Bechtel - Project Assessment Report Sample
Bechtel - Project Assessment Report Sample
V.C. Summer
Nuclear Generating Station Units 2 & 3
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Strictly Confidential to
Bechtel, SCE&G, and SCPSA V.C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station Jenkinsville, SC USA
ACCEPTED FOR PROCESSING - 2018 September 25 3:09 PM - SCPSC - 2017-207-E - Page 2 of 130
V.C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station Units 2 & 3 | Project Assessment Report February 5, 2016
Table of Contents
Abbreviations and Acronyms ....................................................................................................................... iv
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 1
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 Assessment Scope ....................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Documents Reviewed ................................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Assessment Team ........................................................................................................................ 4
1.4 Assessment Timeline .................................................................................................................... 5
1.5 Observations and Recommendations ........................................................................................... 5
2. Project Management ............................................................................................................................. 6
2.1 Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Observations and Recommendations ........................................................................................... 6
3. Engineering and Licensing .................................................................................................................... 8
3.1 Engineering Current Status ........................................................................................................... 8
3.2 Licensing Current Status ............................................................................................................. 14
3.3 Observations and Recommendations ......................................................................................... 16
4. Procurement ........................................................................................................................................ 25
4.1 Current Status ............................................................................................................................. 25
4.2 Observations and Recommendations ......................................................................................... 27
5. Construction and Project Controls ...................................................................................................... 34
5.1 Current Status ............................................................................................................................. 34
5.2 Observations and Recommendations ......................................................................................... 42
6. Startup ................................................................................................................................................. 55
6.1 Current Status ............................................................................................................................. 55
6.2 Observations and Recommendations ......................................................................................... 59
7. Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................... 61
List of Tables
Table 2-1 ― Project Management Observations and Recommendations
Table 3-1 ― Engineering Observations and Recommendations
Table 4-1 ― Procurement Observations and Recommendations
Table 5-1 ― Construction and Project Controls Observations and Recommendations
Table 6-1 ― Startup Observations and Recommendations
Appendices
Appendix A ― Documents Received from the Owners and the Consortium
Appendix B ― Assessment Team Resumes
Appendix C ― Bechtel Weekly Reports
Executive Summary
In accordance with a Professional Services Agreement signed on August 6, 2015 between
Bechtel Power Corporation and Smith, Currie & Hancock LLP (SCH), Bechtel performed an
assessment of the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station (V.C. Summer) Units 2 & 3
project. The objective of the assessment was to assist SCH and the Owners (South Carolina
Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G) and South Carolina Public Service Authority (SCPSA)) to
better understand the current status and potential challenges of the project to help ensure the
project is on the most cost efficient trajectory to completion.
Based on Bechtel’s assessment, there are significant issues facing the project:
While the Consortium’s engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) plans and
schedules are integrated, the plans and schedules are not reflective of actual project
circumstances.
The Consortium lacks the project management integration needed for a successful project
outcome.
There is a lack of a shared vision, goals, and accountability between the Owners and the
Consortium.
The Contract does not appear to be serving the Owners or the Consortium particularly
well.
The detailed engineering design is not yet completed which will subsequently affect the
performance of procurement and construction.
The issued design is often not constructible resulting in a significant number of changes
and causing delays.
The oversight approach taken by the Owners does not allow for real-time, appropriate cost
and schedule mitigation.
Observations and recommendations are identified in the report for each functional area—project
management, engineering and licensing, procurement, construction and project controls, and
startup. Recommendations are identified as Priority “1” or “2” based on the degree to which
implementation of the recommendation will help to ensure that the project is on the most cost
efficient trajectory to completion. The overall top priority recommendations from Bechtel’s
assessment are:
Owners and Consortium – Align Contract commercial conditions with the project goals
and determine the realistic to-go forecast costs for project completion.
Consortium – Create a new, more achievable, project schedule. Remove the mandatory
constraints from the Integrated Project Schedule and allow the schedule to move based
on the logic. Prioritize the development of mitigation/recovery plans based on their impact
to the schedule. Ensure appropriate time is allocated for the installation of bulk
commodities (large and small bore piping, pipe supports, cable tray, conduit, cabling).
Consortium – Initiate a focused effort to complete WEC known engineering “debt” and
release the over 1,000 drawing holds that exist.
Consortium – Intensify the efforts of the Strategic Planning group, work package planning,
constructability reviews, etc. to identify design changes needed well in advance of the
construction need date. Stay on top of identifying and resolving emergent technical
issues.
Consortium – Increase manual staffing levels to allow working of all available work areas.
Evaluate methods to have the craftsmen spend more time at the workface. Implement
actions to improve craft productivity and retention. Simplify and streamline work
packages.
The recently announced stock purchase acquisition of CB&I’s nuclear business by WEC, the
hiring of Fluor, and the settlement agreement with the Owners will resolve many of the
Consortium-related commercial issues in the near term. It also provides a valuable safety net for
the Owners if the project cost continues to rise. However, this new arrangement will not fully
address the project challenges and EPC shortcomings that we have observed and documented.
Based on our understanding of the project, we recommend that the Owners establish a stronger
EPC capable oversight function to ensure optimal EPC and cost-effective decision-making, and to
ensure the best outcome for the project. Further, we believe it is in the best interest of the Owners
for the oversight function to have the perspective of both owner and practitioner, and for it to be
demonstrably robust. This will surface issues more quickly, facilitate optimal resolutions, and
ensure success moving forward. It will also put the Owners in the best position for all potential
project outcomes.
1. Introduction
1.1 Assessment Scope
In accordance with the August 6, 2015 Professional Services Agreement, Bechtel's team
evaluated the current status and forecasted completion plan through the design, supply chain,
and construction aspects of the project. The focus of the assessment was on understanding the
issues that have caused impacts to date, assessing the effectiveness of the mitigation plans put
into place to address those issues, and reviewing the project management tools and work
processes being employed to plan and execute the project, including change management,
through completion and turnover of the units.
Data validation
Site walkdowns
Preparation of report
Areas reviewed during the assessment included project management, engineering and licensing,
procurement, construction and project controls, and startup. A specific assessment of the project
schedule is not included in this report.
The assessment is based on the data, schedule, and other information provided to the team by
the Consortium and the Owners during August, September, and October 2015. A listing of
documents received and reviewed during the assessment is provided in Appendix A. Some data
and information was provided electronically by the Owners and the Consortium. For the majority
of data and information, a single hard copy was placed in a reading room at the site and no
additional copies could be made. This limited the ability of the Bechtel team to fully assess the
information (e.g., engineering schedules, ROYG (red-orange-yellow-green) report, etc.). Further,
many documents that contained sensitive information (e.g., contract terms, financial details, etc.)
were redacted.
Materials received, collected, or prepared by Bechtel in connection with the assessment are the
property of the Owners and were treated as confidential by Bechtel.
Reviewers
Ty Troutman Principal Vice President, Assessment Reviewer
John Atwell Principal Vice President, Assessment Reviewer
Copies of Bechtel’s weekly reports to SCE&G and Santee Cooper are provided in Appendix C.
Observations and recommendations are identified in the report for each functional area—project
management, engineering, procurement, construction and project controls, and startup.
Recommendations are prioritized as follows:
Priority 2 – Implementation of this recommendation will help to ensure the project is on the
most cost efficient trajectory to completion.
2. Project Management
This section describes the assessment of the project management aspects of the project. Section
2.1 provides a summary of the assessment. Section 2.2 provides project management
observations and recommendations.
2.1 Summary
The execution of any large scale EPC project is a cross-functional task covering the entire range
of these services plus more as covered in the contractual agreement(s). To ensure that that the
range of services is fully integrated such that the project can be executed as efficiently as
practical, it is incumbent upon the project management staff to plan, organize, direct, and control
all facets of the project. As the Owners, SCE&G and Santee Cooper have the responsibilities to
manage their portion of the prime contract and ensure that the Consortium contractors are
fulfilling their contractual obligations.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) The Owners should take an active role in determining the reason(s) for the relationship
and develop an action plan, including possible new contract terms, to fix the relationship.
PM3 Observation(s)
The overall morale on the project is low.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) The Project needs to experience some successes, no matter how small. Publish
and post scheduled activities for the coming months around the job site. Post activities that
have a high likelihood of being completed within schedule. Reward those responsible for
achieving success (i.e., make success contagious).
(Priority 2) Recognize individuals for their contributions to the project. For example, have an
employee of the month from the various functions/various craft trades and publicly reward
them. Rewards could include preferred parking for a month, gift certificates, etc.
PM4 Observation(s)
It appears that the Contract has created an imbalance between the Owners and the Consor-
tium. The Consortium does not appear to be commercially motivated to meet Owner goals.
Engineering has not been completely responsive to Procurement and Construction requests
for clarification and changes (e.g., timeliness, constructible designs); this is believed to be
caused mostly by the commercial situation.
The Consortium’s commercial structure, while not shared, is outwardly affecting the day-to-day
working relationships between the Consortium partners and is creating performance issues,
including significant non-manual turnover.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Align commercial conditions with the project goals.
(Priority 2) Facilitate Owner and Consortium teambuilding. If necessary, replace personnel
with others that share the goals developed by the project.
