To: Multiple recipients of list 
Subject: NRC Y2K Frequently Asked Questions
From: John Voglewede 
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 16:55:44 -0400 (EDT)


The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recently
posted a list of Y2K Frequently Asked Questions
at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/Y2K/Y2KFAQ.html


This document is provided below
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U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Frequently Asked Questions About Y2K Problems


1. What is the status of nuclear power plants with
regard to Y2K readiness? 

Nuclear power plants are at various stages of
assessing and remediating Y2K problems using a
program based on guidance developed by the Nuclear
Energy Institute (NEI)--an industry
organization--and acceptable to the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC). Based on sample audits
of 12 plants completed in January, the NRC did not
identify any issues that would preclude nuclear
power plants from achieving Y2K readiness before
January 1, 2000. More information will be available
to NRC on the status of Y2K readiness at nuclear
power plants following its review of all 103 plants
scheduled to begin in April and to be completed by
the end of June. 

No Y2K problems have been identified that directly
impact the proper functioning of safety systems in
nuclear power plants. Most plants have protection
systems that are analog rather than digital.
Because Y2K concerns are associated with digital
systems, analog reactor protection system functions
are not impacted by the Y2K problem. Errors such as
incorrect dates in printouts, logs or displays have
been identified in digital devices, but the errors
do not affect the function of safety-related
devices or systems. Most Y2K problems being
remediated are in balance-of-plant systems such as
security systems and plant monitoring systems which
support day-to-day plant operation but have no
direct function necessary for reactor safety. 

All licensees are required to have contingency
plans to cope with unanticipated problems should
they arise during the Y2K critical roll-over dates.
Licensees have made extensive use of NEI's guidance
for developing their contingency plans which will
be reviewed by the NRC over the next few months.
Licensees must confirm to the NRC by July 1 that
they have developed these plans. 

2. What is the NRC doing to ensure all operating
nuclear power plants are Y2K ready before the
millennium? 

NRC inspectors will review Y2K activities at all
103 nuclear power plants between April and June 30.
During this same time, there also will be an
in-depth review of contingency planning efforts at
six licensees, different from those in the initial
12 audits. Results of all reviews will be made
publicly available and posted on the NRC Y2K
website. 

The NRC is committed to doing what is necessary in
its oversight of nuclear power plant readiness
efforts for these facilities to safely operate
through January 1, 2000 and beyond. As such, it has
adopted a proactive approach working with nuclear
power plant licensees (owners/operators) to achieve
Y2K readiness. 

In response to NRC's request (Generic Letter
98-01), all licensees of operating nuclear power
plants notified NRC that they are pursuing Y2K
assessment and remediation in line with guidance
developed by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). By
late January, the NRC completed 12 sample audits at
plants, confirming that licensees are taking
effective measures to identify and correct Y2K
problems at their facilities and are on schedule
for their plants to be Y2K ready before the end of
the year. Results of these audits are available on
NRC's Y2K website. 

By July 1, all licensees must affirm to NRC that
their facilities are Y2K ready. For any plant not
ready, the licensee must provide a status and
schedule of the remaining tasks to be performed in
order for the plant to be Y2K ready before January
1, 2000. According to industry sources, there may
be as many as 17 plants that are not Y2K ready by
July 1. Based on the review of information provided
by those not ready, the NRC will take appropriate
action such as additional audits, onsite reviews,
inspections, or meetings. Sufficient time is
available for the NRC to make any necessary
decision on plant operation on January 1, 2000. 

Licensees must also confirm to the NRC by July 1
that they have developed contingency plans to deal
with unforeseen Y2K problems. To help licensees
with development of their plans, the NEI has
developed appropriate guidance. 

The NRC has drafted its own Y2K contingency plan
which will be tested in October during an exercise
with licensees and foreign regulators. The draft
plan is available on NRC's Y2K website. As part of
the plan, on December 31, the NRC plans to fully
staff its Emergency Operations Center at
headquarters in Rockville, Maryland and a backup
response center near Dallas, Texas to deal quickly
with any Y2K problems that may occur with
licensees. Also, the NRC expects to have an NRC
resident inspector at each plant site during the
Y2K transition period. 

