Protecting People and the EnvironmentUNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
GL80104
UNITED STATES
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555
November 26, 1980
ALL LICENSEES OF OPERATING PLANTS AND APPLICANTS FOR OPERATING LICENSES AND
HOLDERS OF CONSTRUCTION PERMITS
SUBJECT: ORDERS ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALIFICATION OF SAFETY-RELATED ELECTRICAL
EQUIPMENT (OCTOBER 24, 1980)
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently issued Orders which
required all safety-related electrical equipment to be environmentally
qualified by no later than June 30, 1982, and which implemented certain
requirements regarding documentation for the environmental qualification of
safety-related electrical components. Many licensees have made telephone
inquiries to obtain clarification on one of the issues in these Orders.
This letter provides that clarification generically.
One of the provisions of the subject Order required that centrally located
records be available not later than December 1, 1980 to document the current
degree of compliance with environmental qualification requirements. This
provision does not, of itself, require the creation of any particular
records. Rather, it calls for a centrally located system which contains a
complete set of documentation. The substance of this documentation is
dictated by other NRC requirements, including those addressed in the Orders
of September 1980. This system should contain, at the outset (December 1,
1980), the records supporting the Environmental Qualification submittal
(required not later than November 1, 1980), the scope of which is discussed
in Inspection and Enforcement Bulletin 79-01B with Supplements 1, 2, and 3.
The qualification documentation for equipment referenced in Supplement No. 3
or equipment subject to a non-harsh (mild) environment is not included in
the December 1, 1980 deadline, but should become part of the central system
as it becomes available. Thus, by June 30, 1982, the central system would
contain a complete and auditible set of records demonstrating complete
compliance regarding the environmental qualification for all safety-related
electrical equipment in the plant.
If you have any further questions, please contact your Project Manager.
Sincerely,
Darrell G. Eisenhut, Director
Division of Licensing
