NRC Action Number(s) and
Facility Name |
Action Type
(Severity) &
Civil Penalty
(if any) |
Date
Issued |
Description |
EA-14-091
Oconee Nuclear Station |
NOV
(White) |
08/12/2014 |
On August 12, 2014 the NRC issued a Notice of Violation associated with a White Significance Determination Process finding to Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. for a violation of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion XVI, Corrective Action, involving the failure to establish measures to promptly identify and correct a significant condition adverse to quality. Specifically, in 2004, the licensee implemented procedure NDE-995, "Ultrasonic Examination of Small Diameter Piping Butt Welds and Base Material for Thermal Fatigue Damage," to perform augmented in-service inspection program ultrasonic examinations, which did not provide measures to assure that high pressure injection nozzle component cracking would be identified and corrected. Consequently, in 2012, the licensee performed procedure NDE-995 on weld 1-RC-201-105, and did not identify any reportable indications; even though a ≥ 50% through wall circumferential crack was present in the weld. On November 11, 2013, the licensee identified the through-wall circumferential crack in weld 1-RC 201-105 after transitioning Unit 1 to Mode 3 to investigate non-isolable pressure boundary leakage. |
EA-13-010
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV and
(ORDER) |
07/01/2013 |
On July 1, 2013, the NRC issued a Confirmatory Order (CO) and a Notice of Violation (NOV) for a Severity Level III violation to Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke). These actions are based on Duke's failure to comply with a license condition associated with the amendment to complete their transition to the National Fire Protection Association Standard 805 for its Oconee Nuclear Station, Units 1, 2, and 3. Duke received the NOV for not incorporating the protected service water (PSW) modification into its fire protection program site documents and confirming the risk reduction from the modification prior to January 1, 2013, as called for in its transition license condition. A CO was issued to provide a heightened regulatory accountability for the completion of the PSW system, and interim milestones associated with this modification. |
EA-11-226
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(Yellow) |
12/06/2011 |
On December 6, 2011, the NRC issued a Notice of Violation to Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC for a violation of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 50, Appendix B, Criterion III, "Design Control," associated with a Yellow Significance Determination Process finding involving Duke Energy’s failure to perform a review for suitability of application of equipment essential to safety-related functions of structures, systems, and components. Specifically, Oconee personnel failed to maintain the Standby Shutdown Facility pressurizer heater breakers and associated electrical components in accordance with the licensing and design basis of the plant, which resulted in the Standby Shutdown Facility being inoperable from 1983, until June 1, 2011. |
EA-10-094
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(Yellow/White/SLIII) |
08/12/2010 |
On August 12, 2010, the NRC issued a Yellow and a White finding with associated violations and a Notice of Violation (NOV) for a Severity Level III violation to Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. (Duke) as a result of inspections at the Oconee Nuclear Station Units 1, 2 and 3. The Yellow finding involved the failure to ensure the Standby Shutdown Facility (SSF) Reactor Coolant Makeup (RCM) subsystem for all three units remained operable as required by Technical Specifications. The White finding involved the failure to identify and correct Unit 2 and Unit 3 SSF RCM letdown line degradation in a timely manner after degradation was identified on Unit 1, as required by 10 CFR 50, Appendix B, Criterion XVI, "Corrective Action." A 10 CFR 50.9, "Completeness and Accuracy of Information," NOV for a Severity Level III violation was also assessed to Duke for submitting materially inaccurate information. Duke provided information which described an alternate flow path that could be used to control pressurizer level during an SSF event. However, it was discovered that this flow path was not available due to a closed manual valve inside containment. |
EA-08-324
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(White) |
02/19/2009 |
On February 19, 2009, Duke Power Company, LLC was issued a White Significance Determination Finding which involved the performance of a maintenance procedure that was inadequate. Specifically, the maintenance procedure failed to identify and electrically isolate all main generator automatic voltage regulator trip outputs to the main generator lockout relay. This deficiency caused a main generator lockout which resulted in a loss of power event to the site which ultimately led to a loss of reactor coolant inventory while the reactor was shutdown. |
EA-06-294
Oconee 3 |
NOV
(White) |
02/13/2007 |
On February 13, 2007, a Notice of Violation was issued for a violation associated with a WHITE significance determination process (SDP) finding involving the identification of foreign material in the Unit 3 A and B train reactor building emergency sump (RBES) suction lines during the end-of-cycle 22 refueling outage. Specifically, some time prior to and for the duration of Oconee Unit 3 operating cycle 22, adequate foreign material exclusion controls had not been implemented resulting in the discovery of foreign material in the A and B train RBES suction lines. The violation was cited against Technical Specification 5.4.1, "Procedures," and Section 9.e of the referenced Regulatory Guide 1.33 for the failure to comply with Nuclear System Directive 104, "Material Condition/Housekeeping, Cleanliness/Foreign Material Exclusion, and Seismic Concerns," for the failure to maintain the Unit 3 RBES free of foreign material. |
