No. II-96-97
November 20, 1996
Contact: Ken Clark (404) 331-5503
Roger Hannah (404) 331-7878
NRC STAFF PROPOSES $50,000 FINE AGAINST TVA AT SEQUOYAH
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $50,000 civil penalty against the
Tennessee Valley Authority for alleged noncompliance with federal requirements related to
the fire protection program at the Sequoyah nuclear power plant near Chattanooga.
In a letter to TVA dated November 19, Stewart D. Ebneter, Administrator of the NRC's
Region II office in Atlanta, said the fine was being proposed because TVA has not completed
corrective actions for long-standing fire protection program discrepancies. These deficiencies
include quality assurance issues identified by TVA in 1992, 1994 and 1995; a number of fire
dampers at the plant that did not comply with design and installation requirements; and the
continued failure to control combustibles and transient fire loads (such as temporary wooden
scaffolding or cleaning rags) in the plant in accordance with procedure requirements.
Ebneter said the carbon dioxide (CO2) fire suppression system for the plant computer room
was rendered inoperable in May of 1990 during modifications which added penetrations to
the room but failed to equip the penetrations with fire dampers designed to close and isolate
the room during CO2 activation. He added that TVA also failed to perform a required 18-month test on Auxiliary Building penetrations in high radiation areas and failed to
demonstrate the operability of fire hose stations in the reactor buildings by failing to assure
that hoses for those stations had undergone hydrostatic tests.
Ebneter said TVA has stationed fire watch personnel to assure compliance but that the
violations "are of significant regulatory concern because they represent a significant lack of
attention and priority to the overall fire protection program."
The company has 30 days to either pay the fine or to protest its imposition.
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