United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Public Affairs, Region I

475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19401

Phone: 610/337-5330 Fax: 610/337-5241

Internet: dps@nrc.gov or nas@nrc.gov

I-97-130 September 30, 1997

Contact: Diane Screnci FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Neil A. Sheehan

NRC STAFF RATES SUSQUEHANNA “GOOD” IN THREE AREAS,

SUPERIOR IN FOURTH AREA OF LATEST ASSESSMENT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has rated the

Susquehanna nuclear power plant as “good” in operations,

maintenance and engineering, and “superior” in plant support in

the latest Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP)

of the facility. The plant is located in Berwick, Pa., and is

operated by PP&L, Inc.

The assessment covers the period from August 6, 1995,

through August 16 of this year.

NRC staff and PP&L, Inc. officials will discuss the

evaluation during a meeting scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on October 9,

at the Susquehanna Energy Information Center. The meeting is

open to the public for observation.

Four functional areas of nuclear power plant performance are

rated in NRC SALP reports: plant operations, maintenance,

engineering and plant support. Ratings of Category 1

(“superior”), Category 2 (“good”), and Category 3 (“acceptable”)

are assigned.

In Susquehanna’s previous SALP (which assessed the facility

from February 27, 1994, through August 5, 1995), it was rated

“superior” in all four areas.

“Operations management demonstrated a conservative approach

to operation of the plant,” wrote Hubert J. Miller, NRC Region I

administrator, in a letter to PP&L. “In general, operations

management responded aggressively to events to ensure operability

and reliability of systems. However, some significant failures

of licensed and non-licensed nuclear plant operators, to perform

and document required equipment checks and inspections raised

fundamental questions about the adequacy of supervisory oversight

and communication of management expectations. In addition,

configuration control weaknesses resulted in the misalignment of

three safety related systems.”
Concerning maintenance, Mr. Miller said: “Management

oversight and involvement in response to high profile maintenance

activities resulted in good corrective actions. Safety system

reliability and plant material condition continued to be

strengths at Susquehanna. The surveillance program was

effectively implemented. However, human performance errors of

consequence increased during this assessment period that resulted

in equipment challenges including two reactor scrams and a

reactor recirculation system runback.

“Corrective actions for minor human performance errors

identified during the previous SALP were not effective in

precluding these more significant events. Licensee self

assessments provided insights into maintenance problems.

However, the effectiveness of the licensee's corrective actions

to address human performance weaknesses is not yet evident.”

Regarding engineering, Mr. Miller said: “Engineering

organizations generally made conservative decisions and

modifications were properly installed and supported by sound

analyses. However, the quality of safety evaluations and

operability evaluations remain a weakness that has continued from

the last SALP period. In addition, several longstanding design

and licensing basis issues were either not identified and/or

properly corrected.”

In the area of plant support, Mr. Miller said: “Overall, the

performance in radiological controls was excellent as evidenced

by extensive planning and effective implementation of

radiological controls for outage work. The environmental

monitoring and effluent control programs continued to demonstrate

excellent performance. The security, emergency preparedness, and

fire protection programs continue to be effective.”

#

SALP reports are available on the NRC's internet web site

(http://www.nrc.gov/OPA) and by e-mail subscription. To receive

SALP reports by e-mail as they are issued, send an e-mail to

listproc@nrc.gov with the following message: subscribe salp

yourfirstname yourlastname.