EA-06-199
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(White) |
11/22/2006 |
On November 22, 2006, a Notice of Violation was issued for a violation associated with a WHITE significance determination process finding involving the failure to effectively control maintenance activities and the failure to assess and manage the risk associated with removing an access cover in the south wall of the standby shutdown facility (SSF) to facilitate installation of temporary electrical power cables. The violation was cited against technical specifications because of an inadequate procedure and 10 CFR 50.65(a)(4) because of the licensee's failure to adequately assess and manage the increase in risk from maintenance activities. |
EA-04-115
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(White) |
09/24/2004 |
On September 24, 2004, a Notice of Violation was issued for a violation associated with a White SDP finding involving inconsistent fire response procedures that could result in the failure to maintain pressurizer level within the required indicating range. The violation cited the licensee's inadequate fire response procedures. |
EA-04-018
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOVCP
(SL III)$60,000 |
04/08/2004 |
On April 8, 2004, a Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty in the amount of $60,000 was issued for a Severity Level III violation involving the failure to adhere to the requirements of 10 CFR 50.59, in that the licensee made changes to the Oconee facility as described in the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report and referenced analyses that involved unreviewed safety questions without obtaining prior NRC approval. In this case, the licensee revised an analysis for high energy line break accidents, which permitted the facility to initiate emergency feedwater up to 30 minutes and initiate high pressure injection up to eight hours after a high energy line break accident instead of 15 minutes and one hour as was discussed in the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report. |
EA-03-145
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(White) |
12/30/2003 |
On December 30, 2003, a Notice of Violation was issued for a violation associated with a White SDP finding involving the inability of the pressurizer to perform its intended safety function under certain scenarios. The violation cited the licensee's failure to identify and correct this condition adverse to safety. |
EA-02-243
Oconee 3 |
NOV
(White) |
02/07/2003 |
On February 7, 2003, a Notice of Violation was issued for a violation associated with a White SDP finding involving the possible loss of high pressure injection (HPI) pump function during a postulated high energy line break/tornado event recovery. The violation cited the licensee's failure to properly implement the vendor's written instructions for attaching the electrical connectors on the pre-staged Unit 3 HPI pump emergency power supply cable from the auxiliary service water (ASW) switchgear. |
EA-02-048
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(White) |
08/02/2002 |
On August 2, 2002, a Notice of Violation was issued for a violation associated with a white SDP finding involving containment integrity upon a possible loss of reactor decay heat removal. The violation cited the licensee's failure to establish adequate procedures to assure that containment closure would be achieved prior to the time at which a core uncovery and fission product release could result from a loss of shutdown cooling. |
EA-02-034
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(White) |
07/26/2002 |
On July 26, 2002, a Notice of Violation was issued for a violation associated with a white SDP finding involving the vulnerability to flooding in the Oconee Unit 1 auxiliary building from a potential rupture of the high pressure service water (HPSW) system piping. The violation cited the licensee's failure to take prompt corrective action for the lack of mitigation capabilities for an auxiliary building flood, a condition adverse to quality. |
EA-01-125
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(White) |
07/18/2001 |
On July 18, 2001, a Notice of Violation was issued for a violation associated with a White SDP finding. The violation involved inadequate procedures for aligning the station auxiliary service water pump to mitigate a tornado and the licensee's failure to take prompt corrective action for this adverse condition even though the licensee had identified the condition approximately one year earlier. |
EA-00-137
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(White) |
11/09/2000 |
On November 9, 2000, a Notice of Violation was issued for a violation associated with a White SDP finding. The violation involved the failure to adequately establish design control measures involving the high pressure injection system using the spent fuel pool as a suction source following a tornado. |
EA-98-268
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOV
(SL II) |
08/05/1998 |
Failure to implement the requirements of 10 CFR 50, Appendix B, Criterion III, to incorporate design basis requirements into drawings and procedures; and failure to maintain technical specification equipment in an operable condition. |
EA-97-297 & EA-97-298
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOVCP
(SL III)
$330,000 |
08/27/1997 |
Cracks in HP injection line and failure of HPI pump. |
EA-96-019
Oconee 1, 2 & 3 |
NOVCP
(SL III)
$ 50,000 |
03/05/1996 |
Failure to provide adequate procedures to control fuel assembly movement in the spent fuel pool. |