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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-01-0061 April 6, 2001
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation South Texas Project Unit 2 Steam Generators Prior to the recent shut down at South Texas Project Unit 2 (STP-2), the total operating primary-to-secondary leak rates through the 4 steam generators had been 35 gallons per day (gpd). The technical specification limit is 150 gpd per steam generator. The licensee performed a secondary side leak test and identified about 100 leaking tubes. The licensee attributed the operating leakage to several large voltage eddy current indications located at the tube support plate intersections which were characterized as outside diameter stress corrosion cracking (ODSCC). Prior to this outage, the staff had approved a 1-volt and 3-volt alternate repair criteria for ODSCC indications. However, as a result of the unexpectedly large growth rates and large number of ODSCC indications, the licensee preventively plugged tubes with ODSCC indications greater than 1.5 volts and a large number of tubes in the region where high voltage indications were concentrated. The staff has discussed with the licensee the following issues regarding the integrity of the STP-2 steam generator tubes: (1) the root cause of the high growth rates and the impact of the high growth rate trend on the ODSCC indications left in service for the upcoming cycle, (2) the scope of the in-situ pressure test sample size with respect to the EPRI guidelines, (3) the potential for accident-induced leakage to exceed the licensing basis of 15.4 gpm, (4) possible risk implications associated with increasing primary-to-secondary leakage. The staff requested the licensee to participate in a meeting during the week of April 16 to discuss the preceding concerns. Meeting With NEI To Discuss EQ Treatment Issues Under RIP50, Option 2 On March 22, 2001, NRC staff met with representatives of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) to discuss the industry's approach for addressing equipment qualification (EQ) treatment issues for Risk-Informed Safety Class structures, systems, and components (SSCs) within the Risk-Informing 10 CFR Part 50 (RISC-3), Option 2, regulatory framework. In summary, NEI described three distinct replacement processes proposed for use under Option 2 for RISC-3 electrical equipment or components. These include processes for identical replacement, equivalent replacement, and a replacement process that would require a plant change modification package to support it (i.e., same design function but the replacement SSC is different in configuration or in other design details). NEI stated that it planned to include additional information regarding its approach for addressing the treatment of RISC-3 SSCs with respect to EQ in a future revision of its Option 2 implementing guideline document. The staff will issue a meeting summary. The staff has scheduled public meetings with NEI and the Boiling Water Reactor Owners Group for April 5, April 17 and April 18, 2001, to discuss treatment issues related to seismic qualification of SSCs, and staff comments on the NEI guidance document and pilot plant activities, respectively. ACRS Review of License Renewal Activities On March 27 and 28, 2001, the staff briefed the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) Plant License Renewal Subcommittee on the improved license renewal guidance documents and the Plant Hatch license renewal application review. The improved guidance documents consist of: Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) report, Standard Review Plan for License Renewal, and Regulatory Guide for License Renewal (endorsing NEI document 95-10, Rev. 3). The staff plans on submitting these documents for Commission approval by the end of April as scheduled. The ACRS Subcommittee stated in the meeting that these documents contained valuable guidance and indicated that they could support final issuance. The staff will be briefing the ACRS Full Committee on April 5, 2001.
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Briefing for Clark County Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Advisory Committee On March 21, 2001, Division of Waste Management staff, including an NRC on-site representative, attended a bi-monthly meeting of the Clark County Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste. NRC staff was invited to attend and to present a status report on its high-level waste regulatory program, and to respond to questions from the Committee and public observers. The staff described NRC's role and responded to a variety of questions. Staff also provided relevant handout materials to meeting attendees. The Committee, composed of municipal officials and members of the public, provides input to the county on Yucca Mountain related matters. Clark County officials expressed appreciation, and encouraged staff attendance at future Committee meetings. NRC staff plans to attend the meetings on a frequent basis. Revised Strategy for Completing the West Valley Demonstration Project Environmental Impact Statement The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE
Meeting on the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant Cascade Shutdown On March 21, 2001, DOE staff met with the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, and the Office of the General Counsel, concerning schedules, activities, and issues which need resolution to support the planned shutdown of the enrichment cascade at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. DOE described its plan to maintain three million separative work units per year of enrichment capacity in cold standby status, which DOE defines as a condition allowing return to productive operation in 18 to 24 months. Issues discussed included cascade shutdown schedules, transition issues related to returning the facilities leased by the U.S. Enrichment Corporation back to DOE, and regulatory actions needed to accommodate the planned maintenance of cascade equipment in cold standby status. DOE described an approach to provide heat this winter to the cascade buildings and other building facilities normally heated by cascade operation, and tentative plans to install electric heaters in the cascade buildings and increase the production of the current steam supply system by installing additional gas-fired boilers. These boilers would be fueled by an additional gas line, possibly running within a few hundred feet of the building housing the autoclaves. DOE expressed a desire to get the NRC's feedback on this, and other regulatory issues, including requirements for fire protection, criticality accident alarm monitoring, and UF6 detection monitoring, and