http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/Y2K/Audit/Y2K50443.html

Is there a problem with the RDMS of the Seabrook Nuclear Power plant or can they fix it next year? Are they cutting this a little to close to 12/31/98?

The Seabrook licensee has identified a Y2K problem with the Radiation Data Monitor System (RDMS). The RDMS is a vendor package provide by Sorrento Electric which has been determined to be not Y2K compliant. The vendor has indicated that they have no plans to make this system Y2K compliant. The vendor has identified a work around to provide for RDMS operation if the licensee plans to keep the system. The licensee's strategy for attaining RDMS Y2K compliance/readiness was to investigate alternatives. Several of the plants that use this device, including Seabrook, have formed a Sorrento Owners Group to address and solve the Y2K problem with this device. The options to date are to either obtain a Y2K compliant replacement system (three vendors have been identified) or to implement the vendor identified work around as discussed below. The vendor has indicated to their customers that the RDMS cannot properly function with a year identification that ends in 00 (every decade), but that when the year 2000 comes to an end, the system will be able to operate properly in the year 2001. An approach identified by the Seabrook licensee is to change the system date to some date in the past when Seabrook was not tracking data; that is, the date will be setback 28 years. (Initial testing at the Seabrook test bed indicated the RMDS operated with the date of 1972 inserted, but did not function correctly with "00.") Procedurally, the licensee could insert a "dummy" date of say 1978 for the year 2000, and then reset the date correctly to 2001 when that year arrives. The present schedule calls for having either the RDMS replacement or work around option implemented by the fourth quarter of 1999. (The necessary Main Plant Computer System software change to "dummy" a date for the RDMS input is scheduled for November 1998 and planned for testing and actual use in the last quarter of 1999.)

Table 1 - Seabrook Millennium Project Plan Schedule Activity Starting date Finishing Date Awareness 1997 On-going Initial Assessment May 1, 1998 Detailed Assessment/analysis June 15, 1998 Remediation November 1998 June 1999* Contingency Planning November 1998 * Except for RDMS which is scheduled for 4th quarter of 1999

-- Anonymous, November 17, 1998