NRC NEWS

U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III

801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532

CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov

Angela Greenman (630) 829-9662/e-mail: opa3@nrc.gov

NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: RIII-96-49 August 27, 1996

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 CO.

 FOR VIOLATIONS OF NRC REQUIREMENTS AT ZION NUCLEAR STATION

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $50,000 fine against

Commonwealth Edison Company for a series of violations of NRC regulations occurring at

the Zion Nuclear Power Station from February through May.

 The two-reactor Zion Station is located at Zion, Illinois.

 NRC Regional Administrator A. Bill Beach said, in notifying the utility of the fine: 

"These violations are of concern because operators made fundamental errors which

demonstrated insufficient attention to detail during the performance of required duties, and the

corrective actions to prevent recurrence were either ineffective or untimely."

 He added, "A contributing factor to these errors was the absence of supervision in the

field to monitor operations and maintenance personnel and provide guidance during the

performance of safety-related activities."

 Two violations occurred during the testing of emergency diesel generators in May. 

During one test, an operator adjusted the wrong control, causing the diesel generator to shut

down. In the other test, operators did not make sure all auxiliary equipment was available and

operated the diesel generator for 20 minutes without cooling water flow. The diesel generator

was not damaged.

 Another operator error occurred when a tank inside the plant overflowed because

valves were not properly aligned. About 560 gallons of water containing small amounts of

radioactive contamination spilled on the floor of the auxiliary building. 

 In the fourth instance, the timing system of one emergency core cooling system was

taken out of service for maintenance while the timing system of the parallel system was out of

service for maintenance. The timing systems control the starting of the emergency core

cooling system if it were needed.

 In the fifth violation, the company was cited for several instances of failing to

complete the required planning and review prior to undertaking maintenance on safety

equipment while the plant was in operation.

 The company has until September 24 to pay the fine or to protest it. If the fine is

protested and subsequently imposed by the NRC staff, the utility may request a hearing.

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