ML20148S360

Informs That Mnps Was Discussed at Senior Mgt Meeting on 970610-11.Discusses Present Status of Mnps.Nrc Commission Meeting Scheduled on 970625

ML20148S360
Person / Time
Site:	Millstone
Issue date:	06/23/1997
From:	Callan L NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO)
To:	Kenyon B NORTHEAST UTILITIES SERVICE CO.
References
NUDOCS 9707080207
Download: ML20148S360 (6)

Text

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04o aw . ml UNITED STATES

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'y NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001

% ***** ,o# June 23, 1997 Mr. Bruce D. Kenyon President and Chief Executive Officer fpg/h, 1M N Northeast Utilities Service Company P.O. Box 129 Waterford, CT 06385

Dear Mr. Kenyon:

On June 10 and 11, 1997, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) senior managers met to evaluate the nuclear safety performance of operating reactors, fuel facilities, and other materials licensees. The NRC conducts this meeting semiannually to determine if the safety performance of the various licensees exhibits suf ficient weaknesses to warrant increased NRC attention or if it is trending adversely and requires steps be taken to communicate concerns to the <

utility's president or board of directors. At the June 1997 Senior Management Meeting (SMM), the Millstone Nuclear Power Station was discussed.

The Millstone Nuclear Power Station remains a Category 3 facility. Facilities in this category are having or have had significant weaknesses that warrant maintaining the plant in a shutdown condition until the licensee can demonstrate to the NRC that adequate programs have both been established and implemented to ensure substantial improvement. Commission approval is required for restart of a plant in a Category 3 status. A summary of NRC discussions related to the Millstone facilities follows:

Millstone Nuclear Power Station was designated a Category 3 facility in June 1996. Because of the longstanding issues at the Millstone facilities and resultant increased NRC attention on licensee activities, the discussions on Millstone concentrated on ongoing'NRC over, sight. The NRC Special Projects Office (SP0), which was formed to direct managerial attention on the issues at Millstone Nuclear Power Station, has provided focused agency oversight of the recovery efforts at the Millstone units.

Principally, the SP0 has given attention to the licensee's efforts to establish an Independent Corrective Action Verification Program (ICAVP) and an independent third party to oversee the employee concerns programs. Other activities of the SP0 are detailed in the Millstone Restart Assessment Plan, which was last updated on March 24, 1997. In addition to identifying major elements requiring resolution before plant restart, tne plan contains, for each unit, a list of significant issues and actions that the staff intends to review before tha restart. On January 30, 1997, and April 23, 1997, Northeast Utilities (NU) executives and NRC senior management briefed the Commission on the status of the Millstone recovery efforts.

In summary, longstanding Millstone performance concerns remain to be resolved. NRC's SP0 will continue to apply NRC Inspection Manual Chapter 0350, " Staff Guidelines for Restart Approval," to the activities to support restart of Millstone Units 1, 2, and 3. Through application 9707080207 970623 PDR ADOCK 05000245 EC RE CENTFE CDPV

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Bruce D. Kenyon

b of these guidelines, the NRC plans to continue to closely monitor the programs and performance at the Millstone Station to assure development

and implementation of effective corrective action programs. The next

. periodic meeting with the Commission on the status of Millstone recovery l efforts is scheduled for August 6, 1997.

An NRC Commission Meeting, open to the public, is achedtded to be held in the r Commissioners' Conference Room in Rockville, Maryland on June 25, 1997 at i 10:00 a.m., to review the results of the latest meeting of NRC senior managers. -Since.the status of Millstone recovery efforts are the subject of

periodic meetings as discussed above, we expect that the discussion of the Millstone Station at this meeting will be limited. Mr. Phillip F. McKee,

-Deputy Director for Licensing in NRC's Special Projects Office, has discussed the bases for our conclusions with regard to the Millstone Station with members of your staff.

If you have any questions, regarding this matter, do not hesitate to call me at (301) 415-1700.

Sincerely, OdfulWW

.L.Josephcalm L. Joseph Callan i Executive Director for Operatior.s Docket Nos.: 50-245, 50-336, and 50-423 cc: See next page DISTRIBUTION: See attached page DOCUMENT NAME: MILLS 697.LTR

• See Previous Concurrence Ta seceive a copy of this docuansat,indicans in du box: "C" = copy wiebout senachaisme/enckmsuse 'E' = Copy with =anackwleech *N' = No copy 0FFICE DSP0 l DD:NRR I D:NRR l DEDR / l EDD A l NAME WDTravers* FJMiraglia* SJCollins* HLThd@ son LJCalMn DATE 06/18/97 06/18/97- 06/18/97 06/W797 06/// /97 0FFICIAL RECORD COPY

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Bruce D. Kenyon /

In summary, longstanding Millstone performance concerns remainyt'o be resolved. NRC's SP0 will. continue to apply NRC inspection Manual Chapter 0350, " Staff Guidelines for Restart Approval," to Jh'e activities to support restart of Millstone Units 1, 2, and 3. Thropgh application of these guidelines, the NRC plans to continue to closply monitor the programs and performance at the Hillstone Station to, assure development andimplementationofeffectivecorrectiveactionfp~ograms. The next periodic meeting with the Commission on the statup of Millstone recovery efforts is scheduled for August 6,1997. SP0 office staff is coordinatingwithyourstaffonanagendaoutptheirreview.fie Commission with sufficient details to suppor that will provide the An NRC Commission Meeting, open to the public, - scheduled to be held in the l Commissioners' Conference Room in Rockville, ryland on June 25, 1997 at i 10:00 a.m., to review the results of the lat t meeting of NRC senior '

managers. Since the status of Millstone re overy efforts are the subject of  :

periodic meetings as discussed above, we pipect that the discussion of the  ;

Millstone Station at this meeting will be' limited. Mr. Phillip F. McKee, 1 pecial Projects Office, has discussed I DeputyDirectorforLicensinginNRC's/rdtotheMillstoneStationwith the bases for our conclusions with re a  !