(Priority 1) Determine the realistic to-go forecast costs for the project completion, make ad-
justments/changes where necessary.
Other significant engineering workloads include completing design engineering work needed for
fuel load and startup, resolution of Engineering & Design Coordination Reports (E&DCRs),
resolution of Non-Conformance and Disposition Reports (N&Ds), and vendor document reviews.
In general, WEC is responsible for performing detailed design engineering for the nuclear island
(containment and auxiliary building) structures; the plant safety systems; ASME Class 1, 2 and 3
piping systems; and nuclear island structural, equipment, and piping modules. Turbine
instrumentation and controls (I&C) are being designed by Toshiba for WEC. WEC also specifies
and procures all standard plant valves.
WEC states that they completed their detailed design engineering for the U.S. AP1000 standard
plant (V.C. Summer and Vogtle) in April 2015. Engineering complete is defined as Certified for
Procurement and Construction (CFPC) or Issued for Construction (IFC). WEC has identified that
approximately 4% of the design engineering has not yet been completed. This remaining
engineering is referred to as “Engineering Debt” and it includes both the engineering that must be
completed to support procurement and plant construction as well as the substantial other
engineering activities needed for fuel load and startup. I&C design is also not completed and is
not included in the to-go “debt” work scope. Design Deliverables (DDs) consist of construction
and procurement drawings, documentation, and other “debt” reconciliation. Approximately 1,400
DDs remain to be completed. During the September 9, 2015 Consortium presentation, WEC
stated that they were 94.3% design complete.
Electrical tray, conduit, and supports design above El. 100’ in the auxiliary building.
Civil design above El. 100’ in the auxiliary building; C7 reinforcing steel El. 135’ – El. 162’
in the auxiliary building.
SPL18 and SPL51 floor modules design modifications based on China installation
experience; this is about 20% review complete and the modified design is urgently needed
by construction to support module fabrication and installation.
WEC detailed design engineering is being performed at its home office in Cranberry, PA, offices
in Spain, and to a limited extent at the V.C. Summer and Vogtle sites and in other WEC offices.
WEC has approximately 520 engineering personnel assigned to the AP1000 design engineering
efforts, but only about 40 are located at the V.C. Summer site. Within the Cranberry engineering
staff, WEC has established three “response teams” consisting of approximately 80 engineers
dedicated to addressing emergent issues requiring engineering disposition or resolution. These
teams are civil-electrical, modules, and mechanical. WEC is also planning to put in place a review
board for electrical and piping to anticipate potential design changes and construction challenges
and resolve these well in advance of the construction need date.
In general, CB&I is responsible for performing detailed design engineering for the balance of plant
including the turbine island, annex building, radwaste building, diesel generator building, service
building, administration building, and site specific structures and systems. CB&I is also
responsible for the design of approximately 45 systems, including ASME B31.1 piping systems
and all cable routing and scheduling. CB&I is the design authority for the AP1000 standard plant
balance of plant and site specific design work.
CB&I has not yet declared “Engineering Complete.” The integrated project schedules showed
August 31, 2015 as the “Engineering Complete” date. During the September 9, 2015 Consortium
presentation, CB&I stated that they were 82.5% design complete.
CB&I’s to-go standard plant (“1 x 4”) and V.C. Summer site specific work is contained in its P6
to-go engineering schedule. A review of this schedule shows it to be comprehensive and it
identifies interfaces with procurement, vendors, construction, and WEC engineering. CB&I’s
major to-go design priorities to support construction are:
Turbine drain and vent system redesign, scheduled to be issued by December 2015
Annex building reinforcing steel design, being resolved by CB&I’s Vogtle design team,
common for V.C. Summer
Main steam piping overdesign (main steam pipe wall thickness over-specified by WEC) –
creating revised support designs and problems with the design of the main steam pipe
anchor at the auxiliary building wall (stargate)
ASME N-5 data reports, which are planned to be inserted into the construction schedule
by the end of September 2015.
CB&I’s detailed design engineering is being performed primarily onsite at V.C. Summer with
support from the Vogtle site and CB&I’s home office locations. CB&I has approximately 270
engineering personnel assigned to the AP1000 and site specific scope, of which 184 are located
at V.C. Summer, 27 at Vogtle, and the remaining personnel in CB&I’s Charlotte, NC, or Canton,
MA, offices.
SCE&G provides engineering oversight of WEC and CB&I. This oversight includes the following
generic items:
Review and input to departure evaluations and license amendment requests (LARs)
Review and approval of “upper tier“ design documents, such as P&IDs and single lines.
As part of its efforts, SCE&G maintains close coordination with its Southern Company
counterparts for Vogtle Units 3 & 4.
WEC and CB&I hold a weekly engineering schedule update and interface meeting to status
engineering progress. The ROYG report is reviewed and it identifies engineering activities that
are impacting construction. A gap file report is also prepared to identify engineering and
construction activity interface ties. SCE&G also holds monthly engineering completion status
meetings with WEC and CB&I.
The design change control process being used by both WEC and CB&I consists of design change
proposals (DCPs) and E&DCRs. Both are managed through a “stage gate” process. DCPs are
noted as “Class 1” and “Class 2” as are E&DCRs. Class 3 E&DCRs are not part of the stage gate
process for design change control.
Both WEC and CB&I employ an engineering Finish It Now (eFIN) process in support of
Construction. Emergent work is taking priority to DD completion within both the WEC and CB&I
design organizations. WEC indicated that it expects changes (rework) to a few ASME pipe spools
that have already been delivered to the site. Most of the changes (rework) are expected in ASME
pipe supports resulting from changes in pipe support locations. Discussions with CB&I electrical
field engineers and superintendents indicate that there may be similar rework issues with WEC
electrical cable tray support designs due to design complexity.
Beyond completing the detailed design needed for construction, there remains a significant
amount of engineering that must be performed to support fuel load and startup. This primarily
involves the design engineering work performed by WEC, and to a lesser degree the work
performed by CB&I. These activities and programs must be completed to support preoperational
testing, startup, and system turnover for fuel load and power ascension testing and include:
Final nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) safety analyses for as-built conditions,
including small break and large break loss-of-coolant accident analyses
Containment structural integrity and containment integrated leak rate test programs
(including engineering acceptance criteria)
Hot functional and vibration monitoring test program (including engineering acceptance
criteria)
This work needs to be fully scoped, resource-loaded, and scheduled in the P6 integrated project
schedule with appropriate ties to construction and startup program activities. Based on a review of
the current schedule, the Consortium has not started this planning effort.
3.1.6 Design Change Control and Emergent Design Engineering Work Scope
Because of design complexity, particularly reinforcing bar design and spacing tolerance
requirements, structural module fabrication in offsite and onsite fabrication shops is requiring a
The number of issues identified during the current civil phase of the construction effort is
significant. These issues have been identified during the erection of the nuclear island and turbine
island structures which comprise reinforced concrete basemats, exterior and interior walls, as well
as the auxiliary building and several major steel composite structural modules in the containment.
Current data shows that from May to September 2015 there is a trend of more E&DCRs being
initiated (requests made) than are being closed (approved/dispositioned). This data shows that
current E&DCR backlog work is not being worked off and indicates that a continued focus and
possible increase in staffing is required:
The incorporation of E&DCRs into the parent document is tracked and status data is provided in
typical engineering design completion (EDC) dashboards (as seen in the Tuesday site POD
meeting data). The data in the September 15, 2015 POD showed E&DCR incorporation is behind
(shown with status “red” for 3 of 4 categories).
E&DCR response support has the potential to pull resources from other ongoing design
completion efforts and negatively impact emergent construction needs if timely responses are not
provided. The incorporation of approved E&DCRs into the parent document will be a resource
demand, but failing to timely incorporate E&DCRs into parent documents will violate procedures
and provide a potential error trap of multiple changes against work being planned and
implemented.
N&Ds require design engineering support for disposition approvals and assessment of impacts to
issued design for dispositions of “repair” and “use as is”. This disposition concurrence is an
emergent activity that is usually a high priority to support construction.
N&Ds are tracked and summaries are provided in various reports. The Thursday POD report has
both WEC and CB&I open N&D reports by age. The September 24, 2015 POD showed 183 N&Ds
open for WEC action and 477 N&Ds open for CB&I action. The October 1, 2015 POD showed 183
N&Ds for WEC action and 328 N&Ds open for CB&I action. (Note: The CB&I action includes both
design and field engineering actions as the data split between groups was not readily available.)
N&D response support has the potential to pull resources from other ongoing design completion
efforts to support the emergent construction needs.
It was identified that WEC has approximately 35,000 remaining vendor documents to review and
approve and that CB&I has approximately 100,000 vendor documents yet to approve.
Procurement engineering has the responsibility for reviewing and approving these documents.
Two significant issues that the Consortium engineering groups are working on include tube steel
wall thickness and equipment preservation:
Tube Steel Wall Thickness (Hollow Structural Shapes). The site has identified that
there is an industry-wide issue with the fabrication of cold-formed welded and seamless
tube steel structural shapes. The manufacturing process for A500 structural tube shapes
creates wall thicknesses less than that required by the ASTM material specification. WEC
and CB&I are working together to address a plan that will allow the use of this material at
both Vogtle and V.C. Summer.
