U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Region III Office of Public Affairs

801 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL 60532-4351

NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: RIII-97-64 June 26, 1997

CONTACT: Jan Strasma 630/829-9663

Angela Dauginas 630/829-9662

E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov

NRC STAFF PROPOSES $50,000 FINE AGAINST COMMONWEALTH EDISON

FOR INADEQUATE DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE CONTROLS AT QUAD CITIES

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a

$50,000 fine against Commonwealth Edison Company for inadequate

evaluation and repairs of the interior and exterior siding of the

reactor building at the Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station. The

two-reactor plant is located at Cordova, Illinois.

On May 10 of last year the corrugated steel siding on the

exterior and interior of the reactor building was damaged by high

winds. The interior siding was promptly repaired, but the

utility deferred repairs to the exterior siding, believing that

it filled only a cosmetic function.

An NRC inspection team, however, concluded that both the

interior and exterior siding are needed for the reactor building

to fill its design function of containing radioactive releases in

the unlikely event of a reactor accident.

The primary reactor containment, a steel structure inside

the reactor building, is the primary structure to contain

possible radioactive releases from reactor systems, but the

reactor building functions as a secondary containment. The

siding also includes "blow out" panels that are designed to

relieve pressure inside the reactor building should there be a

steam release that could potentially damage the building's

structure.

The NRC inspectors cited the utility for three violations

associated with the maintenance and assessment of the siding:

1. Attaching pipe supports to the building siding blowout

panels without determining the effect of the attachments on the

ability of the panels to relieve pressure inside the building.

2. Failing to recognize that damaged bolts connecting the

blow out panels would result in the panels being released as

lower pressures than intended and, therefore, not limiting the

release of radioactive material to the environment under certain

accident conditions.
3. Failing to adequately evaluate and replace the damaged

exterior reactor building siding.

In notifying the utility of the proposed fine, NRC Regional

Administrator A. Bill Beach said, "These violations are

significant because your staff did not fully understand the

functional design of the interior and exterior reactor building

siding. In addition, your staff failed to translate the design

into surveillance tests to ensure the structure remained

operable."

The violations were discussed with the utility in a

predecisional enforcement conference with the NRC staff on

February 27.

The utility was issued a Notice of Violation for a second

issue which was discussed in the conference, but no fine was

proposed. Commonwealth Edison was cited for failing to

adequately test the emergency control room ventilation system

following modification in 1985. Recent testing and evaluation

determined that while the ventilation system would not meet its

design criteria, it still would provide necessary protection for

the control room staff in the event of an accident.

Commonwealth Edison has until July 24 to pay the fine or to

protest it. If the fine is protested and the NRC staff formally

imposes the fine, the utility can request a hearing.

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