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INFORMATION REPORT SECY-08-0141 September 29, 2008
Contact: Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) Public Meeting with Non-Power Reactor Licensees On September 15, 2008, the NRC staff conducted a Category 2 public meeting with non-power reactor licensees. The purpose of the meeting was to solicit stakeholder input on the renewal process for non-power reactors and ways to improve the process. The NRC staff presented several options under consideration that could potentially improve the process, and still ensure that the safety and security of the facilities is maintained. The licensees commented on the staff options, provided insight into their experiences during the renewal process, and offered thoughts on how the process could be improved. Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) Yearly Fire Protection Information Forum (FPIF) From September 15 to 17, 2008, Commissioner Jaczko and the NRC staff participated in the NEI yearly FPIF held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The staff presentations addressed the transition to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 805, including the proposed Standard Review Plan for NFPA 805 license amendment requests, the Frequently Asked Questions process to update NEI 04-02, “Guidance for Implementing a Risk-Informed, Performance-based Fire protection Program under 10 CFR 50.48(c),” and potential modifications to Regulatory Guide (RG)1.205, “A Risk-Informed, Performance-Based Fire Protection for Existing Light-Water Nuclear Power Plants. Other topics included multiple spurious operations, operator manual actions, new reactor fire protection design and Office of Regulatory Research (RES) fire protection activities. The FPIF is attended by more than 200 members of industry and other stakeholders. Participation in the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations Significant Event Evaluation and Information Network (SEE-IN) /Nuclear Network Meeting On September 16 and 17, 2008, a
staff member from the Division of Inspection and Regional Support visited the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations in Atlanta,
Annual NRR/Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) Meeting On September 18, 2008, members of the INPO Events Analysis staff visited NRC Headquarters. This is an annual visit conducted per the NRC/INPO Memorandum of Agreement. Topics of discussion included program overviews, recent operating experience focus areas, investigation of new opportunities to share information, and a demonstration of the new Emergency Response Data System. Meeting with Representatives from
On September 18, 2008, NRR and Office of International Programs staff met with two representatives from the National Nuclear Regulator of South Africa (NNR) and the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station to discuss administration of operating tests per NUREG-1021, “Operator Licensing Examination Standards.” The South African representatives will subsequently travel to the San Onofre Nuclear Station during the week of September 22 to observe the administration of the NRC Operator License examinations. The basis for the meeting is the bilateral agreement between the NRC and NNR of South Africa which provides for the exchange of technical information related to nuclear safety. Supplemental Safety Evaluation Report (SSER) for Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station (OCGS) On September 19, 2008, the staff issued a SSER for the OCGS. The SSER clarifies commitments agreed to by AmerGen Energy Co. as a result of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board evidentiary hearing on the OCGS license renewal. The SSER also documents the results of the staff’s review of AmerGen’s confirmatory analysis of the effects of metal fatigue on reactor recirculation nozzles. The staff concluded that the results of AmerGen’s confirmatory analysis as well as their original metal fatigue analysis were acceptable. Office of New Reactors (NRO) Meeting with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to Discuss Bellefonte Hydrology Review On September 12, 2008, the staff met with the TVA to discuss the status of the Bellefonte hydrology review. The main focus of the meeting was to discuss TVA’s probable maximum flood (PMF) and dam breach analysis, which is currently on the critical path for the Bellefonte combined license safety review. TVA is in the process of re-analyzing the PMF and dam breach events due to deficiencies identified in the original analysis during an NRC inspection. The staff indicated that the completion schedule for Significant Event Report (SER) Section 2.4 would be 8 to 12 months behind the current SER completion schedule based on TVA’s delivery schedule and TVA’s recovery plan. The staff will reevaluate the SER Section 2.4 schedule in December 2008. Submittal of a Combined Construction Permit and Operating License (COL) Application for FERMI 3 On September 18, 2008, Detroit Edison Company submitted a combined construction permit and COL application for an Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) in Monroe County, Michigan. The COL application designates the new unit as Fermi 3. This COL application incorporates by reference the ESBWR Design Control Document Revision 4 that was submitted to the NRC on December 1, 2005, and is currently under review by the staff. The acceptance review is scheduled to begin on September 19 and be completed by November 18, 2008. A COL application review meeting will be held for the Fermi 3 application on October 7, 2008, in the Commissioner's Hearing Room. Submittal of a COL Application for Comanche Peak On September 19, 2008, Luminant Generation Company submitted a COL application for a U.S. Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor (US-APWR) reactor, designated as Comanche Peak, Units 3 and 4, at Luminant’s Comanche Peak site near Glen Rose in Somervell County, Texas. This is the first COL application referencing the US-APWR design certification that is currently under review by the staff. The acceptance review is scheduled to begin on September 22 and be completed by November 21, 2008. Office