Equipment Preservation. Early site delivery of equipment and components, coupled with
ongoing construction schedule delays, is creating several problems. The original
equipment specifications specified preventative maintenance or on-site storage
requirements typical for “normal” time between site delivery and installation in the plant.
Engineering is now updating equipment specifications so that purchasing/procurement
can contact suppliers to request them to provide updated preventative maintenance or
storage requirements necessary for a longer storage period between site delivery and
plant installation/equipment operation. It is unknown whether any equipment has
degraded to the point where it must be replaced, and it is unknown whether equipment
and component warranties are impacted.
Further, the Consortium has compiled a listing of major risks to project completion extracted from
the project risk register. From an engineering perspective, the major risks include:
The Consortium should endeavor to address and resolve these risks to minimize project impacts.
The V.C. Summer licensing effort appears to be well organized and staffed by personnel with
extensive experience with the AP1000 Design Control Document (DCD), the V.C. Summer (and
Vogtle) Combined License Applications (COLAs), and interactions with the NRC.
SCE&G manages the overall licensing program for V.C. Summer and they work closely with the
licensing and engineering personnel from Southern Company for the Vogtle project. WEC
manages the Consortium’s licensing efforts.
There are 14 personnel in the SCE&G licensing group. 5 persons handle LARs and departures.
The rest of the group handles NRC inspections, other permits, Final Safety Analysis Report
(FSAR) update, the 10 CFR 52 change process, and operating programs.
The WEC licensing organization currently has 9 personnel at the site. Four of these personnel are
working on licensing issues and 5 are dedicated to the closure of Inspections, Tests, Analyses,
and Acceptance Criteria (ITAAC). The number of ITAAC personnel is expected to increase to 10.
In the Cranberry offices, WEC has one director, 3 supervisors, and 22 engineers working on
LARs, departures, and regulatory issues.
CB&I has 2 licensing personnel assigned at the site and 1 manager in Charlotte.
Currently there are 120 LARs and 657 departures. The breakdown of LARs is as follows:
Known LARs appear to be well in hand with detailed schedules developed for each LAR. There
are active and continuous interactions with the NRC on each LAR and the NRC is working to meet
construction need dates. The schedules for LAR 30 and 111 were reviewed and they include a
good breakdown of schedule activities and durations for these LARs.
The Consortium is tracking their schedule and quality metrics for licensing change packages and
improvements have been seen in both areas.
SCE&G Licensing is working to improve the turnaround time for incorporating LARs and
departures into the integrated FSAR. At the time of the assessment, 1 approved LAR and 108
approved departures had not been incorporated. Formal revisions to the FSAR are issued every 6
months.
Various LARs have represented significant project challenges since the start of safety-related
construction including:
The Consortium identifies the possibility of emergent LARs as one of the project’s significant
risks. These are LARs (like the recent LAR on CA22 rebar) that are discovered late and have the
potential for impacting construction work progress. The various tight tolerances identified in DCD
Tier 1, Table 3.3-1, “Definition of Wall Thicknesses for Nuclear Island Buildings, Turbine Building,
and Annex Building” are a continuing concern with the civil construction work underway. And, as
the number of construction work fronts expands, the potential for identifying emergent LARs (and
departures) may increase.
3.2.3 ITAAC
There are 873 ITAAC that must be closed for each unit. Thirteen (13) of the ITAAC have been
closed (about 1.5%).
An ITAAC schedule has been developed that includes the closure activities for each ITAAC. The
schedule is a good tool to track the efforts for ITAAC closure. Periodic ITAAC schedule reports
are also submitted to the NRC.
All ITAACs must be closed by fuel load. This will be a significant challenge requiring substantial
efforts by the engineering and licensing organizations in the late stages of the construction effort.
The current schedule shows a peak of almost 120 ITAAC closures in January 2018 and over 90 in
June 2018.
ITAAC performance and documentation plans have been prepared for each ITAAC. Several
examples were reviewed during the assessment:
These plans appear to be complete and identify the responsible organizations, ITAAC wording,
supporting documents, and the ITAAC performance and documentation plan. The plans include
the logic for ITAAC performance, deliverables to support ITAAC submittal, personnel
identification/ assignment, materials or instrumentation procurement needed, vendor support
needed, and the schedule for performance (including schedule activities in the integrated project
schedule). A draft of the ITAAC closure letter is also included in the plan.
SCE&G and Southern Company have recently met with the NRC to discuss the concept of
Early Uncompleted ITAAC Notification (UIN). The UIN concept of getting early NRC agreement
on planned actions for later verification when completed could help with the high number of
ITAAC closures at the end of the construction effort.
Public involvement or intervention in the ITAAC closure process is considered a project risk,
although the potential for intervention is viewed as limited based on the specific 10 CFR 52.103
criteria.
The Consortium has identified delivered equipment conformance to ITAAC requirements as one
of the project’s significant risks.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Initiate a focused effort to complete known design “debt” to assist construction
planning and to eliminate one source of E&DCRs.
(Priority 1) Establish a forecast based on historical data and staff on a level of effort basis to
support. Provide additional staffing to address emergent E&DCRs and work off the current
backlog. Adjust the make-up of the team expertise (civil, piping, electrical, etc.) to support the
different stages of construction.
(Priority 1) Locate dedicated WEC engineering response teams to the site with design au-
thority to resolve E&DCR issues.
(Priority 2) Establish a WEC/CB&I “light structures” design organization at the site to work with
construction to redesign and reissue piping, HVAC, conduit, and tray supports that have been
identified as difficult or impossible to construct (in advance of the construction need date), and
to support the design of field run commodities such and conduit and instrumentation tubing that
have yet to be installed.
E2 Observation(s)
The work package data prepared by field engineering is checked for content accuracy and
completeness in accordance with CB&I procedures NCSP 2-19, NCSP 2-12, NCSP 2-7, and
CSI 2-19. All of the required information is then placed into a binder(s) and sent to document
control, who then manages the daily sign out, sign in of the work package by the craft. In some
instances, the work package is in three binders – instructions, engineering drawings, and
E&DCRs (change paper not yet incorporated into the parent drawings).
Simplification of the entire work package is desired, and it was identified that a task force was
being assembled to figure out how to make the process simpler and streamline the work
package physical size.
Approximately 2,000 work packages have been written to date; 800 of these are closed; 1,200
in some state of being worked, 100-200 are checked out from document control daily, and
18,500 to 24,000 total are expected to be written for Units 2 and 3.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Use a Six Sigma approach to simplify the size and content of the work package.
(Other) Strictly enforce within WEC and CB&I design engineering that no more than four
change papers against a design drawing may exist before they must be incorporated into the
parent document for re-issue to construction.
E3 Observation(s)
During an October 13, 2015 visit to the Unit 2 containment document control drawing annex,
more than several drawings were identified as being annotated with 10 or more changes.
Document control personnel had previously indicated that per plant requirements, drawings
should be revised after four (4) changes. In an unscientific sampling of ten (10) drawings, four
(4) were found to exceed four (4) changes with one containing 33 active changes. The potential
impacts of excessive changes to existing drawing revisions include the additional time burden
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Review current processes and resources to determine why plant drawing revision
requirements are not being met. Based on the results, revise process and/or add resources to
ensure that engineering drawings are revised in a timely manner.
E4 Observation(s)
Numerous late (just prior to or during installation) N&Ds to document installation issues are
being created, processed, and implemented to support supplier or constructability issues.
The forecast and scheduled/work-off plan was unclear to the assessment team with respect to
N&Ds.
There appears to be inadequate coordination between construction, field engineering, and
design engineering on preliminary and final disposition N&Ds.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Initiate a focused effort on planning and review of design, vendor/contractor
documents and tolerances to eliminate or have early identification of N&Ds.
(Priority 2) Establish a forecast based on historical data and staff on a level of effort basis to
support. Adjust the make-up of the team expertise (civil, piping, electrical, etc.) to support the
different stages of construction.
(Priority 2) Create/revise the process to enhance coordination between construction, field
engineering, and design engineering for N&Ds.
E5 Observation(s)
The Strategic Planning Group reviews electrical, piping, and I&C for everything but yard work.
The deliverables from this group includes a “room plan” and the goal is to perform this review
approximately 6-9 months in advance of when the work is scheduled; to identify all the things
that must be installed in a room prior to the room ceiling being installed. The group has a staff of
14.
Review priority is set by construction. Approximately 3,000 work packages have been scoped
(electrical and piping only) and approximately 100 have been planned electronically (several
more were recently reviewed with the assessment team). Not much electrical design has been
completed and issued for construction to be available and that which is issued is considered
problematic in many cases.
Pipe supports seem overly complicated; in containment electrical supports are “box beams”;
room plan being developed to support the boundary information package (BIP) to support
system turnover.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) The standard plant 3D model should be updated so that it accurately reflects the
final design so that it will better support understanding what is in a room that must be con-
structed.
(Priority 2) If possible, the 3D model should be put under configuration control so that images
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Assess the practicality of buying new main steam pipe with the correct wall thickness
rather than performing counter boring operations in the field and redesign of the stargate an-
chor, which may require changes to a ‘special processes’ specification or manual.
