IN RESPONSE, PLEASE
REFER TO: M970425

May 20, 1997

MEMORANDUM TO: L. Joseph Callan
Executive Director for Operations
FROM: John C. Hoyle, Secretary /s/
SUBJECT: STAFF REQUIREMENTS - MEETING WITH COMMONWEALTH EDISON ON RESPONSE TO 10 CFR 50.54(F) LETTER, 10:00 A.M., FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 1997, COMMISSIONERS' CONFERENCE ROOM, ONE WHITE FLINT NORTH, ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND (OPEN TO PUBLIC ATTENDANCE)

The Commission was briefed by Commonwealth Edison Company (the licensee) and the NRC staff concerning the licensee's nuclear safety performance. The briefing focused on the licensee's response to the NRC's January 27, 1997 request for information pursuant to 10 CFR 50.54(f).

The Commission asked the licensee for more supporting details to give the Commission confidence in the licensee's ability to operate and improve performance simultaneously at each of its six nuclear stations. The Commission asked that this additional information be presented quantitatively, in a manner enabling the Commission to discern trends associated with the licensee's selected performance measures and criteria. Specifically, in future Commission meetings the licensee should discuss their Top-Level Industry Standard Indicators and the Nuclear Operations Division Performance Indicators, using the current level of performance as a benchmark in gauging sustained performance improvement.

The Commission requested a briefing from the licensee, in approximately six months, on the implementation of the licensee's performance improvement plan. In conjunction with that briefing, the staff should present its assessment of the licensee's performance improvements. The staff's presentation should indicate how site-specific findings were reviewed and integrated into its overall assessment of the licensee's performance improvement plan implementation.

(EDO) (SECY Suspense:  10/24/97)

The staff should evaluate appropriate aspects of the NRC inspection and enforcement programs to determine: (1) whether the NRC can improve its methods of identifying and taking appropriate regulatory action for cyclical declines in licensee performance; and (2) whether, for utilities with multiple reactor sites, it is appropriate to consider corporate-wide performance data in decisions on individual site performance trends.

(EDO) (SECY Suspense:  10/1/97)

The staff should provide the Commission with estimates of the total resources (FTE and contract support) required to support the "augmented" efforts at Commonwealth Edison sites, as well as for Millstone and Maine Yankee. These estimates should indicate the source of the "augmented" NRC resources (e.g., Regions, NRR, AEOD) and discuss the actual and potential impact on other NRC inspection activities or regulatory programs.

(EDO) (SECY Suspense:  7/14/97)

cc: Chairman Jackson
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