfonnance IP 71151-EP02 ERO Drill Participation IP 71151-EP03 Alert & Notification System 71124.08 * RADWASTE IP 71124.08 Radioactive Solid Waste Processing and Radioactive Material Handling, Storage, and Transportation IP 71151-PR01 RETSfODCM Radiological Effluent 71124 * HP IP 25151179 IP 60855.1 IP 71124.01 IP 71124.02 IP 71124.05 7111108G IP 7111108G 11124 IP 71124.01 IP 71124.02 Verification'

of Licensee Responses to NRC Requirement for Inventories of Materials Tracked in NSTS Operation of an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation at Operating Plants Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls Occupational AlARA Planning and Controls Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation

• U21NSERVICE INSPECTION 1 Inservice Inspection Activities

-BWR -HP 1 Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls Occupational ALARA Planning and Controls his report does not inClude INPO and OUTAGE This report shows only on-site and announced inspection

," Page 2 of2 08130120.10 14:45:38 . Report 22 Planned Dates Start End 71124 2 05102/2011 05/0612011 I P 71124.03 TRI FIRE 1.2 06/0612011 06110/2011 IP 7111105T 1.2 06120/2011 06/24/2011 IP 7111105T 71124 1.2 06/0612011 06/10/2011 IP 71124.07 711111B 1,2 10/0312011 10/07/2011 IP 7111111 B TI-177 1.2 08/2912011 09f02/2011 IP 2515/177 EP PROGR 1,2 10110/2011 10/14/2011 IP 7111402 1,2 10/10/2011 10/14/2011 IP 7111403 1,2 10/10/2011 10114/2011 IP 7111404 1,2 10/10/2011 1011412011 IP 7111405 1,2 10110/2011 10114/2011 IP 71151-EP01 1,2 10110(2011 10114/2011 IP 71151-EP02 1,2 10/10/2011 10/14/2011 IP 71151-EP03 71124 -HP .2 11/1412011 11/1812011 IP 71124.01 1.2 11/1412011 11/18/2011 IP 71124.02 1.2 11/1412011 11/18/2011 IP 71124.03 Susquehanna Inspection I Activity Plan 07/01/2010

-1213112011 Title -HP 1 In-Plant Airborne Radioactivity Control and Mitigation

• TRIENNIAL FIRE PROTECTION INSPECTION 4 Fire Protection

[friennial]

Fire Protection

[friennial]

-REMP Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program -SUSQ REQUALINSP WI P/F RESULTS 3 Licensed Operator Requalificalion Program -MANAGING GAS ACCUMULATION IN ECCS 3 Managing Gas Accumulation in Emergency Core Cooling, Decay Heat Remollal & Containment Spray System -EP PROGRAM INSPECTION 1 Alert and Notification System Testing Emergency Preparedness Organization Staffing and Augmentation System Emergency Action Level and Emergency Plan Changes Correction of Emergency Preparedness Weaknesses and Deficiencies Drill/Exercise Performance ERO Drill Particlpation Alert & Notification System Radiological Hazard Assessment and Exposure Controls Occupational ALARA Planning and Controls In-Plant Airborne Radioactivity Control and Mitigation his report does not includeiNPOand OUTAGE This report shows only on-site and announced inspection