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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-01-0062 April 11, 2001
Contact: P. Hiland, OEDO
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Arkansas Nuclear One, Unit 1 (ANO-1) During the current refueling outage, the licensee discovered an increase in the amount of boric acid crystals in the area of one control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) nozzle over the amount that had been present during the previous inspection. Using ultrasonic test (UT) methods, one axial crack was identified in the wall of CRDM nozzle #56. The UT data indicates that the crack is on the downhill side of the nozzle, it extends about 0.8 inches below the weld and about 1.0 inches above the weld, and it is about 0.2 inches deep. The licensee stated this crack is consistent with industry experience associated with primary water stress corrosion cracking and does not pose a significant safety risk during plant operation. The licensee has ground out the crack and completed associated repairs. In addition, during a conference call with the NRC on March 30, 2001, the licensee indicated that they were aware of the recently discovered missed circumferential cracks at Oconee-3 and said that there were no signs of circumferential cracking associated with the pressure-boundary portion of CRDM #56. The licensee also indicated that they were not planning any additional UT examinations on other CRDM nozzles at ANO-1. Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Unit Nos. 1, 2 and 3 On March 31, 2001, the sale and transfer of Millstone, Units 1, 2, and 3 from Northeast Nuclear Energy Company (NNECO) and other selling owners to Dominion Nuclear Connecticut (DNC) was completed. DNC is now the sole owner of, and is authorized to maintain, Millstone, Unit 1; the sole owner and operator of Millstone, Unit 2; and holds a 93% ownership interest in Millstone, Unit 3, and is the sole operator of Millstone, Unit 3. Central Vermont Public Services Corporation, which holds a 2% ownership interest in Millstone, Unit 3, and Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company, which holds a 5% ownership interest in Millstone, Unit 3, are the only licensee owners of Millstone, Unit 3, that did not participate in the subject license transfers. Dominion Nuclear Connecticut is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Dominion Energy, which is in turn owned by Dominion Resources, Inc. (DRI). DRI is also the owner of Virginia Power, which is the licensed owner and operator of the North Anna and Surry nuclear power stations. Oconee Nuclear Station, Unit 3 Investigation and repairs continue on nine control rod drive mechanism (CRDM) nozzles (CRDM nozzle Nos. 3, 7, 11, 23, 28, 34, 50, 56, and 63) that were found to have cracks that were a source of boron residue on the upper reactor vessel head of the Oconee Unit 3 nuclear plant following its shutdown on February 19, 2001. Ultrasonic testing in both the axial and circumferential directions, dye penetrant testing of the partial penetration welds and the nozzles, and eddy-current tests have been completed. Most of the cracks were found to be axially oriented; however, to date, significant circumferential cracks were found above the partial penetration welds in at least two of the CRDM nozzles. These CRDM nozzles are currently undergoing intensive investigation and evaluation by the licensee, NRR, Region II, and the industry, as represented by the Materials Reliability Project (MRP) Alloy 600 Issue Task Group. Due to the seriousness of this finding and its potential safety significance, a public meeting with the MRP and the NRC has been scheduled for April 12, 2001, at 9:00 a.m. to discuss the circumferential cracking issue and its implications on the industry's generic CRDM nozzle structural integrity assessments. Public Meeting with NEI Members of the EP & HP Section, IOLB, participated in a public meeting with representatives of the nuclear industry and the Nuclear Energy Institute on March 20, 2001, to discuss issues in the Public and Occupation Radiation Safety cornerstones of the Reactor Oversight Program (ROP). There was discussion on the following items: changes to the Transportation/Part 61 significance determination process (SDP), inspection guidance on radioactive material control, and the Occupational Inspection program and specifically the ALARA SDP. In addition, the industry