3. Will NRC shut down nuclear power plants that are
not Y2K ready? 

The NRC requires that all nuclear power plants
report their Y2K readiness by July 1. Should the
NRC identify a situation where the Y2K issue
results in a plant being in non-compliance with its
license or NRC regulations, appropriate action will
be taken. By September, the NRC will determine the
need for issuing orders to nuclear power plant
licensees to address Y2K readiness issues
including, if warranted, shutdown of a plant. 

At this time, we believe all licensees will be able
to operate their plants safely during the
transition from 1999 to 2000, and do not believe
significant plant-specific action directed by NRC
is likely to be needed. 

4. Could Y2K problems experienced by a nuclear
power plant result in a large release of radiation
or otherwise compromise safety of public health and
safety? 

A large release of radiation is highly unlikely.
Nuclear power plants are designed and built with
multiple backup systems to assure plant safety. In
addition, the plant containment -a large, concrete
and steel-reinforced structure--is designed to
contain the radiation in the highly unlikely event
that there was an accident. For example, while the
1979 Three Mile Island accident resulted in a
partial meltdown of nuclear fuel in the reactor
core and high radiation levels inside the
containment building, members of the community
received very small radiation exposures (i.e, about
1/100th of the dose they would receive annually
from natural background sources). 

Nonetheless, all licensees are required to be Y2K
ready and to develop contingency plans to deal
specifically with potential Y2K problems. Plant
operators are trained extensively to deal with
potential emergencies and time-tested plans are in
place to deal with a plant accident whether or not
it is triggered by a Y2K problem. 

5. If a Y2K problem occurs at a nuclear power
plant, can it be shut down safely? 

Yes. In a majority of plants, the systems required
to safely shut down a plant are analog, not
digital, thus not susceptible to Y2K problems.
Where digital devices are used in safety systems,
they are either not susceptible to the Y2K problem
or are Y2K compliant. If necessary, a nuclear power
plant can be shut down manually. 

6. How long does it take to shut down a nuclear
power plant safely? 

Under normal conditions, it takes several hours to
safely shut down a nuclear power plant by reducing
reactor power gradually. However, in an emergency,
the reactor can be shut down safely within seconds
either automatically or manually. The reactor will
shut down automatically by the reactor protection
system upon sensing an unusual condition. However,
the operator always has the capability to manually
shut down the reactor using the reactor protection
system. To reduce the residual heat in the reactor
following shutdown, cooling takes several days. 


7. How will loss of offsite power or disturbances
on the electrical grid affect nuclear power plants
during the Y2K transition period? 

Nuclear plants are required to have multiple
connections to the electrical grid so that the
failure of one connection will not affect the
others. Depending on the design of the plant it may
shut down automatically if all offsite power is
lost. Each plant has redundant and independent
onsite power supplies which, by design, can provide
power to safely shut down the reactor and keep it
in a safe condition. 

8. If diesel generators at nuclear power plants are
needed to provide backup power, how reliable are
they and for how long can they operate? 

Diesel generators are tested regularly and are
required to have at least a 7-day supply of fuel
oil on which to operate. Many plants are planning
to take precautionary measures to have additional
fuel oil onsite as part of their site specific Y2K
contingency planning efforts. We also know from
experience that diesel generators will reliably
supply back-up power for extended periods of time.
For example, the diesel generators effectively
provided power to the Turkey Point nuclear power
plant in Florida for several days during hurricane
Andrew in August 1992. 

9. What measures have NRC and nuclear power plants
adopted to deal with the loss of communications?
Can a plant continue to operate safely and reliably
if the communication links fail? 

A nuclear power plant can continue to operate
safely and reliably if the communication links
fail. These communication systems are not safety
systems and are not directly related to operation
at the plant. 

There is an Emergency Telecommunications System
(ETS) at all commercial nuclear power plants which
provides information to NRC from plant control
rooms, technical support centers, and emergency
operations facilities. This system is carried on
dedicated lines to the Federal Telecommunications
System (FTS) 2000 network which is separate from
the public switched telephone network. The General
Services Administration has advised the NRC that
the FTS 2000 network will be Y2K ready by July
1999. 