1 members of your staff.  ;

i If you have any questions, regard g this matter, do not hesitate to call me i at (301) 415-1700. l incerely, 1

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1 L. Joseph Callan l Executive Director i for Operations l l

Docket Nos.: 50-E 5, 50-336, and 0-423 cc: See next age DISTRIBUTION. See attached page l DOCUMENT NAME: MIL S697.LTR

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To rec:ive a copy of thh (qq[nent, indicate in the box: f* = Copy wi out attachr(nt/ enclosure *E* = Copy with attachment / enclosure 'N' = No copy )

0FFICE DSPAf/// L l D@@ WNJ _ 4 ArtWl/ l DEDR l ED0 l NAME WDWla%rst ' FJPN ptfia W11 SJGWTJns HLThompson LJCallan DATE 06'/ @ /97 5 06/1 %1 06717/97 06/ /97 06/ /97 l 6 OfflCI JCORDCOPY j p

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Mr. Bruce D. Kenyon Millstone Nuclear Power Station Northeast Utilities Service Company Units 1, 2, and 3 cc:

Lillian M. Cuoco, Esq. Mr. Wayne D. Lanning Senior Nuclear Counsel Deputy Director for Inspections Northeast Utilities Service Company Special Projects Office P.O. Box 270 475 Allendale Road j Hartford, CT 06141-0270 King of Prussia, PA 19406-1415 l

i Mr. Kevin T. A. McCarthy, Director Mr. F. C. Rothen 1 Monitoring and Radiation Division Vice President - Work Services Department of Environmental Northeast Nuclear Energy Company Protection P.O. Box 128 79 Elm Street Waterford, CT 06385 Hartford, CT 06106-5127 Charles Brinkman, Manager Mr. Allan Johanson, Assistant Washington Nuclear Operations Director ABB Combustion Engineering 1

1 Office of Policy and Management 12300 Twinbrook Pkwy, Suite 330 Policy Development and Planning Rockville, MD 20852 Division )

450 Capital Avenue - MS 52ERN Mr. D. M. Goebel l P. O. Box 341441 Vice President - Nuclear Oversight i Hartford, CT 06134-1441 Northeast Nuclear Energy Comptny P. O. Box 128 '

Regional Administrator Waterford, Connecticut 06385 Region I U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Mr. M. L. Bowling, Jr.

475 Allendale Road Recovery Officer - Millstone Unit No. 2

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King of Prussia, PA 19406 Northeast Nuclear Energy Company P. O. Box 128 First Selectmen Waterford, Connecticut 06385 Town of Waterford Hall of Records Citizens Regulatory Commission 200 Boston Post Road ATTN: Ms. Susan Perry Luxton Waterford, CT 06385 180 Great Neck Road Waterford, Connecticut 06385 Senior Resident Inspector

. Millstone Nuclear Power Station The Honorable Terry Concannon c/o U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Co-Chair P. O. Box 513 Nuclear Energy Advisory Council Niantic, CT 06357 Room 4035 Legislative Office Building Capitol Avenue Hartford, Connecticut 06106

Mr. Bruce D. Kenyon Millstone Nuclear Power Station Northeast Utilities Service Company Units 1, 2, and 3 cc:

M'r. M. H. Brothers Mr. J. McElwain Vice President - Millstone Unit 3 Recovery Officer - Millstone Unit 1 Northeast Nuclear Energy Company Northeast Nuclear Energy Company P. O. Box 128 P. O. Box 128-Waterford, CT 06385 Waterford, Connecticut 06385 Mr. Neil S. Carns Mr. M. R. Scully, Executive Director Senior Vice President and Connecticut Municipal Electric Chief Nuclear Officer Energy Cooperative Northeast Nuclear Energy Company 30 Stott Avenue c/o Ms Patricia A. Loftus Norwich, CT 06360 Director - Regulatory Affairs P. O. Box 128 Mr. William D. Meinert Waterford, Connecticut 06385 Nuclear Engineer Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Deborah Katz, President Electric Company Citizens Awareness Network P.O. Box 426 P.O. Box 83 Ludlow, MA 01056 Shelburne Falls, MA 03170 Ernest C. Hadley, Esq. Little Harbor Consultants, Inc.

1040 B Main Streat Millstone - ITPOP Project Office

, P.O. Box 549 P. O. Box 0630 West Wareham, MA 02576 Niantic, Connecticut 06375-0630

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Joseph R. Egan, Esq. Mr. Evan W. Woollacott Egan & Associates, P.C. Co-Chair 2300 N Street, NW Nuclear Energy Advisory Council Washington, D.C. 20037 128 Terry's Plain Road Simsbury, Connecticut 06070 Mr. J. K. Thayer Recovery Officer - Nuclear Engineering and Support .

Northeast Nuclear Energy Company P. O. Box 128 Waterfod, Connecticut 06385

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DISTRIBUTION: for letter to Mr. B. D. Kenyon (MILLSTONE 1, 2, and 3)

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