representatives provided feedback on the ROP to the staff. These public meetings are held periodically to enable the staff and stakeholders to share information which is used to make adjustments in the ROP as appropriate. Reactor Oversight Process On March 26-28, 2001, the Inspection Program Branch (IIPB) conducted a lessons learned public workshop on the first year of implementing the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP). The purpose of the workshop was to bring together both external and internal stakeholders to discuss, review, and develop recommendations associated with key issues raised during the first year of ROP implementation. The workshop included participation by over 275 individuals representing NRC managers and staff, public interest groups, industry representatives, and State officials. The workshop consisted of sessions addressing issues associated with reactor safety performance indicators, fire protection, radiation safety, cross-cutting areas, problem identification and resolution inspections, physical protection, maintenance effectiveness, assessment and enforcement, and public communications. These issues were discussed in detail with workshop participants during breakout sessions including discussion of NRC proposed resolutions. The staff will consider the feedback it received during this workshop in resolving the identified issues. The ROP Initial Implementation Panel (IIEP) held its fifth meeting, which was open to the public, on April 2-3, 2001, in OWFN's Commission Briefing room. During this meeting, the IIPB staff discussed its ROP feedback activities, overall results, initial implementation issues, external lessons learned workshop outcomes, and future milestone and activities. The staff also addressed questions and concerns raised by the IIEP members. Exelon ITS Approved On March 30, 2001, the staff issued amendments which replace the Quad Cities Units 1 & 2, Dresden Units 2 & 3, and LaSalle Units 1 & 2 technical specifications in their entirety with new technical specifications based on the improved Standard Technical Specifications (iSTS). Applications to convert these six units were submitted jointly and reviewed on an accelerated one year schedule at the request of the licensee. To accomplish the task the staff set an aggressive schedule allowing a 9 month review period involving assessment, request for additional information, resolution of issues and resubmittal of documentation. These substantial amendment requests included staff review of more than 27 volumes of documentation related to the iSTS. The licensee also requested TS upgrade changes identified as beyond the scope of review necessary for adopting iSTS. These changes included TS for conversion to 24-month surveillance intervals in addition to other TS changes to delay testing, to change test frequencies and to alter test acceptance criteria. With these latest amendments, there are now 60 units approved to operate with the iSTS. This number includes Watts Bar which was originally licensed with the iSTS and Browns Ferry 1, but not the Zion units which were approved, but never implemented the iSTS. NRC Regulatory Issue Summary 2001-08: Operating Reactor Licensing Action Estimates, dated April 2, 2001 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is issuing this regulatory issue summary (RIS) to ask licensees to provide estimates of the number of licensing actions they will submit for NRC review in Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 and FY 2002. NRC's fiscal year begins October 1 and ends September 30. NRC Regulatory Issue Summary 2001-09: Control of Hazard Barriers, dated April 2, 2001 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is issuing this regulatory issue summary (RIS) to inform addressees that recent changes to the maintenance rule (Section 50.65, "Requirements for monitoring the effectiveness of maintenance at nuclear power plants," of Part 50 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 50.65)) have a bearing on plant hazard barriers. NRC Information Notice 2001-02: Summary of Fitness for Duty Program Performance Reports for Calendar Years 1998 and 1999, dated March 28, 2001 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is issuing this information notice to provide lessons learned and summarize the data submitted by licensees to the NRC in their fitness-for-duty program performance reports for calendar years 1998 and 1999.
