U.S. NRC Fukushima Lessons-Learned Actions

Bill Borchardt

Executive Director for Operations

International Atomic Energy Agency International Experts Meeting

March 19-22, 2012

Ongoing Oversight of U.S. Nuclear Power Plants

• Reactor Oversight Process • Comprehensive inspection program • Continuous licensing

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NRC Actions Through Summer 2011

• Activated operations center • Site team in Japan • Inspections at U.S. plants • Near-Term Task Force convened

– Evaluated safety of U.S. plants – Made recommendations to further

enhance safety of U.S. plants

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Task Force Recommendations

• Seismic and flooding protection

• Prolonged loss of AC power

• Containment venting • Spent fuel pool cooling • Severe accident

procedures • Emergency preparedness

(EP) • Regulatory framework for

low probability, high consequence events

• Greater attention to defense-in-depth for low probability events

• Seismically induced fires and floods

• Hydrogen control mitigation inside buildings

• EP topics for multiunit events and prolonged SBO

• EP topics on decision making, radiation monitoring, and public education

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Tier 1 Recommendations

• Seismic and flooding reevaluations

• Seismic and flooding walkdowns

• Station blackout (SBO) rulemaking

• Mitigating strategies for beyond design basis events • Reliable hardened vents for Mark I and II

containments

• Spent fuel pool (SFP) instrumentation

• Integration of emergency procedures rulemaking

• Enhanced EP staffing and communications 5

Tier 2 Recommendations

• Spent fuel pool makeup capability • Order licensees to provide safety-related AC electrical power for SFP makeup • Order licensees to revise their technical specifications to address requirements to

have one train of onsite emergency electrical power operable for SFP makeup and SFP instrumentation when there is irradiated fuel in the SFP, regardless of the operational mode of the reactor

• Order licensees to have an installed seismically qualified means to spray water into the SFPs, including an easily accessible connection to supply the water

• Emergency preparedness regulatory actions • Require licensees to have guidance for multiunit dose assessment capability • Require licensees to hold training and exercises for multi unit and prolonged SBO

scenarios • Require that licensees practice the identification and acquisition of offsite resources • Require that licensees ensure that EP equipment and facilities are sufficient for

dealing with multiunit and prolonged SBO scenarios

• Reevaluation of other external hazards • Request that licensees reevaluate external hazards other than seismic and flooding

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Tier 3 Recommendations

• Ten-year confirmation of seismic and flooding hazards • Potential enhancements to the capability to prevent or mitigate seismically

induced fires and floods • Reliable hardened vents for other containment designs • Hydrogen control and mitigation inside containment or in other buildings • EP enhancements for prolonged SBO and multiunit events • Emergency Response Data System (ERDS) capability • Additional EP topics for prolonged SBO and multiunit events • EP topics for decision-making, radiation monitoring, and public education • Reactor Oversight Process modifications to reflect the recommended defense-in-

depth framework • Staff training on severe accidents and resident inspector training on severe

accident management guidelines (SAMGs) • Basis of Emergency Planning Zone size • Prestaging of potassium iodide beyond 10 miles • Transfer of spent fuel to dry cask storage

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NRC Actions on Lessons Learned

• The Commission directed the staff to move forward on Tier 1 activities

• Orders and Request for Information

were issued in March 2012

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Mitigating Strategies for Beyond Design Basis External Events

• Requires a three-phase approach for maintaining or restoring core cooling, containment, and spent fuel cooling

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Phase Licensee may use

Initial Installed equipment

Transition Portable, onsite equipment

Final Resources obtained from offsite

Reliable Hardened BWR Vents

• Applicable to BWR Mark I and Mark II containments

• Controls containment pressure by removing decay heat if active containment heat removal capability is lost

• Must work under station blackout conditions

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Reliable Spent Fuel Pool Instrumentation