(Priority 1) Evaluate if equipment site delivery can be delayed to minimize field equipment
protection problems prior to installation in the plant.
E7 Observation(s)
An E&DCR is required for all changes, including software (e.g., calculation revision).
WEC performed an E&DCR study for the period May 15 – August 15, 2015. E&DCRs were
classified as home office issues (unsolicited change), construction impact, and exceptions. A
new study covering August 15 – December 15, 2015 is in progress.
Work package planning (6 months in advance of construction) can identify issues requiring
resolution. WEC is part of the new site Strategic Planning Group.
The construction planning and constructability review efforts are not far enough out in front of
the construction effort to minimize impacts.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Intensify the efforts of the Strategic Planning Group, work package planning, con-
structability reviews, etc. to identify design changes needed well in advance of the construction
need date.
(Priority 1) Look-ahead beyond where construction is today and work with the site Strategic
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Place emphasis on getting these new designs completed and associated drawings
issued as soon as possible to construction/procurement.
(Priority 1) Conduct a constructability review meeting with construction prior to issue in order
to avoid the need for changes.
E9 Observation(s)
The resolution of open items and emergent site issues is shared with Vogtle for standard plant
(1 x 4) designs.
WEC has three (3) dedicated response teams in Cranberry to address emergent issues –
civil-electrical, modules, mechanical. Includes about 80 engineers (doubled in size since the
April 30, 2015 design complete declaration).
Post-Engineering Design Closure Plan – includes items such as hot functional testing plan,
startup support, piping and supports as-built reconciliation, document turnover program, etc.
WEC is identifying and verify this emergent work now. These activities will be added to the
schedule, resource loaded, and tied to construction/startup/fuel load.
Domestic hold removal is tracked and statused weekly. These are tied to construction need
dates and consist of holds on design drawings that must be released so that construction can
proceed with the work identified within the hold. These are reviewed weekly with project con-
trols and statused weekly on a dashboard.
The EDC dashboard shows an increase in “Approved DCPs/Doc Pairs” requiring closure over
the past several weeks with most coming from civil, which is indicative of the current major
construction work front.
A weekly four hour meeting is held with engineering to review/status the to-go schedule and the
above items.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) WEC engineering should continue to stay on top of emergent issues including
maintaining focus on the increase in Approved DCPs/Doc Pairs requiring closure.
(Priority 1) Add appropriate staff to work off the backlog of approximately 1,150 of 1,400 items
identified on the September 14, 2015 dashboard.
(Priority 2) Complete the identification and resource loading of the post-engineering design
closure plan and load activities/resources into the P6 schedule. Assess changes to staffing that
may be required to support this work.
E10 Observation(s)
The Strategic Planning Group was recently formed to review and prepare a room plan which, at
a high level, identifies all the construction work required to be completed in a given plant room,
and a general sequence of installation of the commodities within the room. The room plan re-
view is planned to be performed approximately 6 to 9 months in advance of the construction
start date for the room/area.
Operating procedures for the Strategic Planning Group have been approved. The current staff
is 14.
The effort identifies only electrical, piping, I&C, and modules work for a given room. No material
quantity takeoffs or yard work planning is included. Field engineering does all other construc-
tion planning.
The priority of room plan development is set by construction.
The room plan process came into existence because of the difficulty of pulling together all of
the design drawings for all commodities required to be installed in a room, coupled with trying
to comply with issued/approved but not incorporated change paper (E&DCRs).
The room plan deliverable is input to work package planning that is performed by the central
planning group which is newly formed and has a staff of 28.
Approximately 3,000 work packages (electrical, mechanical) have been scoped. Approxi-
mately 100 rooms planned to date (electronically).
Work packages are being made smaller and reasonably scoped through interactions with CB&I
construction; prepared by commodity (e.g., piping, pipe support, electrical, etc.).
Preliminary findings in the room plans are that piping and electrical tray supports are compli-
cated and congested and will be a significant challenge to install. This could result in a signif-
icant amount of emergent E&DCRs and N&Ds similar to the civil design problems.
Work packages are being scoped to be consistent with the startup boundary information plans
so that they support system turnover to the pre-op test group.
The 3D model is used but it is not up to date; commodity clashes (intersections) are seen and
noted.
Piping and electrical support locations cannot be easily tied to civil drawing baseplates. This
requires a lot of research to figure out. Indications are that electrical may also be an issue.
Supplemental (miscellaneous) steel to support pipe and tray supports is not yet designed
which results in change paper to get it fabricated and installed.
Two-inch diameter and under conduit/piping is field routed.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Engineering should get ahead of construction and get E&DCRs incorporated into
design drawings so that construction planning is simplified and takes less time.
(Priority 1) A construction priority should be work package closure.
(Priority 1) The Strategic Planning Group function should continue because of the issues that
have been identified to date with the engineering design drawings.
(Priority 2) Set up in the field a design engineering “light structures” group to facilitate field
Recommendation(s)
(Other) No specific recommendations.
E12 Observation(s)
Module design was not complete at time of contract execution. The change from A36 to A572
steel created fabrication issues.
“As assembled” final module tolerances are driven by ITAAC requirements. Fabrication toler-
ances had to be tighter to meet ‘as assembled” tolerances.
Different tolerances are specified for different modules.
Fabricators are finding design errors.
Some large mechanical modules are complex and not yet fabricated.
The WEC site team supports onsite module work. WEC Cranberry supports in shop module
fabrication.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Correctly sequence the placement of mechanical and floor modules into Unit 3 CA20
and CA01 modules prior to installing them in the unit.
E13 Observation(s)
A significant number (greater than 1,000) WEC drawing holds exist that are impeding procurement
and construction activities.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) As part of the weekly schedule update meeting, review near term holds and commit
to getting a release date for hold removal and document issue to support procurement and
construction work.
E14 Observation(s)
The to-go WEC engineering schedule comprises roughly 75-85% activities that are ‘software’
only; i.e., closing out corrective actions, rolling in outstanding E&DCRs, archiving calculations,
etc., most of which is required to support fuel load, not the day-to-day construction work.
The Post-Engineering Design Closure Plan is meant to be that engineering work necessary to
get the plant to fuel load, but is not necessarily tied to immediate construction work; e.g., hot
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Continue with the weekly schedule review meetings to ensure these engineering
activities are getting completed in addition to supporting emergent site issues and completing
any unfinished to-go design engineering.
(Priority 2) Assemble a team of subject matter experts to develop the work scope, schedule
activities, and resource requirements for Post-Engineering Design Closure. This will enable
determination of the need to add resources later in the project or to reassign personnel to
support these work activities.
E15 Observation(s)
Personnel assigned to the onsite document control team are working significant overtime. Two
document control staff persons were recently added and an additional member may be added in
the near future. The document control team is challenged with the volume of work necessary to
support work packages and drawing maintenance.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Perform a review that leverages the experience of current team members who have
worked other commercial nuclear sites and develop a “best in class” approach to document
control. Alter work processes to incorporate the things that worked well at other locations and
avoid the mistakes that may have occurred elsewhere. Encourage a questioning attitude
among team members that allows the question, “why are we doing this?” to be asked of all
phases of the document control process.
(Other) Implement the use of bar coding to reduce the amount of time craft personnel spend in
retrieving and submitting work packages.
E16 Observation(s)
Based on discussions, site document control has a challenging task to meet existing work
package demands, though, from discussion, it appears that electronic processes do assist in
package processing and production/reproduction. Document control is staffed with fourteen
(14) workers, providing coverage 24 hours per day for six (6) days each week, with staff on call
for Sunday work.
The work control process places a significant administrative burden on those developing,
maintaining, and administering work packages. Field work portions of the packages contain
numerous sign offs, requirements for shift work accomplishments to be documented, etc.
These requirements begin once a package has been picked up from document control at the
beginning of a shift, transported to the work site, pre-job brief performed, and work allowed to
begin. At the end of shift, the package is returned to document control, where entries/updates
provided during the shift are documented. The next shift continues the process when the shift
representative picks up the package to begin the next phase of work.
4. Procurement
This section describes the assessment of the procurement aspects of the project. Section 4.1
provides a summary of the current status. Section 4.2 provides procurement observations and
recommendations.
The project is supported from a procurement perspective by CB&I and WEC, with CB&I’s efforts
supported both onsite and in their Charlotte, NC offices and WEC supported by their Cranberry,
PA offices.
The project procurement teams are focused on the to-go purchases and material deliveries as
reported via the ROYG report and discussions with site personnel. The September 28, 2015
ROYG report provides the following information regarding the to-go purchases and the delivery
status of components tied back to the schedule:
Currently, the procurement portions of the ROYG report do not accurately reflect the project’s
current requirements or needs. Bechtel’ ability to properly assess the impact of the above data in
relation to the project critical path was hindered because CB&I was completing a schedule
adherence project. This effort, scheduled for completion by October 31, 2015, is planned to result
in changes to the ROYG report to properly identify material requirements that do not support the
project schedule. Once these changes are identified, the Consortium plans to implement
mitigation plans to resolve identified problem areas.
