United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20555

Phone 301-415-8200 Fax 301-415-2234

Internet:opa@nrc.gov

No. 96-133 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Tuesday, October 8, 1996)

INDEPENDENT SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF MAINE YANKEE RATES OPERATIONS

ADEQUATE WITH SIGNIFICANT WEAKNESSES AND DEFICIENCIES

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Independent Safety

Assessment team has concluded that operations at the Maine Yankee

nuclear power plant are adequate, but identified a number of

significant weaknesses and deficiencies that will result in

violations. The plant, operated by the Maine Yankee Atomic Power

Co., is about 10 miles north of Bath, Maine.

"These weaknesses and deficiencies appear to be related to

two root causes: economic pressures to contain costs and poor

problem identification as a result of complacency and a lack of a

questioning attitude," NRC Chairman Shirley Ann Jackson said in a

letter written to the licensee, which accompanies the report.

In its report, the team says adequate safety margins exist

to operate the plant at its originally licensed power level of

2440 megawatts thermal (Mwt). But the team did not conclude, and

the licensee did not demonstrate, that the plant can be safely

operated at its more recently licensed output of 2700 Mwt. Since

January, the plant has been restricted to 2440 Mwt by an NRC

confirmatory order.

According to the report, economic pressures limited

resources and interfered with the utility's ability to complete

projects and other efforts that would improve plant safety and

testing activities. Examples included a failure to adequately

test safety-related components; long-standing deficient design

conditions, such as an undersized atmospheric steam dump valve;

issues involving environmental qualification of electrical

equipment; and the lack of effective improvement programs.

The team said complacency and the failure to identify or

promptly correct significant problems were apparent as

demonstrated by previously undiscovered deficient conditions of

the service water and auxiliary feedwater systems. Other

weaknesses cited included inadequacies in ventilation systems,

post-trip reviews that lacked rigor and completeness, and

emergency operating procedures that may not have adequately

addressed an inadequate core cooling event and a steam generator
tube rupture under certain conditions. The report said Maine

Yankee Atomic Power Co. lacked a questioning attitude during test

performance and evaluation that was not conducive to discovering

equipment problems, but rather to accepting equipment

performance. Self-assessments, by the utility, the team

concluded, occasionally failed to identify weaknesses, or

incorrectly characterized the significance of findings.

The 25-member team, headed by Edward L. Jordan, the NRC's

Director of the Office of Analysis and Evaluation of Operational

Data, began its work in June after concerns were raised by the

NRC's Inspector General about the adequacy of the licensee's use

of the Relap/5YA computer code and NRC inspection activities at

the site. The team was formed at the request of Chairman

Jackson. The inspection also was responsive to concerns

expressed by Gov. Angus King of Maine. Members included NRC

specialists, expert contract support from a national laboratory,

independent consultants and three representatives from the State

of Maine.

Other findings include the following:

-- Maine Yankee was in general conformance with its

licensing basis, although significant items of non-conformance

were identified. The plant's licensing basis, although

understood by the utility, lacked specificity, contained

inconsistencies and had not been well maintained. However, the

quality and availability of design-basis information was good

overall, the team concluded.

-- Performance in the area of operations was very good,

with strengths noted in operator performance during routine and

abnormal operating conditions. But some compensatory measures

unnecessarily burdened operators or complicated their response to

abnormal conditions. Additionally, log-keeping practices were

not rigorous.

-- Maintenance was rated as good overall, but testing was

weak. The results of the review of equipment reliability for

the auxiliary feedwater, emergency feedwater, high pressure

safety injection and emergency diesel generator systems showed

mixed equipment performance. Although the plant's material

condition was good overall, a number of significant material

condition deficiencies were noted, along with a decline in

material condition following a 1995 shutdown to repair steam

generator tubing.

-- The quality of engineering work was mixed but considered

good overall. Strengths were noted in the capability and

experience of the engineering staff, day-to-day engineering

support of maintenance and operations and in the quality of most

calculations. However, engineering was stressed by a shortage of

resources, and there was a tendency to accept existing
conditions.

A copy of the executive summary of the inspection report is

available upon request from the NRC's Office of Public Affairs.

The full inspection report has been posted on the Internet at

this address: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/reports.

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