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	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II 61 Forsyth Street, Suite 23T85, Atlanta, GA 30303
	CONTACT:	Ken Clark (Phone: 404/562-4416, E-mail: kmc2@nrc.gov )
		Roger Hannah (Phone 404/562-4417, E-mail: rdh1@nrc.gov )

No: II-98-22

March 24, 1998

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a predecisional enforcement conference with Florida Power Corporation in Atlanta on April 2 to discuss regulatory concerns associated with the Crystal River Nuclear Plant's emergency operating procedures.

During an NRC inspection in January, an apparent violation was noted involving safety evaluations for procedure changes and a change to the plant's Updated Final Safety Analysis Report. In changing procedures for equipment which would be used to cool the plant in certain post-accident situations, the plant staff failed to identify that the changes could potentially increase the consequences of the accident. During at least two periods since the plant began operation, there were no procedures which allowed the plant operators to use a crossover line between two low pressure injection lines to mitigate the effects of certain accidents. In addition, the plant staff had identified design limitations related to the crossover but failed to take appropriate and timely corrective actions.

The conference will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the NRC Region II office in Atlanta, located on the 24th floor of the Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth Street, S. W. The meeting is open to observation by members of the public, 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 is to discuss the apparent violations, their causes and safety significance; to provide the licensee with an opportunity to point out errors that may have been made in NRC inspection reports; and to enable the licensee 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 by NRC officials at a later time.