CB&I site procurement is focusing on several efforts which are of importance and in various
stages of completion:
Establishing and fully implementing a min/max strategy and program that supports
construction needs. There are eight permanent plant material blanket purchase orders
(BPOs) in place and an additional 16 in process with forecasted awards dates.
Coordination with construction is needed such that identification of material(s) is made so
that BPOs can be put in place with appropriate min/max levels established based upon
construction’s requirements and usage rates and supply lead times. This is key to
implement an effective program that supports the project’s daily requirements.
Inventory validation of material under the control of CB&I procurement, which currently
has a 48% level of accuracy.
Overall, the current Consortium procurement program has the basic procedures and processes in
place to complete the work. There are, however, areas for improvement and potential risks that
are identified in the sections below.
Industry-wide, the nuclear supply chain continues to be in a period of restart and growing pains.
Although the Consortium has nuclear quality programs in place, they are still adjusting to the
existing and new regulations and documentation requirements. There has been a learning curve
that is still in progress. The challenge is to keep the supply base in such a form as they can be
profitable and provide a product or service at a competitive price.
The Consortium is challenged with the amount of design changes and documentation, which has
presented commercial issues that have to be dealt with and resolved. The Consortium must be
cognizant of and sensitive to supply chain issues, as they need to see that nuclear power
requirements will not negatively impact their ability to do business.
Commercial grade dedication (CGD) is an accepted and necessary element of the nuclear supply
chain. The issue is compliance with the requirements and the supply chain’s understanding of
their responsibilities as conveyed in the commercial agreement between the project and a given
supplier or contractor. Additionally, the conveyance of project specific requirements is critical to
the proper implementation.
There have been concerns with the proper conveyance of project requirements to the supply
chain and their understanding of the project’s needs. On the Consortium side, it was conveyed
that there was a lack of understanding of the CGD process and management thereof. This was
evident in the supply of safety related fabricated embeds. These concerns have been identified
and are being addressed, with the result being improved awareness of project requirements by
the suppliers and applicable project personnel. The key point here is the need for Consortium and
supplier personnel to fully understand the CGD requirements and processes. There must be
continued focus with this effort for the timely delivery of material and equipment to the project in
accordance with construction need dates.
4.1.4 Documentation
The required documentation (certification packages with shipments), as it relates to the material
supply, is one of the key elements of the final turnover package to the Owner for permanent plant
retention. In discussions with the CB&I procurement team, it was described how errors are
continuing to be identified in the required certification paperwork. These errors should have been
caught either by the supplier or the CB&I inspector reviewing the packages prior to shipment. It is
critical that the supply chain and CB&I assigned personnel fully understand this requirement and
comply, since the lack of proper turnover documentation can adversely affect the schedule.
Further, the project’s prompt review of received documentation is critical, because if there are
issues with it, they need to be raised and resolved immediately so that the material can be
released in support of the schedule.
Currently, the site conditions are such that there is insufficient space to properly receive, store,
maintain, and manage material. There is a program in place to evaluate this issue, and efforts are
underway to expand and manage the outcome. There must to be a concerted effort to complete
this effort so that the material management process can become more efficient and timely to
constriction needs. Additionally, if material cannot be maintained, stored, and located for issuance
in a timely manner schedule will be affected.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Improve the process of conveying status and associated details of issues such that
sufficient details are known and can be properly conveyed.
(Other) Establish a coordination meeting for procurement only so that there is a coordinated
effort between site and Charlotte procurement activities.
P2 Observation(s)
During multiple walks and drives through of the warehouses, tents, and laydown areas, it is
evident that there is insufficient space for level C and D storage. Specifically, there are 38 +/-
floats with pipe spools that require the receipt process completed as there are storage issues.
There are currently 16 different locations covering both on and off site storage which are quite
spread out over the project site. Additionally, material is being held at the multiple suppliers as
there is no place to store at site.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Complete a needs analysis to identify and finalize the required space.
(Priority 1) Perform a comprehensive manufacturing schedule review against construction
need dates and deliveries forecasted for the next 6 months. Work with the supply chain as
appropriate to delay manufacture to allow for future shipment at the appropriate time.
(Priority 1) Prioritize issues with Level C storage requirements.
P3 Observation(s)
During the review of laydown and warehouse areas, it was stated that there was material no longer
usable or needed due to design changes, particularly rebar and pipe spools. There is a delay in the
process of identifying what material is no longer required and its appropriate disposition, leading to
an ineffective allocation of space.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Expedite the finalization of the surplus process and implement it quickly so that space
can be reallocated to incoming material.
(Other) Consortium management must drive this priority activity, along with Owner input, since
space is at a premium.
P4 Observation(s)
During multiple walk-throughs of the site laydown yards, there is a mix of material within the yards
instead of having a program of commodity management by yard. This lends itself to inefficient
material handling for a given work package. Having material in multiple locations can result in
double handling and present challenges to basic material management.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Complete the inventory revalidation effort which is planned for completion by the
end of 2015.
(Priority 1) Establish a program to continually validate inventory.
P6 Observation(s)
During multiple walk-throughs of the CB&I laydown yards, the majority of pipe spools for iden-
tification purposes have paper tags rather than metal tags. It was observed that with the time
material is held in laydown yards the paper tags have deteriorated or detached.
It was observed that some radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have also become de-
tached. It was conveyed that, with the extended storage durations, they are experiencing fail-
ure of the RFIDs, which necessitates their replacement. Consequently, material identification
and location is problematic.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) For material currently in CB&I’s control, as part of the re-inventory process, create
and attach new tags. Use weather resistant type tags that can be printed onsite.
(Priority 2) For future shipments, CB&I Laurens must use and attach metal tags instead of
paper. It is assumed that a specification change will be needed to facilitate this new method of
identification.
(Priority 2) As part of the re-inventory process, validate RFID operability and change accord-
ingly if required.
P7 Observation(s)]
In regards to material management and associated preventative maintenance requirements, it was
observed that with the extended storage period for material in the onsite laydown yards and
warehouses, there are deficiencies with the management and the administration of that process
and the need for additional focus in this area. With the lack of proper management, i.e. mainte-
nance, there is the risk that if material has to be replaced for whatever reason, there is the potential
for a schedule issue since the replacement lead time may not support the schedule.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Enhance the material storage program such that it is properly monitored and
maintained as a joint effort between procurement and construction.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Expedite the implementation of the identified BPOs so that construction can use
them rather than writing individual material requisitions.
(Priority 1) In developing the “list” of BPOs in place that would support a min/max system,
construction and field engineering personnel should help define what products should be
maintained within the min/max system.
(Priority 1) Educate site personnel on the use and process of the BPOs and the min/max
system.
P9 Observation(s)
In discussion with the materials team, there was a lack of planning and coordination for material
requests/withdrawals. The majority of material requests come in as a “rush”.
Material requests generally are generally not submitted to procurement with any lead time,
coordination, or planning, which results in an inefficient method of operation.
Work is performed by work package, and materials are scheduled in accordance with the
schedule.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Work with construction and establish a “planning tool” such that the two organizations
better communicate needs so that requests are not in a continual rush mode of operation.
(Priority 1) Establish a two week look-ahead planning tool. This is needed as material for a
given request is most likely in multiple locations with the current laydown yard situation.
(Other) Consider storing material by work package, as this will make withdrawal more efficient
and act as a confirmation that all material is on-site and available.
P10 Observation(s)
In reviewing schedule status reports and in discussions with procurement management, it is
unclear if all options have been exhausted with respect to sources of supply and allocation of
work to a given module fabricator. CB&I is analyzing work allocation based on current per-
formance, shop loading, and construction schedule needs.
It was said that this activity is complete and that the distribution and proper allocation of work
has improved. Additionally it was stressed that the performance of assigned fabricators was
improving. With the past performance of the fabricators along with design changes, intrusive
management of these fabricators is needed. As these issues are of a commercial nature,
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Continue to analyze work allocation based on current performance, shop loading,
and construction schedule needs.
(Priority 1) Confirm the ability of the existing eight module fabricators to support the schedule
with the resources, flexibility, and wherewithal to handle the work.
(Priority 1) Complete an analysis of the ROYG report (Item 15.16) and their associated fab-
ricator and develop a plan to have deliveries made in accordance with the schedule.
P11 Observation(s)
There is an issue with compliance with project and Purchase Order requirements to support the
accuracy of required documentation. This issue seems to cross all of the procurement activity.
CB&I’s process stipulates reviews and accepts documentation packages at the supplier’s
facilities, as appropriate.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Reconfirm that Purchase Order and/or Contract requirements are clearly and properly
stated.
(Other) Re-review with the supply chain their understanding of requirements. Monitor for
trends and address with supplier management.
(Other) Address the training of individuals reviewing documentation packages to ensure their
understanding of the requirements and processes.
P12 Observation(s)
In general discussions with CB&I’s procurement manager on risk items, a lack of overall effort
and focus was observed. Items are identified but it is not clear how diligently CB&I is managing
these risk items to closure.
Risk Register Item #67 –Critical Equipment/Vendor Supply and Oversight – is still under de-
velopment and owned by site procurement.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Hold procurement accountable to close risk items as scheduled.
