Home > Electronic Reading Room > Document Collections > News Releases > 1998 > III-98-024

	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III 801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532
	CONTACT:	Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov
		Angela Greenman (630) 829-9662/e-mail: opa3@nrc.gov

NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT III-98-24

April 3, 1998

The drives move the control rods in the reactor to increase or decrease the reactor power level. A separate system is used to quickly shut down the reactor by fully inserting all control rods.

Maintenance was planned on one of 45 control rod drives. Instead of shutting off electric power to just that drive, however, the plant staff blocked the electric power to all 45 control rod drives.

The control rod drives were disabled for about 3 hours while the maintenance was performed. During that time, the reactor could have been shut down if necessary by inserting all the control rods in an automatic or manual reactor trip. However, the control rods could not have been moved individually to adjust reactor power level.

The company was cited for operational errors made by a shift operating crew and for failures to follow maintenance-related procedures by maintenance personnel during the repair activities.

In notifying the utility of the proposed fine, NRC Regional Administrator A. Bill Beach noted that the reactor protection functions provided by the control rods remained available. But, he added, "The procedural violations evidenced by both maintenance and operations personnel...could in different circumstances present actual or potential safety consequences."

The violations reflected significant weaknesses in the planning, communications, and supervision of the maintenance work, he said.

The utility's corrective actions have included conducting remedial training for the operations personnel involved in the incident, meeting with all shift operating crews and maintenance workers to discuss the incident, and improving the process for managing similar work activities.

The issues associated with taking the control rod drives out of service were discussed at a public meeting at the conclusion of the of the NRC inspection on November 19 and at a predecisional enforcement conference on December 19, which was also open to the public.

The utility has until May 4 to pay the fine or to protest it. If the fine is protested and subsequently imposed by the NRC staff, the utility may request a hearing.