NRC PLANS ADDITIONAL INSPECTION AT CALLAWAY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT DUE TO PERFORMANCE DEFICIENCY

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has decided to increase its inspection activity at Union Electric's Callaway nuclear plant because of a finding related to an inoperable safety-related pump. The NRC determined that the situation at the Fulton, Missouri, facility had a low to moderate safety significance and was assigned a color of "white."

In February, one of Callaway's essential service water pumps was found to be inoperable for 132 hours while the plant was at full power. This condition occurred when a 20-foot-long piece of reinforced hose fell into the pump's suction bay, ultimately restricting the flow of cooling water through the system. The problem was corrected shortly after it was discovered; however, NRC safety requirements were violated since the condition had existed for nearly five days. Essential service water pumps send cooling water to numerous plant safety components, and the inoperable pump therefore could have affected the availability of key safety components in the event a plant emergency occurred. Union Electric did not contest the proposed NRC action and declined a regulatory conference on the issue.

Under the NRC's performance assessment process, the safety significance of each NRC inspection finding is characterized by a color -- green, white, yellow, or red. The agency response to the inspection findings is based on the significance of the items. A green finding receives normal NRC oversight, while white, yellow, or red assessments result in increasing NRC involvement, including additional inspections.

Last summer the NRC identified three "white" findings concerning Callaway's occupational radiation protection program. The extent of that problem (three white findings) resulted in a degraded cornerstone of safety under the NRC's inspection program and, as a result, increased NRC inspection. This most recent "white" finding, while not associated with the occupational radiation protection program, occurred within a year of the previous findings. As a result, the NRC will again increase inspection at Callaway. The additional inspection will focus on Callaway's ability to identify the causes of the essential service water pump inoperability and the adequacy of the corrective actions taken.

The NRC cited the Callaway plant for a violation related to the finding, and Union Electric has 30 days to respond to that notice of violation. Callaway's safety performance and applicable inspection reports can be viewed on the NRC's website at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CALL/call_chart.html .

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Friday, December 05, 2008