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility Construction Authorization Request The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff accepted the Mixed Oxide fuel fabrication facility Construction Authorization Request (CAR) for a detailed technical review by letter dated March 28, 2001, to Duke Cogema Stone & Webster (DCS). DCS submitted the CAR to NRC by letter dated February 28, 2001. In the acceptance letter, the staff concluded that the CAR contains sufficient information for it to begin its technical review, but noted that there are some areas where more information will be necessary. The staff requested a meeting with DCS to discuss the needed information. Draft Chapter 3 of Standard Review Plan for Fuel Cycle Facilities On March 30, 2001, the Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards issued a revised draft version of Chapter 3, "Integrated Safety Analysis (ISA)," and its Appendix A, "Example Procedure for Risk Evaluation," of the Standard Review Plan for fuel cycle facilities licensed under 10 CFR Part 70. Subpart H of 10 CFR Part 70 requires licensees to conduct an ISA for their facilities and submit to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission a complete summary of the ISA by October 18, 2004. The latest draft version of Chapter 3, which provides guidance for reviewing ISA summaries, incorporates appropriate clarifications and changes resulting from discussions during a public meeting held on February 8, 2001. This is the only SRP chapter that remains to be finalized. Another public meeting is being arranged in early May 2001 to obtain and discuss any additional comments from industry on the draft of Chapter 3 to achieve closure. The issues which remain to be resolved include: (1) the determination and presentation of likelihood of accidents; (2) the level of detail needed in the ISA summary concerning bases and justifications for accident likelihood and consequence determinations; and (3) the level of detail needed in the ISA summary concerning items relied on for safety. Issuance of Draft 10 CFR Part 72 Site-Specific License Renewal Guidance On March 29, 2001, the Spent Fuel Project Office (SFPO) issued draft guidance for 10 CFR Part 72 site-specific license renewals by letter to Virginia Power. SFPO staff had been working with Virginia Power, the industry lead for the license renewal effort, to develop license renewal guidance based on their anticipated Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation license renewal application for the Surry reactor site planned for spring 2002. American National Standards Institute N14 Committee Annual Meeting On April 3, 2001, Spent Fuel Project Office staff participated in the annual meeting of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Committee N14 - Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive and Non-Nuclear Hazardous Materials held at the U.S. Department of Transportation Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The ANSI N14 Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of approximately 16 standards that address various transportation issues, including packaging for uranium hexafluoride, leak testing of transportation packages, and package tiedowns. American National Standards Institute Health Physics Society N43 Committee Annual Meeting On April 3, 2001, a Division of Industrial and Medical Nuclear Safety staff member attended the American National Standards Institute Health Physics Society (ANSI/HPS) N43 committee annual meeting as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) representative. The subcommittee reports identified the following two recently revised standards to be published soon: ANSI/HPS N43.8, "Classification of Industrial Ionizing Radiation Gauging Devices;" ANSI/HPS N43.10, "Safe Design and Use of Panoramic, Wet Source Storage Gamma Irradiators (Category IV);" and ANSI/HPS N43.12, "Safe Design and Use of Panoramic, Dry Source Storage Gamma Irradiators (Category II)." Subcommittees needing NRC participation will be starting work in the near future to revise the following two standards: ANSI/HPS N43.7, "Safe Design and Use of Self-Contained, Dry Source Storage Gamma Irradiators (Category I);" and ANSI/HPS N43.9, "Radiological Safety for the Design and Construction of Apparatus for Gamma Radiography." High-Level Waste Public Outreach Activities in Nevada On March 28-29, 2001, Division of Waste Management (DWM) staff, including the on-site representatives (OSR's) and two Spent Fuel Project Office (SFPO) staff, participated in two public outreach activities. An open house was conducted in the evening of March 28, 2001, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The purpose was to allow members of the community to meet the OSR's in an informal setting and discuss issues related to pre-licensing activities for the proposed high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain. The open house provided an effective forum for the constructive exchange of information with the more than fifty members of the public, citizen groups, and media representatives who attended. On March 29, 2001, members of the DWM and SFPO staff attended a public meeting in Caliente, Nevada. Prior to the meeting in Caliente, staff met with city and county officials who said they would urge the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to consider how transportation emergency response actions might be addressed in any NRC authorization to the Department of Energy. During the meeting, the NRC staff described the NRC's role in pre-licensing activities related to the proposed high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain, described the NRC licensing process, and addressed the provisions for public involvement in the licensing process. The staff also discussed spent fuel transportation issues including the functions of the NRC and the Department of Transportation, safety consideration for spent fuel transport, and NRC cask performance standards. National Research Council Meeting on Long-Term Institutional Management of Hazardous Sites On April 3, 2001, NRC staff participated in a meeting of the National Research Council's Board on Radioactive Waste Management in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the meeting was to explore the issue of how to provide effective long-term institutional management for radioactively and chemically contaminated lands that cannot be cleaned up for unrestricted release. Staff from the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards gave presentations on the institutional control requirements and practices for decommissioned sites, low-level waste disposal facilities, and uranium mill tailings impoundments. The staff also made presentations on the entombment and assured isolation options for managing radioactive waste. A wide variety of programs and topics were covered in the meeting, with presentations by the Department of Energy (DOE) on its long-term stewardship program, the Environmental Protection Agency on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and the Superfund, the National Park Service, and the Department of Defense. In general, NRC programs rely less on institutional controls than other programs, the number of facilities is smaller than DOE or Superfund, and caps on radiation exposures are required to be met for many facilities when institutional controls are postulated to fail. The meeting discussions and presentations will provide information for the Board's Phase 2 study of long-term institutional management of DOE legacy waste sites. This study is a follow up to the Phase 1 report entitled "Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites" published in late 2000.