P13 Observation(s)
After meeting with CB&I’s procurement manager, there appears to be a workable process in
place for managing purchasing, expediting, and materials management activities that has
evolved as the project has grown. The observation is whether there are enough resources
applied to properly monitor/manage activities.
Additionally, design changes were a recurring topic of discussion regarding the management of
the current eight agreements for module fabrication. When looking at the ROYG procurement
report, there are multiple modules that are in the red.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Complete the analysis of ROYG report to properly assess the schedule. Ensure proper
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Expedite the resolution of CGD issues so that if the material has to be replaced, it
can be in time to support schedule.
(Priority 2) Revalidate the Purchase Orders that have compliance issues so that verification is
documented and all material is accounted for.
(Priority 2) Increase the interactions with suppliers to ensure the Purchase Order/specification
requirements are understood and CGD is properly supported by the supplier and project en-
gineering.
P15 Observation(s)
CB&I uses the Smart Plant operating platform as their requisitioning tool onsite. This program
appears to be functional from the creation and routing of a requisition through to the assigned
buyer and subsequent award. However, there is no expediting module within Smart Plant, thus
the tracking of open Purchase Orders is done manually via an Excel tracker, and there is no
mechanism in the system for an individual to look up the status of an open Purchase Order.
It was also noted that the ability to track requisition/Purchase Orders by work package was not
available; this function was also done manually. The issue here is that an item must be tracked
manually rather than using the system, which is an inefficient means of monitoring materials
and assuring all material is accounted for in a given work package.
It was noted that the site procurement team has manually created status reports that track
open orders and are used with their coordination with construction.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Expand/enhance existing tools to accommodate site needs, such that status data
can be maintained and available for view by the project.
(Priority 2) Develop a system whereby data management/entry is completed within one sys-
tem.
CB&I procurement management described that they recognize this data is not correct in the
ROYG report. A “schedule adherence activity” (project) by discipline is currently underway for
the past 8 weeks, as there are activities that are not correctly tied, thus the data in ROYG is
incorrect.
The schedule adherence project was to be completed by October 31, 2015 and is expected to
result in clear visibility as to what commodity/equipment requires a mitigation plan from an
overall perspective versus an emergent need on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. Thus, as of the
writing of this report, the use of the current ROYG report data is not useful in the schedule
analysis.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Complete the schedule adherence effort as planned by October 31, 2015.
(Priority 1) Evaluate resource needs to properly manage items identified in the ROYG report
as impacting construction need dates.
P17 Observation(s)
In discussions with the site procurement team regarding work package planning (crea-
tion/issuance), it was observed that late issuance translates into late requisition creation and the
need for material to support construction need dates turns many procurements into a “rush” situa-
tion. The planning and issuance of work packages is out of synch with the procurement cycle and
inhibits the procurement and delivery of material in an orderly manner.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority ) Adjust work package planning to allow for a “normal” state of operation for the
downstream activities after the work package is issued.
5.1.1 Introduction
As part of the assessment, Bechtel’s construction and project controls personnel gathered a wide
variety of information on the history and current status of the effort, such as:
Touring various areas of the site (e.g., Units 2 and 3 nuclear islands, turbine areas,
module assembly building (MAB) and laydown areas, temporary facilities)
Attending safety meetings, plan of the day (POD) meetings, module status meetings, and
area schedule meetings
Meeting with a number of individuals to understand the work packaging program, quality
organization, project controls organization, engineering status, procurement program,
constructability and strategic planning, startup and turnover plan, and the document
control process
Early in Bechtel’s assessment, the Consortium presented to Bechtel their organizations and the
status of and the plan for the project. The Consortium provided Bechtel the estimated bulk
quantities for installation, as well as the budgeted jobhours and performance to date by general
account (such as concrete, piping, and electrical; but no further breakdown). The Consortium
would not, however, share the unit rates.
It was apparent that contractual issues between the parties are impacting the work. Timely
resolution of problems does not seem to have the quick response needed by the project to
achieve the schedule.
The project can be proud of its safety record, especially the months of August and September
2015 where the project had only one recordable each month. The cleanliness of the site and work
areas really stood out during Bechtel’s walkdowns.
Working too many hours for an extended period ― the work schedule is a 58 hour work
week (5–10s and 1-8) with selected overtime
Non-manual turn over ― the rate for the year to date is greater than 17%
Amount of time the craftsmen are at the work face ― numerous issues are keeping the
craftsmen from performing work
Engineering design changes during construction and slow resolution of issues ― work is
continually being impacted
Organization at site ― The Project Management Organization (PMO) and the Operations
Control Center (OCC) are set up to treat the to-go work like an outage, with status of the
next week’s work reviewed on a daily basis
Use of modules ― While a great idea in theory, their use so far has been a detriment to the
project progress and consequently the budget
Construction of nuclear plants today is different from the previous generation in the 1980s.
It doesn’t appear that all the new requirements were included in the estimate.
With only 800 direct craft, the supervision and field engineering ratio to craft is at present quite
high. However, it is expected that when the craft staffing level peaks at approximately 4,000 (i.e.,
a Bechtel estimate), the ratio will be at the appropriate level if the number of non-manuals
increases marginally.
A revised schedule was issued in January 2015, and since then the schedule has slipped
significantly. The continuing problems with the modules have been a big part of the reason for the
schedule slippage. Impacts from late design changes have also impacted the work. A large
number of interferences have been identified and the time it takes to resolve those interferences
as well as other problems such as construction errors has had a significant impact on the
schedule. In addition, the concrete portion of the shield building is complex and has impacted the
schedule.
There are plenty of work areas available to work, but the current staffing level will not support their
needs. In an effort to improve accountability on the project, the Consortium recently introduced a
Project Management Organization and an Operations Control Center. These organizations have
meetings every day, and although they are improving the accountability and problem resolution,
the time that the construction management personnel spend updating the issues discussed is
impacting their ability to be out in the work areas. Finally, non-manual turnover is running at
greater than 17%, which is impacting the morale on the project as well as the schedule.
There are a number of major issues that are having significant impacts to the schedule and the
performance of the project, as described below. The Observations and Recommendations
section also provides additional details.
A large percentage of the personnel on the project have been working 58 hours (5-10s and 1-8
hours per week) for an extended period of time. One of the reasons given was that the overtime is
used to attract the craftsmen (the project is advertised as a 48 hour work week). While overtime is
used to attract crafts, the project pay scale is competitive with most non-union projects in the
Southeast U.S. CB&I is presently struggling to attract rebar ironworkers and will have similar
problems with pipefitters and electricians (there will be 2 to 3 times as many pipefitters and
electricians as ironworkers) when the project is heavily into the bulk installation.
There are other ways to attract craftsmen besides overtime. Incentive programs have been
developed, such as providing an incentive of $1/hour for craftsmen staying until given a reduction
in force, which would lower the almost 20% of craft resignations year to date. A lot of time and
money is expended getting the craftsmen on board, and an incentive program like this would help
retain them.
CB&I is considering increasing the amount of overtime in order to gain schedule. Numerous
studies by the Construction Industry Institute, Business Roundtable, Department of Labor, and
the trade unions have shown that when extended overtime is worked more than 8 to 9 weeks, the
performance deteriorates quickly resulting in a 58 hour week approaching the performance
equivalent of 40 hours. The costs definitely outweigh the benefits of this approach, for in addition
to reducing productivity, extended overtime also negatively affects morale, decision making, and
safety.
The non-manual turnover for the last year has been greater than 17% which is high for a typical
nuclear project. In particular, the Unit 2 Nuclear Island has had five different managers since the
start of the project. There are a number of issues contributing to the turnover; most pressing is
CB&I’s difficulty in finding experienced, qualified people. While they have been hiring some of the
older and experienced people who worked on nuclear power units back in the 1980s, many of
these individuals are now in their 70s and this type of construction is better suited to people that
can spend entire days on their feet moving from one work location to another throughout a normal
work day.
Many of the non-manual personnel expressed frustration and being “worn out” due to the amount
of overtime they put in to meet the job demands, as well as having to meet the informational
requirements imposed by the PMO and the OCC.
Managers and supervisors working on a nuclear power plant are under constant stress. The
safety, cost, and schedule concerns never cease; and when these are compounded with the
frustrations of design changes, Owner demands, worker complaints, and the difficulties of
achieving installation work, the stress is great, creating turnover issues.
Because of the requirements of the project, the craftsmen are not able to spend a full workday at
their place of work. There are many factors involved, but the biggest one seems to be the Work
Package (WP) procedures. For example, most concrete WPs include three volumes with each
volume being three or more inches thick. One volume has safety bulletins, quality control signoff
sheets, and general information associated with the work; one has drawings and specifications;
and one has design changes. In some packages, the design change volume is twice as thick as
the drawing volume.
Each day the foreman must check out the WP from document control and take it to the workface.
If there had been a change to the WP in the last 24 hours, the package is put on hold until the field
engineer can locate the change document in the package and replace it. If the field engineer is not
available immediately, the foreman must wait to check out the WP until the field engineer is
available. As a result, no work is performed until the WP is updated.
We observed the start of the work shift and it took approximately an hour for the craftsmen to start
work. Further, the craftsmen leave the work area for both coffee breaks and lunch. Arrangements
should be made to have the crafts stay in the building during coffee and lunch breaks.