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) 2008 International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference From September 7 to 11, 2008, NRC staff and staff from the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses attended and participated at the 2008 International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Staff from the Center served as general chair for the entire conference and presented a paper on the use of robust sensitivity indices to analyze the structure of stochastic performance assessment models. Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs (FSME) User Acceptance Testing Is Completed for the National Source Tracking System On September 17, 2008, FSME completed User Acceptance Testing of the National Source Tracking System, Version 1.0. The System Test and Evaluation was started in parallel, and can now be fully executed to inform the scheduled December 5, 2008, Designated Authorizing Authority panel’s Authority to Operate decision. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) RES Withdraws Regulatory Guide (RG) 8.1, “Radiation Symbol” On September 16, 2008, the staff published a Federal Register Notice announcing the withdrawal of RG 8.1 titled, “Radiation Symbol.” The RG references 10 CFR 20.203 and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard N2.1-1969, “Radiation Symbol,” both of which have been withdrawn. The current description of the trefoil radiation symbol is found in 10 CFR 20.1901, “Caution Signs,” which provides a specific description of the approved design; hence, no additional guidance is needed. Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR) Nuclear Security Summit During the week of September 8, 2008, NRC management and staff attended the Nuclear Security Summit at the Department of Energy Y-12 site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The meeting was attended by 250 representatives from the Departments of Energy and Defense and the NRC. The summit focused on nuclear security technologies, and tactics. The topics addressed at the summit included remotely operated weapons systems, denial technologies, modeling and simulation, airborne attacks, and agency threat documents. PNO III-08-009 –Monticello Nuclear Generating Station, Unplanned Shutdown Greater Than 72 Hours On September 11, 2008, while the 1R transformer was out-of-service for maintenance, the 2R transformer experienced a lockout resulting in a loss of normal offsite power to the non-safety buses, a reactor scram, and a Group 1, 2 and 3 isolation. Offsite power to the safety-related buses was still available through the 1AR transformer. Upon the loss of the 2R transformer, both emergency diesel generators started and were running unloaded as designed and as expected. Office of Administration (ADM) Industry Codes and Standards; Amended Requirements (RIN3150-AH76, 10 CFR Part 50) On September 10, 2008, NRC published a final rule (73 FR 52729) in the Federal Register amending its regulations to incorporate by reference the 2004 Edition of Section III, Division 1, and Section XI, Division 1, of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, and the 2004 Edition of the ASME Code for Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants. The amendments provide updated rules for constructing and inspecting components, and testing pumps, valves, and dynamic restraints (snubbers) in light‑water nuclear power plants. The final rule also incorporates by reference two ASME Code Cases, with conditions, and removes certain obsolete requirements from NRC's regulations. This action is effective October 10, 2008. Retirement Counseling Services On September 12, 2008, as the result of a competitive acquisition under the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedules, delivery order NRC-DR-38-08-712 was awarded to Planning, Inc. of Alexandria, Virginia, to provide retirement counseling services to NRC employees. The period of performance is one year with four 1-year option periods. The total fixed price contract award amount over the five years is $555,572.14. Office of Information Services (OIS) High-Risk Information Meeting Presented by the Association of Records Managers and Administrators On September 10, 2008, staff from the Information and Records Services Division attended a meeting of the local Gaithersburg Chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators. The purpose of the meeting was to hear a presentation on identifying and managing high-risk information. Described in the meeting was effective information mapping measures used to identify systems and collect information about these systems, also discussed was a risk-based scoring framework to determine where high-risk data resides and to prioritize information systems across a company’s enterprise. The speaker demonstrated how to combine a comprehensive information mapping process with the risk-based scoring framework to determine the order at-risk systems should be remediated and modernized. Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Council Meeting on Implementing Framework On September 18, 2008, staff from the Information and Records Services Division participated in a meeting of the CUI Council hosted by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NARA is the Executive Agent (EA) for implementing the CUI framework. Topics of the meeting included: completion of the existing CUI markings and submission by September 26, 2008; completion of a training survey and submission to the EA by October 16, 2008; implementation of standardized Federal-wide CUI training by July 2009; and the development of criteria for safeguarding, dissemination, dispute resolution, marking, designation, life cycle, regulatory change, and registry of special markings by June 2009. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) Requests Received During the Period of September 12, 2008 through September 18, 2008:
Office of Public Affairs (OPA) OPA Received Significant Media Inquiries on the Following: Cooling tower leakage at Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant (Vermont); request for special inspection Oral arguments session of license renewal application at Oyster Creek nuclear power plant (New Jersey) Delay in Generic Environmental Impact Statement on uranium recovery applications Move of fifth and final canister of spent fuel from Indian Point 1 nuclear power plant (New York) to the dry cask pad on site NRC regulations on foreign ownership
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Status of nuclear plants affected by Hurricane Ike Other Public Affairs Items: OPA facilitated an interview with Federal Computer Week regarding human relations and performance management practices that could be useful to the next administration. OPA identified a knowledgeable professor at the Purdue University for follow up questions from CNBC on aircraft impacts on nuclear power plants.
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