The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $150,000 civil penalty against Carolina Power & Light Company for alleged violations of NRC requirements at the Brunswick nuclear power plant at Southport, North Carolina.

NRC officials said the fine was being proposed after an NRC inspection revealed deficiencies in the company's implementation of the environmental qualification (EQ) program required by federal regulations and in corrective actions designed to correct problems identified in the program.

Federal regulations require commercial nuclear power plants to list electrical equipment important to safety, including performance specifications, electrical characteristics and environmental conditions. Each item must be qualified by testing of, or experience with, identical or similar equipment so that it can be expected to perform its intended function during adverse environmental conditions such as fire, water, radiation or a combination of all three.

Stewart D. Ebneter, Administrator of the NRC's Region II office in Atlanta, told the company in a letter dated November 19 that an NRC inspection at Brunswick earlier this year indicated deficiencies in the EQ program which included failures to incorporate appropriate equipment in the program, to maintain documentation of equipment qualification or to maintain accurate lists of EQ equipment. He said the company also failed to correct problems over a long period because items were closed without proper assurance that deficiencies were corrected. In addition, he said management failed to comprehend the full scope of problems and failed to provide necessary direction and focus for correcting the problems.

The NRC said no equipment operability problems were identified during the company's review of EQ program deficiencies.

The company has 30 days from receipt of the Notice of Violation to either pay the civil penalty or to protest its imposition.