It is a common practice to transfer craftsmen from one area to another to provide support, as
needed. This is usually done on an occasional basis, after which they return to their original work
location. Because of the project schedule pressure, these transfers have become standard
practice, leaving some work areas (for example, the Unit 3 nuclear island) with a management
team that has few craftsmen to perform the work. The present difficulty in recruiting rebar
ironworkers just increases the problem. Combining Unit 2 and 3 nuclear island non-manuals
might help solve some of these issues.
At this phase of construction, as elevations in the buildings are completed, there is usually space
to allow the craftsmen to locate “gang boxes” and storage boxes on each elevation, so the tools
needed for the work are located near the work area. Because of the ongoing module work and the
small footprint of the buildings, some workers are required to carry their tools to the work area
every day. If they find they need something they did not bring, they have to leave the building to
get it, which is another cause of time away from the workface.
A large part of the schedule slip is related to late design changes, slow resolution of interference
issues, and the time it takes to resolve construction errors and quality problems. A large number
of these issues are related to module construction. Many of the changes come at the last minute,
which requires the construction group to revise their plan, which can have a significant impact on
the work. In addition, changes are not being incorporated into the drawings in a timely manner,
causing the craft to spend a good deal of time confirming they are working with the latest
information.
Construction has initiated a constructability review and a strategic planning effort which reviews
the design to identify interferences and determine if there are constraints to the work. This should
help drive down the number of interferences that affect work schedules.
As long as there are late design changes occurring and there is not expeditious resolution of
issues that arise, there will continue to be significant schedule slippages.
The PMO meets daily in the POD meeting with site senior personnel to review near term work and
review the progress (or impacts) made in the last 24 hours. The OCC meets daily with area
superintendents to review the 3-week look-ahead schedule to determine progress against the
schedule and identify issues that may affect it. Both of these efforts are run similarly to the method
used for short term operating nuclear plant activities, such as a refueling outage or completing
startup work. There are some real benefits to this approach, such as identifying what is holding up
the work and determining where to focus the efforts to overcome those barriers. However, there is
also a big downside to using this approach on a large construction project that is still in the civil
work stage, as it causes a large number of resources to be occupied with providing daily updates
instead of focusing on the work in the field.
A large project such as V.C. Summer is divided into areas, so that area teams can take full
ownership of the scope handled in that area. Assistance in resolving issues (which the PMO
provides) allows the team to focus on the work, but it should only focus on resolving the
engineering, procurement, and quality impacts and hold schedule meetings once or twice a week.
Having a daily schedule meeting which the OCC presently does, requires a lot of time and
detracts from the focus required to get the construction work done. If the PMO wants to address
the construction progress, they can do so in the weekly schedule meeting.
In May 2014, a management decision was made to set the CA20 module in the auxiliary building
even though the module fabrication was not complete. Completion of the module is not expected
until the end of this year, and doing this work in the building has had a significant impact on the
cost and the schedule to the project. The module should have been left in the MAB where there is
a controlled environment and access to the module is much easier using man lifts and scaffold.
Had it been left in the MAB until assembly was complete, one would expect that some of the
schedule slips this year would have been mitigated.
In the 1980s, the building boom for nuclear power plants was coming to an end. The boom had
started in the 1960s, so there were many experienced craftsmen and non-manuals available,
some with 20 or more years of experience. There were also numerous nuclear equipment
suppliers and multiple engineering and construction organizations.
The normal practice then was to start engineering and within a few years, start construction while
engineering was ongoing ― usually keeping a step ahead of construction. Construction had lots
of input into the design, ensuring that the project was “construction friendly”. The plants were built
under the Construction Permit/Operating License approach of 10 CFR 50, so proceeding with
construction “at risk” was a common practice. Field engineering had the authority and latitude to
resolve many of the issues that arose during construction.
At V.C. Summer, a standard AP1000 design is being built that is planned to be used on numerous
sites. In comparison to the nuclear power plants of the 1980s, the AP1000 has reduced quantities,
encompasses a smaller footprint, and uses modules extensively. However, the reality as
experienced on V.C. Summer has shown some issues with this new, modernized design. The
modules, while a great concept, have proven to be an impediment to the construction and are
much more complicated to fabricate and install. While the quantities have been substantially
reduced along with the footprint, in some areas the density of the material in the area has
increased, resulting is a more difficult installation and an increase to schedule. While designing
the plant in multiple locations, it appears that the coordination between those groups was
inadequate in some instances. It also appears that few constructability reviews were performed,
resulting in many interferences and difficulties with the construction.
Experienced craftsmen and non-manuals will continue to be hard to find. Efforts are going to have
to be made to train them and find ways to make their jobs easier. The project has an extensive
onsite training facility that is capable of training individuals to become most any craft. Recently, 13
laborers were trained to become rebar ironworkers where they currently have a shortage. The
training program needs to be expanded and kicked into high gear to start developing pipefitters,
electricians, welders, and more rebar ironworkers. WP procedures need to be reviewed to make it
easier for the craftsmen to spend time at the workface.
A significant project challenge is obtaining the craftsmen and getting them productive. At present,
the project is challenged to obtain enough rebar ironworkers and in the future, the challenge will
be obtaining the large number of pipefitters and electricians in the not-too-distant future. Currently
there are several areas where there is workable backlog (e.g., only 100 craft in the Unit 3
containment, several elevated floor slabs in the Unit 2 turbine building where rebar could be
installed, and no work in the Unit 3 turbine building). Over the past several months, the project has
been achieving a 0.5% progress per month when the Consortium’s schedule requires 1%. The
project needs to work the available workfaces to increase the progress. The future needs are
2.5% to 3% per month. The industrial relations group needs to get out in front with training and
obtaining the craftsmen needed.
The project has several requirements of the craftsmen that keep them from the workface, and
these need to be addressed. The WPs need to be simplified in order to provide the foreman only
the information required to accomplish the work and have quality control sign-offs. At present, the
WPs include safety information that duplicates the weekly safety bulletins, the specifications and
standard details, and too many design changes without updating the design drawings. The WPs,
in some cases, are three inch binders, when the package the foreman needs is less than 1 inch
thick. The morning safety bulletin requires each member of the crew to sign the back of bulletin; it
takes 15 minutes for a crew of ten to review and sign the bulletin. Thus, it takes over an hour each
morning to get the crews to the workface. A senior construction person should work this issue with
the goal to getting craftsmen to the workface sooner, thus becoming more productive.
The overtime, 5-10s, and 1-8 plus selective overtime needs to be reduced to no more than 4-10s
and 1-8 so both craftsmen and non-manuals can be more productive. After 8 weeks of 60 hour
work weeks, studies have shown that in actuality only 40 hours of work is really being produced.
b. Non-Manual Turnover
The non-manual turnover is too high to build a productive organization. There have been five
different area managers in the Unit 2 containment since the project began, and all the area
managers’ names have changed since the first of the year except one. Reducing the overtime
should reduce personnel turnover.
c. Current Forecast
A new forecast with realistic unit rates and the latest quantities needs to be developed so accurate
craft staffing needs can be forecast. Once a good unit rate base is established, the craft and their
superintendents need to be held accountable for weekly cost (jobhours per unit of work)
performance. At present, not enough attention is given to craft performance. The indirects need to
be evaluated and burn down curves developed. The ratio of 1,100 indirect craftsmen to 800 direct
craftsmen is not typical.
d. Engineering Changes
Another major challenge is the amount of engineering changes due to interferences when
installation is underway; these require engineering evaluations which take a good deal of time and
affect craft productivity. Until this impact can be reduced, the craft productivity will continue to be
impacted and the schedule will continue to slip.
A successful project controls platform requires competent team members, a project controls plan,
and strong EPC integrated project management tools to track project progress and performance.
It was identified over the course of the assessment that the Consortium’s project controls team is
competent and does have the appropriate level of experience required to manage the project.
Inversely, the Owner’s organization lacks the appropriate personnel to provide the proper level of
review and oversight required to drive the project to successful completion.
Bechtel’s assessment was focused on the schedule aspects of the project only. Cost was
reviewed solely in terms of hours and productivity. In general, the project management tools that
are in place to track the schedule are sufficient, but in some cases the processes and data used
require change. For example, the Consortium’s bulk installation curves include both below and
above ground commodities within the same curve. The bulk curve tracking tool itself is
appropriate, but the results become suspect when combining these commodities. Since the
underground activities occur significantly in advance of the above ground, the calculated
sustained duration window is extended creating false results for evaluation of achievability.
The primary scheduling tools reviewed included the bulk installation curves, Level 1 schedule,
and Primavera Level 2 & 3 schedules. Each of these items is addressed within the observation
and recommendations identified in Section 5.2. In summary, these tools appear to contain the
majority of procedural requirements and are deemed acceptable. The issues that exist with these
tools occur within the data or level of tracking detail. Overall, the integrated project schedule
contains the entire scope of the project. The issue is the appropriate level of detail contained at
each level of the schedule.
The Level 1 schedule lacks the appropriate level of detail to be considered a useful
tracking tool. It only contains some of the required dates and the overall logic sequence is
not well represented, nor easily understood by the reviewer.
