No: II-97-86

December 12, 1997

NRC STAFF TO HOLD PREDECISIONAL ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE

WITH CP&L TO DISCUSS REGULATORY CONCERNS AT BRUNSWICK

Meeting In Atlanta Will Be Open To Public

The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a predecisional enforcement conference in Atlanta on December 19 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon to discuss regulatory compliance concerns at the Brunswick nuclear power plant, operated by Carolina Power & Light Company near Southport, NorthCarolina.

NRC officials said they will discuss a two-part regulatory concern for failure to promptly take action when Unit 1 drywell temperatures exceeded existing limits after a cooler fan failed, and failure to promptly take action to correct a design deficiency where the pressure suppression design function of primary containment could be bypassed under certain operating conditions.

The meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the NRC's Region II office on the 24th floor of the Atlanta Federal Center, located at 61 Forsyth Street, S.W. While the meeting is between the NRC and CP&L, members of the public are welcome to attend to observe, and NRC officials will be available at its conclusion to answer questions from interested observers.

The decision to hold a predecisional enforcement conference does not mean that a determination has been made that a violation has occurred or that enforcement action will be taken. The purpose of the conference is to discuss apparent violations, their causes and safety significance; to provide the licensee an opportunity to point out any errors that may have been made in the NRC inspection report; and to enable the company to outline its proposed corrective actions. No decision on the apparent violations or any contemplated enforcement action, such as a civil penalty, will be made at the conference. Those decisions will be made later by senior NRC officials.

#

EDITORS: Recorded information on all upcoming NRC predecisional enforcement conferences may be obtained by dialing 1-800-952-9674. A copy of the inspection report covering the issues to be discussed at this conference is available upon request.

#