committed to provide an itemized and prioritized list of items for feedback in the near future. Interagency Workshop on Terrorist Use of Radiological Dispersal Devices On March 28, 2001, staff from the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards attended a CIA-sponsored interagency workshop, in Ballston, Virginia, on the terrorist use of Radiological Dispersal Devices against U.S. facilities. Other attendees were members of the Department of Energy, the National Laboratories, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. State Department. The session provided useful insight on a variety of terrorist uses of radiological materials and facility security issues applicable both overseas and in the U.S. A follow-up meeting is tentatively scheduled for May 2001. Briefing for Congressman Strickland Concerning the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant On March 22, 2001, staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards and the Office of the General Counsel, briefed Congressman Ted Strickland of Ohio and his staff concerning the NRC's actions related to the United States Enrichment Corporation's (USEC) planned cessation of enrichment activities at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS). The NRC staff briefed the Congressman on its previous and planned future actions concerning USEC's: (1) plan to return to the DOE by November 2001 about 40 of the 250 facilities it had leased from DOE; (2) certificate amendment request to operate six newly installed cold traps at PORTS to allow product UF6 cylinder transfer and sampling operations for another 4-5 years; and (3) plan to generate nearly 5 percent enrichments at PORTS. Also present at the briefing were staff members from the NRC's Office of Congressional Affairs and the Office of the Executive Director for Operations. Briefing on 10 CFR Part 71 Proposed Rule On March 22, 2001, staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards briefed members of the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste on the Part 71 Rule which was transmitted to the Commission on March 2, 2001. As directed by several Staff Requirements Memoranda, the rule proposes revising Part 71 to make it compatible with TS-R-1, the latest International Atomic Energy Agency international transportation standards. The rule also proposes other Nuclear Regulatory Commission-initiated amendments, including a decision on Petition for Rulemaking-71-12, a petition on the double-containment requirements for plutonium shipments. The NRC staff held three enhanced public participation meetings in August and September 2000, and obtained public input for the proposed rule. Meeting of the National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences held a meeting on March 26 - 28, 2001,
to gather information from representatives of a number of different stakeholders
on their views and ideas regarding various alternatives for control of
solid materials. Stakeholder groups invited to make presentations included
licensees and licensee associations, metals and cement industry organizations,
a licensed waste disposal company, a waste "broker", State and State associations,
and citizen groups and organizations. Staff from the Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research,
and the Office of State and Tribal Programs attended the meeting as observers.
A meeting agenda, including a listing of the invited speakers and their
organizations, is available at the Academy's website at http://www4.nas.edu/webcr.nsf/ProjectScopeDisplay/BEES-J-00-02-A?OpenDocument
Public Meeting on Diablo Canyon Dry Cask Storage On March 20, 2001, NRC staff conducted a meeting in San Luis Obispo, California, to provide information to the general public on the licensing and inspection processes used to license an independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) for use at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. In addition, representatives from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and the County of San Luis Obispo presented overviews of their roles in implementation of the ISFSI. After the presentations, NRC, the County and PG&E responded to the public's questions. Denial of Petition Signed by the Executive Director for Operations On March 28, 2001, the Executive Director for Operations (EDO) approved the denial of a petition that requested amendments to financial requirements for materials licensees. This notice informs the Commission that, in accordance with the rulemaking authority delegated to the EDO, the EDO has signed this denial of a petition for publication in the Federal Register. The denial of the petition can be found in ADAMS at ML010730417.
Incident Response Operations Preliminary Notifications
Office of Administration Enhancement to Contract Document Generation System On March 28, 2001, the Division of Contracts and Property Management (DCPM) completed implementation of an upgrade to ProDoc, its contract document generation software application. ProDoc 5.0 was installed on the NRC network on March 26, 2001, and training for all DCPM contract specialists was held on March 28, 2001, in the Professional Development Center computer lab. ProDoc 5.0 contains enhancements and new features which make the application more flexible and user friendly. One of the new software features is a Web-based encapsulated bidding option which will allow vendors to submit quotes on NRC requirements posted on the Internet via an on-line form. Other changes to the software have increased navigability and the speed with which the application performs. Industry Codes and Standards; Amended Requirements (Part 50) A document correcting a final rule that permitted the use of improved methods for construction, inservice inspection, and inservice testing of nuclear power plant components was published in the Federal Register of March 26, 2001 (66 FR 16391). This correction specifies the use of a flaw length sizing criterion for reactor vessel qualification. The action became effective March 26, 2001. Revision of Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for FY 2001 (Parts 150, 170, and 171) A proposed rule that would amend the licensing, inspection, and annual fees charged to the Commission's applicants and licensees was published in the Federal Register on March 28, 2001 (66 FR 16982). The proposed rule is intended to ensure NRC compliance with the Omnibus Budget and Reconciliation Act of 1990 The Act mandates that the NRC recover approximately 98 percent of its budget authority in Fiscal Year 2001, less amounts appropriated from the Nuclear Waste Fund and the General Fund. The amount to be recovered for FY 2001 is approximately $453.3 million. The comment period on this action closes April 27, 2001.