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Briefing of ACRS Subcommittee on Status of Fuel-Related Research Programs RES staff met with the ACRS Reactor Fuels Subcommittee on April 4 to provide an update on activities in NRC's fuel-related research programs. Much of the discussion was on the recently completed Phenomenon Identification and Ranking Tables (PIRTs), which have been documented in NUREG/CR reports and are now on the PIRT web site in draft form. These PIRTs address three postulated accidents for which fuel damage limits are used to ensure that a coolable core geometry is maintained: (1) PWR rod ejection accidents, (2) BWR power oscillations without scram, and (3) loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs) for both PWRs and BWRs. Staff interpretations of the PIRTs and suggested methods of resolving technical issues were also presented and have been documented in another draft report. This confirmatory research examines fuel damage limits that are used for fuel burnups up to 62 GWd/t for all approved cladding types. The criteria are related to the three postulated accidents, and 62 GWd/t is the burnup limit for currently approved operation. The staff also provided a summary of a recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) topical meeting on LOCA fuel safety criteria that addressed cladding alloys with niobium as an alloying element. Representatives from Framatome and Westinghouse, which use niobium-bearing alloys in their fuel rods, provided their OECD meeting presentations for the ACRS subcommittee. Brief presentations were also made to the ACRS subcommittee on research activities on mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel and on recent operational issues and experience with high-burnup fuel (presented by NRR). No letter was requested from ACRS. Regulatory Guide on Implementation of 10 CFR 72.48 Issued Regulatory Guide 3.72, "Guidance for Implementation of 10 CFR 72.48, Changes, Tests, and Experiments," to provide guidance to licensees and holders of Certificates of Compliance on their evaluation of changes proposed to facilities or cask designs licensed under 10 CFR Part 72, "Licensing Requirements for the Independent Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste."
Incident Response Operations Preliminary Notifications
Office of Administration Procurement Executive Council Electronic Commerce Committee Meeting On April 4, 2001, a Division of Contracts and Property Management (DCPM) staff member attended a meeting of the Procurement Executive Council's Electronic Commerce Committee. This interagency committee includes representatives from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, the Department of Defense, and various civilian agencies. The committee discussed the status of interagency electronic government projects including the development of government-wide interface requirements between acquisition and financial systems and the status on federal-wide Federal Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology and flexibility. PKI technology will help agencies eliminate their paper-based transactions and replace them with electronic transactions by FY 2003 as required under the Government Paperwork Elimination Act. PKI technology (also referred to as "digital signature" technology) is used to authenticate identifications, preserve confidentiality (privacy), and maintain message integrity. Acquisition Certification and Training Program On April 4, 2001, DCPM conducted the Acquisition Certification and Training Program module entitled "Developing Proposal Evaluation Criteria." This module focuses on the importance of developing appropriate technical evaluation factors (e.g., technical approach, past performance, experience, key personnel) for a procurement action and the relationship between technical and cost evaluations. On April 5, 2001, DCPM conducted the Acquisition Certification and Training Program module entitled "Closing Out the Contract." This workshop addresses procedures for deobligating excess funds and closing out cost reimbursement and firm fixed price, indefinite quantity, time and materials and labor-hour contracts as well as interagency agreements, grants, cooperative agreements, and agreements with DOE laboratories.
