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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-05-0105 June 14, 2005
Contact: T. Kim, OEDO Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) Vermont Yankee - Meeting with Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) On May 27, 2005, NRR and Region I staff participated in a meeting with the Vermont PSB in Montpelier, Vermont. The meeting was held in response to a request from the PSB in its letter to Chairman Diaz dated March 18, 2005. The purpose of the meeting was for the NRC staff to provide information to the PSB regarding: (1) the results of the engineering inspection performed at Vermont Yankee in August 2004; (2) the status for resolution of the issues identified during the inspection; and (3) the status of the Vermont Yankee extended power uprate (EPU) review. Entergy, the Vermont Department of Public Service, and the New England Coalition, also participated in the meeting. Approximately 40 members of the public, including several members of the media, were in attendance. Technical Exchange Meeting Between the NRC and Taiwan Atomic Energy Council On May 31, 2005, the Division of Inspection Program Management (DIPM) staff participated in a Bilateral Technical Exchange Meeting between the NRC and visitors from the Taiwan Atomic Energy Council. DIPM staff presented an overview of the Reactor Oversight Process framework followed by a more detailed discussion of the development and implementation of the process including inspection, significance determination, assessment, and enforcement. NRC Information Notice (IN) 2005-14: Fire Protection [Inspection] Findings on Loss of Seal Cooling to Westinghouse Reactor Coolant Pumps On July 1, 2005, the NRC issued the subject IN to inform addressees about recent inspection findings on post-fire procedural requirements related to loss of cooling to reactor coolant pump seals. The IN requires no specific action nor written response; however, licensees are expected to review the information for applicability to their facilities and consider taking actions, as appropriate. Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) Yucca Mountain Repository - Public Meeting On June1, 2005, NRC and the Department of Energy held a technical exchange on pre-closure interaction plans and aircraft hazards analysis for the proposed Yucca Mountain Repository. The technical exchange was held in Las Vegas, Nevada. NRC Headquarters and Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses staff participated by video conference. The meeting was open to the public. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) Documentation of PARCS Code Modifications for ACR-700 Spatial Kinetics On May 26, 2005, Information Systems Laboratories and Purdue University, under an NRC contract, issued a report documenting how the PARCS [Purdue Advanced Reactor Cores Simulator] code was modified to enable spatial reactor kinetics analysis of the Advanced CANDU [CANada Deuterium Uranium] Reactor, ACR-700. This is the first of two final reports that document and preserve the PARCS capabilities developed for analyzing ACR-700. The other report, to be completed in September 2005, will demonstrate and document the coupling of the new PARCS code models with the ACR-700 system thermal hydraulic models added to the TRACE [TRAC (Transient Reactor Analysis Code) RELAP (Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program) Advanced Computational Engine] code. While motivated by specific needs to support an eventual ACR-700 design certification review, the recent improvements to the NRC audit analysis codes provide more versatile and rigorous analysis capabilities that will prove broadly applicable to various nuclear systems. For example, the new physics treatments added to PARCS offer added rigor to the analysis of existing U.S. reactors with evolving core designs for extended fuel burnup, uprated power, and mixed oxide fueling. Workshop on Steam Generator Maintenance On May 24-27, 2005, RES staff attended a workshop on “Steam Generator Secondary Side Lead/sulfur-induced Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC)” at Argonne National Laboratory. Participants represented industry, regulators, manufacturers, and academia, from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Belgium, Korea, Japan, and the Netherlands. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss domestic and international research on lead- or sulfur-induced SCC and to determine the current state of knowledge. Discussions focused on the effect of lead or sulfur to enhance or initiate cracking of Alloy 600 and especially Alloy 690. Presentations covered plant experience, experimental corrosion studies, surface films and compounds, electron microscopy at crack tips, and theory and mechanisms. A key point of the meeting was that preliminary research has shown Alloy 690 can crack in possible steam generator crevice environments. Finally, there were discussions about what future research is needed to determine the mechanism for lead- or sulfate-induced SCC and possible remedial actions. This activity is supported by the staff’s steam generator action plan. Future lead- and sulfur-induced SCC research will be monitored in order to proactively comprehend the potential for steam generator materials, especially Alloy 690, to crack. Office of Administration (ADM) Contract Awards On May 24, 2005, Delivery Order No. DR-33-05-349 was awarded under the General Services Administration's Multiple Award Schedule, to Northrop Grumman Information Technology, Inc., for maintenance of the NRC’s Electronic Information Exchange System. Total award amount is $323,010.00, for a six-month period. On May 25, 2005, a competitive Delivery Order No. DR-38-05-369, was awarded to Systems Integration & Development, Inc., a small disadvantaged business under the General Service Administration's Federal Supply Schedule. The contractor will perform web application support services for the Intranet application development and systems maintenance program currently in operation at the NRC’s Technical Training Center. The total estimated cost is $299,941.84. The period of performance is three years, including two one-year option periods. Revision to 10 CFR Part 10 (AH69) On May 31, 2005, NRC published a final rule in the Federal Register (70 FR 30896) that amended its regulations concerning eligibility for access to restricted data or national security information or an employment clearance. The changes made were editorial in nature to reflect a recent NRC reorganization. The final rule became effective May 31, 2005. Broadening Scope of Access Authorization and Facility Security Clearance Regulations (AH52 - Parts 25 and 95) On June 2, 2005, NRC published a final rule in the Federal Register (70 FR 32224) that expands the scope of the regulations applicable to persons who may require access to classified information in connection with licensing and regulatory activities under the regulations that govern the disposal of high-level radioactive waste in geologic repositories. The final rule also expands the scope of the regulations applicable to procedures for obtaining facility security clearances to include persons who may need to use, process, store, reproduce, transmit, transport, or handle NRC classified information in connection with these activities. The final rule becomes effective July 5, 2005. Office of Information Services (OIS) Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act Requests Received During the Period of May 27 through June 2, 2005:
Office of Human Resources (HR)
Office of Public Affairs (OPA) The Office of Public Affairs (OPA) received significant media inquiries on the following: The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, including legislative action allowing dry-cask storage and an emergency preparedness exercise conducted at the site. Other Public Affairs Items: OPA coordinated a Time Magazine interview of the Chairman on June 1, 2005. Regional OPA staff announced the arrival of new resident inspectors at three nuclear power plants.