Chief Information Officer Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Requests received during the Period of March 23, 2001 through March 29, 2001:
Office of Human Resources
Office of Public Affairs Media Interest A local NBC-TV news crew taped a segment on the anniversary of the Three Mile Island accident on Wednesday, including an interview with David Lochbaum of the Union of Concerned Scientists. The segment is expected to air shortly. The N.Y. Times is working on a story about steam generator replacements at the Salem nuclear generating station. Career Day The Office of Public Affairs arranged and coordinated a "Career Day" for two students at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School who have a strong interest in engineering. The day's events at NRC Headquarters included a presentation at the Operations Center and meetings with engineers from the offices of Nuclear Regulatory Research and Nuclear Reactor Regulation. OPA worked with The Greater Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce to arrange the event.
Office of the Secretary
Commission Correspondence
Federal Register Notices Issued
Region I Susquehanna Steam Electric Station On March 26, 2001, Commissioner Merrifield and the Region I Administrator toured the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station. The Commissioner conducted an all-staff meeting on-site and also and held discussions with key licensee senior management. Millstone 2 and 3, Indian Point 2 and 3 On March 28, 2001, Dominion Energy Services announced that William R. Matthews, Vice President-Nuclear Operations for Dominion Energy Services, will become the Senior Vice President - Millstone following the sale of the station by Northeast Utilities to Dominion Nuclear Connecticut. Mr. Matthews succeeds Lee J. Olivier, Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer-Millstone for Northeast Utilities. Mr. Olivier will join Entergy Nuclear Northeast, as the Senior Vice President - Entergy Nuclear Northeast, in its corporate office, based in White Plains, N.Y. Maine Yankee A Citizen's Advisory Panel meeting was held at Maine Yankee on March 29, 2001. Major topics for the meeting included a decommissioning overview, Greater Than Class C (GTCC) waste & fuel transfer to the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) sampling, and a regulatory update. NRC, EPA, and the State of Maine provided summaries of ongoing and planned regulatory activities. Randy Ragland, NRC Region I Health Physicist, Decommissioning & Laboratory Branch, provided an overview of onsite inspection activities and Michael Webb, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Project Manager, provided an overview of NRC licensing activities. Significant activities planned for the second calender quarter of 2001 include completion of reactor vessel internals segmentation, the start of fuel transfer to the ISFSI, and a public meeting to discuss Maine Yankee's proposal for early release of 200 acres of unaffected land from their license.
Region II Carolina Power and Light Company - H. B. Robinson Outage Meeting On March 26, 2001, representatives from Carolina Power and Light Company attended a Refueling Outage Activities meeting in the Main Conference Room. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the upcoming H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant refueling outage activities, including the 10-year Inservice Inspection. Reactor Oversight Program's External Lessons Learned Workshop On March 26-28, 2001, the Director, Division of Reactor Safety and Director, Division of Reactor Projects were in Gaithersburg, MD, to participate in the Reactor Oversight Program's External Lessons Learned Workshop. Risk Communication Training Course On March 27-28, 2001, Risk Communication Training was conducted for Managers and Supervisors. It was presented by Dr. Corvello, from the Center for Risk Communication. NRC Incident Response Procedure Rewrite Working Group On March 26-28, 2001, the Emergency Response Coordinator was in Headquarters to participate in the NRC Incident Response Procedure Rewrite Working Group. The group is revising all response procedures for reactors, fuel facilities, and the FBI interface.
Region IV Regulatory Conference to Discuss a Potential Yellow Finding at the Cooper Nuclear Station On March 29, 2001, members of the Nebraska Public Power District (Cooper Nuclear Station) management met with members of the NRC staff in the Region IV offices for a regulatory conference. The meeting, which was open to public observation, addressed the risk significance of a potentially yellow finding and associated apparent violations involving environmental qualification design, implementation, and documentation deficiencies. Universities Visited by Regional Administrator On March 30-31, 2001, the Region IV Regional Administrator, accompanied by the Personnel Officer, visited the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University to discuss plans for a summer hire/co-op program.
Office of Congressional Affairs
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)
and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
announced their intent to revise the strategy for completing the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Completion of the West Valley
Demonstration Project (WVDP) and Closure or Long-Term Management of Facilities
at the Western New York Nuclear Service Center (WNYNSC) in the March 26,
2001, Federal Register (66 FR 16447). Under the revised strategy, the
1996 Draft EIS will be reissued in two parts-resulting in two EISs. The
first EIS will focus on actions to decontaminate the WVDP facilities and
manage the WVDP wastes controlled by DOE under the WVDP Act. The second
EIS will address decommissioning and/or long-term stewardship of the WVDP
and the WNYNSC. In the future, DOE intends to issue a Notice of Intent
for the second EIS, with NYSERDA as a joint lead agency. DOE will hold
a public scoping meeting on the first EIS, the WVDP Decontamination and
Waste Management EIS, in West Valley, New York, on April 10, 2001. At
this meeting, DOE will also address questions on the revised strategy
for completing the 1996 Draft EIS. Written comments on the scope of the
first EIS and the revised strategy are to be sent to DOE by April 25,
2001.