Chief Information Officer Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Requests received during the Period of March 30, 2001 through April 5, 2001:
Office of Human Resources
* Effective 3/23/01
Office of Public Affairs Media Interest A story in the North County Times in California focused on a day in the life of James Sloan, Jr., an NRC senior resident inspector at the San Onofre nuclear power plant. Region II reported inquiries on the "tooth fairy project," which points to nuclear power as a source of strontium measured in babies' teeth.
Office of the Secretary
Commission Correspondence
Federal Register Notices Issued
Region I Millstone License Transfer At noon on March 31, 2001, the sale of the Millstone nuclear power station and the transfer of its operating licenses were completed between Northeast Utilities and Dominion Energy. This followed successful return to power operations of Millstone Unit 3, completing the CY 2001 refueling outage. As part of the change to Dominion Energy, William Matthews became the lead executive at the station, replacing Leon Olivier, the former senior vice president and chief nuclear officer-Millstone for Northeast Utilities. Mr. Olivier has joined Entergy Northeast in its White Plains, N.Y., office. Salem and Hope Creek On April 3, 2001, Commissioner Greta Dicus toured the Region I office and met with small groups of staff throughout the Region. On April 4, 2001, Commissioner Dicus and Regional Administrator Hubert Miller toured the Ion Beam Applications (IBA) facility, a commercial irradiator, in Salem, New Jersey. During the visit, IBA staff demonstrated a shut-down and start-up of the irradiator. Following that tour, Commissioner Dicus toured the Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plants in Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey. The Commissioner also met with the Salem and Hope Creek management teams and discussed a range of topics of interest to PSEG LLC. Whittaker Inspection On April 3, 2001, Region I personnel performed the annual inspection at the Whittaker Corporation (Greenville, PA) SDMP site. Two different study groups from RES were onsite to obtain samples of thorium/uranium slag for ongoing research concerning weathering. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was also present during the inspection. A licensee consultant (Scientech, Inc.) stated they expect to submit final decommissioning cost estimates to the NRC within several months, followed by a decommissioning plan. Once this plan is approved, site remediation would begin.
Region II Public Participation Issues Workshop On April 4, 2001, the Region II Regional Administrator attended the Public Participation Issues Workshop in Headquarters. National Radiological Emergency Preparedness Conference On April 2-5, 2001, the Regional State Liaison Officer attended the National Radiological Emergency Preparedness Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Society of Hispanic Engineers The Region II Regional Administrator attended the Georgia Institute of Technology Society of Hispanic Engineers Student Chapter End-of-Year Banquet. The End-of-Year Banquet is hosted by Georgia Institute of Technology Office of Educational Services.
Region III Region Representative Attends Emergency Preparedness Conference The Region III State and Government Affairs Officer attended the annual National Radiological Emergency Preparedness conference in Nashville, Tennessee, April 2-5, 2001. The conference drew participants from federal, state and local agencies, as well as utility representatives and emergency preparedness professionals. Topics included the use of potassium iodide (KI) and lessons learned from the Indian Point 2 incident.
Office of the Executive Director for Operations Startup of D.C. Cook, Units 1 and 2 Differing Professional Opinion (DPO) Dispositioned On April 2, 2001, the Executive Director for Operations (EDO) dispositioned a DPO regarding the startup of D.C. Cook, Units 1 and 2. The filer of the DPO identified two concerns: (1) agency policy with respect to guidance in GL91-18 "Information to Licensees Regarding NRC Inspection Manual Section on Resolution of Degraded and Nonconforming Conditions," and (2) acceptability of the Licensee's Analyses of CEQ Fan Room Walls. The Ad Hoc DPO Panel concluded that the staff's actions were reasonable and appropriate from both process and technical perspectives and that the licensee's commitments for its corrective actions is consistent with the guidance in GL91-18, Revision 1. The EDO agreed with the panel's conclusions and recommendations. The EDO determined that the issues that were raised in the DPO were adequately dispositioned and considers the DPO to be closed. The Ad Hoc DOP Panel also made several recommendations regarding level of detail and possible inconsistencies in agency documentation, that were identified during the panel's review. These recommendations will be evaluated to determine what changes, if any, are warranted.
Office of Congressional Affairs
Note: The Senate is in recess until April 23, and the House is in recess until April 24.
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