• Requires licensees to install instrumentation to be able to identify when water reaches the following levels: – Level adequate for normal fuel pool cooling

system – Level adequate to provide radiation shielding

for a person standing on the operating deck – Level where fuel remains covered and actions

to add make-up water should no longer be deferred

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Schedule Overview – Orders

Milestone Operating Reactors

Combined License Holders

Construction Permit

Holders Guidance

Issued August 31, 2012 August 31, 2012

August 31, 2012

1st Update October 31,

2012 October 31, 2012

October 31, 2012

Plan

Submitted February 28,

2013 August 31, 2013 August 31, 2013

Periodic Updates

Every six months

Every six months

Every six months

Latest Completion

December 31, 2016

Prior to initial fuel load

Prior to receipt of operating license

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Seismic and Flooding Reevaluations

• Licensees were asked to perform and provide

the results of a reevaluation of hazards, including actions planned to address vulnerabilities

• Results will be used to determine whether additional regulatory actions are necessary

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Schedule Overview – 50.54(f) Letter Seismic/Flooding Reevaluations Milestone Operating Reactors and Construction Permit

Holders

Guidance Issued November 30, 2012

Initial Response

January 30, 2013

Licensee Seismic Hazard Evaluations Due

September 9, 2013 (CEUS) / March 9, 2015 (WUS)

Licensee Flooding Hazard Evaluations Due

March 9, 2013 – March 9, 2015 (based on prioritization)

Future Steps

Pending NRC evaluation and prioritization, with completion of evaluations for all facilities between

October 2016 and April 2019

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Seismic and Flooding Walkdowns

• Licensees were asked to perform walkdowns to verify that the plant is in conformance with its design basis

• Any performance deficiencies are expected to be addressed by the site’s corrective action program

• The scope includes the integrated effects of severe storms within the licensing basis

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Schedule Overview – 50.54(f) Letter Seismic/Flooding Walkdowns

Milestone Operating Reactors

Guidance Issued or

Endorsed

~ May 2012

Licensees Identify

Walkdown Procedures To Be

Used

June 9, 2012 (flooding) / July 9, 2012 (seismic)

Licensees Provide

Results of Walkdowns

180 days after NRC endorsement of the walkdown procedure (~November 2012)

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Enhanced Emergency Planning Staffing and Communications

• Licensees were requested to assess: – current communications systems and equipment

used during an emergency to ensure that power is maintained during a large scale event natural event

– the staffing needed to respond to a large scale natural event and to implement strategies contained in the licensee’s emergency plan

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Schedule Overview – 50.54(f) Letter Emergency Preparedness

Milestone Operating Reactors, Combined License Holders, and Construction Permit Holders

4.2 Guidance Issued or Endorsed

Licensee Responses

August 31, 2012

June 9, 2012 (communications)

June 9, 2012 (staffing items 3 through 6)

October 31, 2012 (staffing items 1 and 2)*

* 60 days after issuance of guidance associated with Recommendation 4.2 order

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NRC Follow-Up

• Review and assess licensee responses • Establish necessary regulatory

framework • Inspect to ensure licensee compliance

with all new regulatory requirements • Consider implications for other types of

nuclear facilities

Regulatory Development Activities

• Station Blackout (SBO) Rulemaking

– Modify the SBO rule to require enhanced capability to mitigate a prolonged SBO

– Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to be issued soon – The Commission directed that SBO rulemaking be completed

within 24-30 months

• Emergency Procedures Integration Rulemaking

– Create a new rule requiring the integration of the emergency procedures

– Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking under development – The rulemaking is expected to be completed in 2016

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Short-Term Next Steps

• Developing implementation guidance for the orders and request for information

• Developing the advanced notices of proposed rulemaking

• Providing the Commission with Tier 3 recommendation implementation plans in July 2012

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Conclusion

• NRC is moving forward with identified enhancements for U.S. plants

• NRC is following the development of lessons learned by the international community

• NRC will evaluate additional lessons learned for applicability to U.S. plants

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