Headquarters Daily Report JULY 26, 1996 *************************************************************************** REPORT NEGATIVE NO INPUT ATTACHED INPUT RECEIVED RECEIVED HEADQUARTERS û REGION I û REGION II û REGION III û REGION IV û PRIORITY ATTENTION REQUIRED MORNING REPORT - REGION IV JULY 26, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Omaha Public Power District MR Number: 4-96-0080 Ft Calhoun 1 Date: 07/26/96 Fort Calhoun,Nebraska Resident Inspector Via Telephone Dockets: 50-285 PWR/CE Subject: LOSS OF NONSAFETY-RELATED 13.8 kV SWITCHYARD BREAKER Discussion: At approximately 3 p.m. (CDT), a trip of Transmission and Distribution Breaker 1062, a 13.8 kV breaker in the Fort Calhoun switchyard, occurred when a bull snake entered the breaker enclosure and caused a short circuit. The breaker opening caused a loss of power to the training building, the administration building, the radwaste building, the chemistry and radiation protection building, the machine shop, and the technical support center. The technical support center has an emergency diesel generator backup supply which started automatically and operated normally. No other plant operations were affected. The breaker tripping resulted in a perturbation to the electrical grid upstream of the switchyard and caused a loss of power to the town of Fort Calhoun. As a result of the arcing associated with the breaker tripping, the Blair County Fire Department was summoned to the site. No fire was present and upon arrival, the fire department personnel were released by the licensee. Power to the town of Fort Calhoun had been restored as of 5 p.m. on July 25th. Power was restored to the affected buildings on site at approximately 8 p.m. on July 25th, and the licensee was continuing to inspect for any additional damage. Regional Action: The resident inspectors are continuing to monitor the licensee's actions. Contact: V. Gaddy (402)426-9611 _ REGION IV MORNING REPORT PAGE 2 JULY 26, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Nebraska Public Power District MR Number: 4-96-0081 Cooper 1 Date: 07/26/96 Brownville,Nebraska Resident Inspector Dockets: 50-298 BWR/GE-4 Subject: INITIATION OF WORK STAND DOWN Discussion: Because of continuing concerns with procedural compliance, the site manager instituted a work "stand down" yesterday. The work "stand down" was originally scheduled from 8 a.m through noon on July 25, 1996, but was still in effect on July 26, 1996. The stated goal of the "stand down" was to increase awareness, sensitivity, and organizational ownership and internalization to procedure compliance. It is anticipated that the "stand down" will be lifted later today. Regional Action: The resident inspectors will continue to assess procedural compliance through the normal inspection program and are monitoring activities during the "stand down." Contact: T. Reis (817)860-8185 _ REGION IV MORNING REPORT PAGE 3 JULY 26, 1996 Licensee/Facility: Notification: Arizona Public Service Co. MR Number: 4-96-0082 Palo Verde 2 Date: 07/26/96 Wintersburg,Arizona Phone Call from Licensee and RI Dockets: 50-529 PWR/CE80 Subject: SMOKING INVERTER FOUND IN TURBINE BUILDING Discussion: At approximately 9:30 a.m. (MST) on July 25, 1996, an auxiliary operator smelled smoke while making rounds in the Palo Verde Unit 2 turbine building. The operator found the source of the smoke to be an inverter located at the 110 foot elevation and above a nonsafety-related battery room. No open flames were observed at the inverter. The inverter, also nonsafety-related, provided electric power to chemistry monitoring equipment, fire detection panels, and turbine generator monitoring equipment. The inverter was deenergized within eight minutes after the smoke was detected. The Palo Verde onsite fire department responded to Unit 2 but did not need to discharge any fire extinguishing equipment. The licensee established a team to investigate the cause of the event. Unit 2 was not affected by this event and continued to operate at 100 percent power. Palo Verde Units 1 and 3 also continued to operate at 100 percent power. The licensee received calls from the media as a result of this event. The licensee did not issue a press release. Regional Action: NRC resident inspectors were onsite at the time of the event and responded to the Unit 2 control room and turbine building. The residents will follow the licensee's investigation. Contact: D. Kirsch (510)975-0290 K. Johnston (602)386-3638 _