Task Action Plan Item I.D.2 - Safety Parameter Display System - 10 CFR 50.54(f) (Generic Letter 89-06)

 April 12, 1989

TO:       ALL LICENSEES OF OPERATING PLANTS, APPLICANTS FOR OPERATING 
          LICENSES, AND HOLDERS OF CONSTRUCTION PERMITS 

SUBJECT:  TASK ACTION PLAN ITEM I.D.2 - SAFETY PARAMETER DISPLAY SYSTEM -
          10 CFR .50.54(f) - (GENERIC LETTER NO. 89-06) 

On October 31, 1980, the NRC staff issued NUREG-0737 which provided guidance 
for implementing Three Mile Island (TMI) action items.  On December 17, 1982, 
Generic Letter No. 82-33 transmitted Supplement 1 to NUREG-0737 to all 
licensees and applicants to clarify the TMI action items related to Emergency 
Response Capability, including item I.D.2, Safety Parameter Display System.  
Supplement 1 extracted the fundamental requirements for emergency response 
capability from the wide range of regulatory documents issued on the subject.  
It was written at the conceptual level to allow for a high degree of 
flexibility in scheduling and design.  In recognition of the 
interrelationships among the action items addressed in Supplement 1, the staff 
made allowance for each licensee to negotiate a reasonable, achievable 
schedule for implementing its emergency response capability.  However, the 
staff stated that because  the SPDS can provide an important contribution to 
plant safety, it should be implemented promptly.  

The staff evaluated licensee/applicant implementation of the safety parameter 
display system (SPDS) requirements at 57 units and found that a large 
percentage of designs do not fulfill the requirements identified in Supplement 
1 to NUREG-0737.  Enclosed with this letter is NUREG-1342 which provides to 
all licensees, applicants, and construction permit holders the benefit of the 
staff's experience to aid them in implementing SPDS requirements.  NUREG-1342 
describes methods used by some licensees/applicants to implement SPDS 
requirements in a manner found acceptable by the staff.  NUREG-1342 also 
documents design features that the staff found unacceptable and gives the 
staff's reasons for finding them unacceptable.  The information in NUREG-1342 
does not constitute new requirements.  Supplement 1 to NUREG-0737 establishes 
the legal requirements for SPDS.  These requirements can be met with a 
relatively simple SPDS as well as with a more elaborate system.

Also enclosed is a checklist concerning SPDS implementation.  The purpose of 
the checklist is to provide licensees with a guide to assist them in 
determining the status of their SPDS with respect to NRC requirements.



8904120042
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The checklist, when completed and used in conjunction with NUREG-1342 and 
photographs of the SPDS layout, will provide licensees with comprehensive 
information that will facilitate establishing the implementation status of 
their SPDS.  Accordingly, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.54(f), operating reactor 
licensees and holders of construction permits are requested to furnish within 
90 days of the date of this letter, one of the following:

1.   Certification that the SPDS fully meets the requirements of NUREG-0737, 
Supplement 1, taking into account the information provided in NUREG-1342.  
Licensees should maintain supporting documentation for three years, including 
the completed checklist and photographs used to establish SPDS implementation 
status.

2.   Certification that the SPDS will be modified to fully meet the 
requirements of NUREG-0737, Supplement 1, taking into account the information 
provided in NUREG-1342.  The implementation schedule for the modifications 
shall be provided. Licensees should maintain supporting documentation for 
three years, including the completed checklist and photographs used to 
establish SPDS implementation status. 

3.   If a certification cannot be provided, the licensee shall provide a 
discussion of the reasons for that finding and a discussion of the 
compensatory action the licensee intends to take or has taken. 

Staff review has verified that the following nuclear units have a fully 
satisfactory SPDS:  Catawba 1 and 2, Clinton, Hatch 1 and 2, McGuire 1 and 2, 
Millstone 3, River Bend, Susquehanna 1 and 2, and Yankee Rowe.  No response is 
required for these units.  Because of the very recent full power license 
reviews conducted for these units, South Texas Project 2 and Vogtle 2 will not 
be required to respond to this generic letter.  Big Rock Point will not be 
required to respond to this generic letter because of the staff's ongoing 
review of their proposal for SPDS.

This request is covered by Office of Management and Budget Clearance Number 
3150-0011 which expires December 31, 1989.  The estimated average burden hours 
is 25 person hours per owner response, including searching data sources, 
gathering and analyzing the data, and preparing the required letters.  These 
estimated average burden hours pertain only to these identified response- 
related matters and do not include the time for actual implementation of the 
requested actions.  Comments on the accuracy of this estimate and suggestions 
to reduce the burden may be directed to the Paperwork Reduction Project 
(3150-0011), Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C.  20503, and to 
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Records and Reports Management Branch, 
Division of Information Support Sources, Office of Information Resources 
Management, Washington, D.C.  20555.
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If you have any questions about this matter, please contact Richard J. Eckenrode,
Section Chief of the Human Factors Engineering Section, Human Factors Assessment
Branch, at (301) 492-1105.

                                    Sincerely,




                                   James G. Partlow
                                   Associate Director for Projects
                                   Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
                                   
Enclosures:
1.  NUREG-1342 - A Status Report Regarding Industry Implementation of Safety
    Parameter Display System
2.  Licensee Checklist for Safety Parameter Display System Status
3.  Listing of Recently Issued Generic Letters