In addition to the ETS, communication can be
provided via the public switched network. According
to the National Communications Systems (NCS)
Manager, testing for all of the major telephone
vendors and networks is in progress and major
portions of the public switched network will be Y2K
ready by mid-1999. We are also working closely with
NCS to ensure that the switches in the small local
telephone companies near our licensed facilities
are being upgraded as necessary. 

Although the NRC is becoming increasingly confident
that the telecommunications systems relied on to
communicate with nuclear power plants will be
operable during and after the Y2K transition, some
prudent measures are being taken to ensure that
communications will be possible even in the
unlikely event of a widespread telecommunications
outage that affects both the FTS 2000 system and
the public switched network. Specifically, NRC will
be part of the National Telecommunication
Coordination Network (NTCN), which is a dedicated
network, independent of the public switched
network, for coordination of emergency
telecommunication issues. 

In addition, as part of the NRC Y2K Contingency
Plan, the NRC is planning to provide one portable
satellite telecommunications unit at each nuclear
power plant. This channel of communication will be
sufficient to notify NRC of any events that may
occur at a plant. If normal telephone access to the
NRC Operations Center is lost, a plant could still
communicate with the NRC via either direct
satellite communication or via satellite link
relayed through the NTCN. 

10. What contingency plans are there for dealing
with Y2K problems that may arise at nuclear power
plants? Does the NRC plan to conduct any emergency
exercises or drills to test Y2K contingency plans? 

Each licensee must develop a contingency plan to
deal effectively with any unforeseen Y2K problem. A
contingency plan helps ensure that sufficient
resources are considered and help guide decision-
making should something happen unexpectedly. 
The Nuclear Energy Institute has developed guidance to
assist licensees develop their plans. The Y2K
contingency plan is in addition to existing
contingency plans that deal with a myriad of
potential plant problems and include State and
local response organizations involvement. All Y2K
contingency plans are scheduled to be completed by
July 1, 1999, and training of personnel completed
before the end of the year. 

The NRC has drafted its own Y2K contingency plan
which will be tested in October during an exercise
with licensees and foreign regulators. The draft
plan is available on NRC's Y2K website. 

All 88 of NRC's internal computer systems,
including one that involves a data link from each
nuclear power plant to NRC, are Y2K compliant. 

11. Are blackouts expected? If so, for how long do
you estimate the public would be without
electricity? 

According to the North American Electric
Reliability Council and the President's Council on
Year 2000 Conversion, massive national disruptions
in electric power are unlikely. Some minor local
outages may occur; however, the electric power
industry is prepared to meet this challenge because
of its experience in dealing with the many
naturally occurring events such as storms and
floods. As such, it is advisable to prepare as you
would for a snow storm where electricity could be
out for a couple of days. The latest NERC report is
available at: www.nerc.com. 

12. What is the status of Y2K readiness of nuclear
power plants in other countries? 

The NRC maintains a general awareness of other
countries' nuclear Y2K programs. However, the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is
coordinating Y2K information about nuclear power
plants worldwide and is the principal source of
information on the status of Y2K compliance as it
relates to nuclear safety in other countries.
Information on the IAEA's Y2K activities can be
found on their website at:
www.iaea.org/worldatom/program/y2k/. 

13. What is the difference between Y2K ready and
Y2K compliant? 

Y2K compliant means that all digital systems and
computers will accurately process date/time data
during the transition from 1999 to 2000. This may
require system repairs or replacements. Y2K ready
means that while there may be some digital systems
or computers that are known or expected to fail
during the transition, appropriate compensating or
alternative actions have been taken such that the
functions provided by the systems will be carried
out. For example, if a recorder fails and prints
the wrong date, it can be identified and corrected
manually by writing the correct date over the wrong
one. 

[Version dated 07 April 1999] 

I received this email from NRC this afternoon, as a member of the NRC's Y2k Listserver. I will try to comment on each of these items in individual threads over the weekend, as my schedule allows. There's several areas of concern / ambiguity contained within the FAQ, and hopefully, we can interpret the meaning of some of this stuff.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 1999