Office of the Secretary (SECY)
Commission Correspondence Letter to Congress, dated May 23, 2005, provides the March 2005 report on the status of NRC’s licensing and other regulatory activities. Region I (RI) Management Changes at Entergy Nuclear Northeast and Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC) The Entergy Nuclear Northeast announced the following management changes: (1) Chris Schwarz has been named Entergy Nuclear Northeast Vice President of Operations Support, replacing Brian O’Grady, who has left the company. Mr. Schwarz has been the IPEC General Manager of Plant Operations since joining Entergy in 2002. Before joining Entergy, Mr. Schwarz was the Station Director of Operations for Millstone Station; (2) Paul Rubin has been named IPEC General Manager of Plant Operations. Mr. Rubin previously held positions as the Planning, Scheduling and Outage Manager, and IPEC Unit 2 Operations Manager; and (3) Fred Dacimo has resumed his role as IPEC Site Vice President after a temporary assignment at the Entergy Nuclear Northeast White Plains Office. Seabrook - Special Inspection Region I is dispatching a special inspection team to the Seabrook nuclear power plant in New Hampshire to continue the review of security at the plant. The onsite portion of the inspection is scheduled to begin on June 6, 2005. Consisting of five inspectors from both the Region I office and the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response at headquarters, the special inspection team will be tasked with following up on NRC-identified findings from an inspection conducted in May. The identified deficiencies were immediately compensated by the licensee in accordance with the site Security Plan, and the adequacy of the measures were reviewed by Region I security inspectors. The multi-disciplinary special inspection team will review the licensee’s root cause analysis and evaluate the long term corrective actions planned by the licensee. Vermont Yankee - Emergency Preparedness Exercise On May 24-26, 2005, an emergency preparedness exercise was held to test the Vermont Yankee onsite emergency response capabilities as well as the offsite emergency response capabilities of State governments and local communities in the 50-mile ingestion pathway emergency planning zone surrounding the plant. On June 2, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) hosted a public meeting to discuss the results of the exercise. NRC staff participated in this meeting. While FEMA is still in the process of characterizing the findings from the exercise, FEMA stated that several strengths and a few weaknesses were identified during the exercise. FEMA stated that it plans to issue letters to the affected States during the week of June 6, describing the results of the exercise. Regional Utilities Group (RUG) Meeting Region I NRC staff participated in a RUG meeting on June 2, 2005. The Region I RUG was re-constituted in 2004 as a forum for communicating reactor program and implementation issues, at the working level. The meeting was attended by 16 utility representatives and involved several NRC staff and management including the Regional Administrator. During the meeting a variety of Reactor Oversight Process subjects were discussed including the significance determination process, cross cutting issues, emergency preparedness, security, and annual assessment meeting effectiveness. Region IV (RIV) Palo Verde - Predecisional Enforcement Conference On June 1, 2005, the Regional Administrator and other NRC staff held an enforcement conference with the Palo Verde licensee. The purpose of the conference was to discuss an apparent violation related to a change made to emergency action levels that apparently decreased the effectiveness of the site emergency plan without prior NRC approval. Representatives of the State of Arizona and the Phoenix Mayor’s office listened in via teleconference. High Mountain Inspection Services, Inc. - Predecisional Enforcement Conference On May 31, 2005, the regional management and staff held an enforcement conference via telephone with High Mountain Inspection Services, Inc., an industrial radiography licensee located in Mills, Wyoming. The apparent violation of interest involved the licensee’s failure to fully comply with the “two-person rule” required by 10 CFR 34.41, in conjunction with not providing required dosimetry to the second person of a two-person crew. Office of Congressional Affairs (OCA)
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