The Level 2 schedule within the Primavera tool is only a roll-up of the also included Level
3 schedule residing within. These rolled up Level 2 schedule activities, otherwise known
as “hammock” activities, have a limited usefulness due to the extended durations caused
by inactivity areas within a logic string. The Consortium’s Level 2 schedule, which uses the
before mentioned “hammock” concept, reflects the typical parallel activities which hide
critical logic ties resulting in a tool with limited usefulness.
Unlike the Level 1 schedule, the Level 3 schedule includes a massive amount of detail.
Bechtel’s experience is that an appropriately sized Level 3 schedule, without the working
level schedule details included, results in a more efficient and accurate tool to monitor the
overall project. For V.C. Summer, the Consortium has included their Level 5 working level
schedules, within the Primavera Level 3 database. This results in an overall EPC Level 3
schedule containing over 250,000 activities. Maintaining a schedule of this size takes a
great amount of effort and its accuracy can be questionable. The time taken to maintain
the schedule also detracts from other areas of the planning process which in most cases is
more effective than the detailed schedule updates. This practice can also create a short
sighted view with a loss in focus of what it takes to complete the overall project.
Construction and project controls observations and recommendations are identified in Table 5-1.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Since the MAB has a substantial amount of work remaining in addition to the work
on Unit 2 CA03, it is recommended that a resource-loaded schedule be developed and some
type of plan to predict and measure performance. Since this is not typical construction work, an
example might be jobhours per lineal foot of weld. The development of these tools should help
keep the work on schedule and within budget. Since the shop is performing so well, a study
should be performed to see what other work they can be perform as they complete module
work.
CPC2 Observation(s)
The Unit 2 auxiliary building CA20 module was set in May 2014, however the fabrication and as-
sembly was incomplete. The outstanding work was substantial and was reported to Bechtel to be
as much as 50%. Seventeen months after setting the module, work continues in the field to com-
plete the assembly. The work in the field is substantially more difficult and costly as compared to
performing it in the controlled environment of the MAB, which allows easier access using man lifts
which cannot be used in the field, better lighting for two shift work, and inside a building so weather
is not a factor.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) A detailed evaluation of the to-go work should be performed so that management
understands the cost and schedule impacts before deciding to install something out of se-
quence.
CPC3 Observation(s)
An observation from the POD meetings is that the details discussed in these meetings results
in micromanagement and short term planning of the specific construction activity. This type of
detail management may be needed to resolve engineering (since it is in punch list mode),
procurement, or quality items affecting the construction work, but for this phase of the con-
struction, the detailed construction planning should be done by the area teams.
It was observed that approximately 30 people attend the daily POD, however less than 15
provide input. The remaining participants are there to answer any question that may come up.
Four days per week, the area supervision team spends significant time to gather information to
meet with the PMO personnel to provide status of the day’s progress and issues so they can be
knowledgeable at the POD. This takes craft supervision out of the field, away from the
craftsmen where they are needed.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) The focus of the POD should be on resolution of issues (i.e., engineering, procure-
ment, and quality) impacting the construction activities. The area construction teams should
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Look at streamlining the process for construction aids and material. In addition, look at
expanding the min/max program to ensure enough material is continuously maintained to
adequately support construction. This would cover items such as stock steel (angles, channels,
etc.), fasteners (bolts, nuts, washers, etc.), piping material (studs, gaskets, etc.) and conduit
fittings and unistrut.
CPC5 Observation(s)
A review of the reading room documents suggests that the budgeted unit rates may not have been
estimated and resource-loaded to account for differing locations and complexity. As an example,
the budgeted unit rate of 35 to 36 jobhours per ton for rebar installation is used for standard as well
as complex installations. The turbine pedestal, elevated slabs, and wall rebar installations require
higher unit rates than a base mat installation. Craft productivity against the as budgeted unit rates
has been difficult to achieve to date. This results in poor morale and an unmotivated effort to
measure craft productivity.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) The project should complete a reforecast based on to date performance, and es-
tablish realistic unit rates for the bulk installations. These realistic unit rates times the fore-
casted quantities will result in better projections of manpower needs by craft needs and craft
performance can be monitored.
(Priority 1) Adjust the rates to take into account present performance impacts such as: work
packaging, skill levels, experience of personnel, and 10 CFR 52 licensing requirements.
CPC6 Observation(s)
The current status of piping deliveries to each unit are as follows:
― Unit 2: 82% B31.1 is at site; 56% ASME is at site
― Unit 3: 63% B31.1 is at site; 28% ASME is at site
It was stated that 20% to 30% of delivered spools at the site require rework due to changes
which include revisions due to valve lengths changes, equipment nozzle relocations, etc.
WEC’s Engineering Manager explained that the majority of the changes were due to move-
ment of hangers on the piping isometrics, not physical changes to the pipe.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) The project should develop a craft staffing plan to reduce the indirect costs and
staffing to a reasonable level. It should be monitored weekly just like direct work. A reforecast
should also be performed along with a revised equipment plan.
CPC8 Observation(s)
A comparison between CB&I non-manual organizational charts issued 7 months apart revealed
significant non-manual turnover. The turnover included several key areas such as the Unit 2 Nu-
clear Island Construction Manager (this is the fifth manager since the project began), MAB Area
Construction Manager, Turbine Building Area Construction Manager, as well as non-manual per-
sonnel reporting to area managers. The reported turnover of non-manual is greater than 17%. With
such a high turnover rate it will be difficult to build a productive non-manual organization.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Perform an evaluation of why the turnover in non-manuals is so high. Areas to
investigate would include the demand to work excessive overtime, conflicting management
direction, or the micromanagement of personnel. The resolution of some of these potential
issues would help reduce the turnover of the non-manual workforce.
CPC9 Observation(s)
There were 21 rebar dowels left out of Lift 4 of Unit 2 containment slab placement. Engineering
required that the dowels be replaced by core drilling and grouting in the dowel rebar. The resolution
of the issue and the completion of the work caused weeks of delays to the containment work and
possibly the project. Numerous personnel have cast doubt on whether these dowels really needed
to be grouted in; i.e., dowel bars with 90 degree or 180 degree hooks could possibly have been
used to obtain the required bar development length without core drilling and grouting.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) A dedicated team of senior subject matter experts from both WEC and CB&I engineers
should be engaged to review these types of situations to ensure that the proposed fix, which
will have a significant impact on schedule, is really required. In addition, this team should assist
with resolution of critical issues from the time of discovery of the issue to ensure it is resolved
with as small an impact to the project as possible.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) In addition to onsite training, CB&I should consider establishing a training school
off site (possibly at local vocational schools) to train pipefitters, electricians, and welders to
insure they can fill their needs in a timely manner.
(Priority 2) There are 6 onsite classrooms available which should be used full time to develop
those crafts that are presently or will be in short supply.
(Priority 2) A project-specific labor survey should be performed.
CPC11 Observation(s)
Aging of the construction workforce is impacting productivity.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Develop mentoring and training plan to promote junior craft and field engineering
personnel with periodic evaluations and feedback sessions.
(Priority 2) Create and staff shadow positions for senior level positions within the Consortium
intent on developing new talent that is focused on project completion.
CPC12 Observation(s)
The concrete being used is self-consolidating and does not need vibrating. However, in a number
of areas, mostly where there is dense rebar, voids in the concrete were evident.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) In areas of dense rebar, additional consolidation such as standard concrete vibrating
or form vibrating should be used to ensure complete consolidation of the concrete.
CPC13 Observation(s)
Presently, some parts of the project are working 58 hours (5-10s and 1-8 hours). Studies by the
Business Roundtable, Construction Industry Institute, and Trade Unions have been done to
assess the impact of working extended overtime. They have shown that after eight (8) weeks,
the productivity drops by approximately 40%, which means that you would be getting 40 hours
of work for 58 hours pay. Extended overtime also has an effect on absenteeism, accidents,
physical and mental fatigue, morale, attitude, turnover and supervision decisions. The sched-
ule also suffers, which adds more pressure to work overtime.
In discussions with CB&I Industrial Relations, it was stated that when the recruiters hire craft
personnel, they are told the project is on 4-10s and 8. A general feeling is that the project would
maintain the work force if the 6 day weeks were stopped.
The craft turnover rate is 20%. CB&I is expending a lot of money to hire and orient craftsmen.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Work activities should be planned based on a realistic evaluation of the work, ra-
ther than optimistic projections due to schedule pressure from management. This way,
craftsmen will be working productively. The project should consider a rule that the placement
must be signed-off, except for final clean up, the day before the placement
CPC15 Observation(s)
Although the construction team is being pushed hard to maintain schedule, the project schedule
continues to slip for a variety of reasons, including design changes and clarifications. As a con-
sequence of the focus on schedule, the cost does not receive the attention it should. The craftsmen
do not focus on productivity as they should due to the schedule changes over which they have only
partial control. The outcome of this will be an extended schedule and a cost overrun.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Maintain the schedule focus, but not at the expense of project cost. When engi-
neering issues arise, adjust the schedule accordingly, so the craftsmen still feel they have
some control and responsibility for working the schedule within budget.
CPC16 Observation(s)
During walkdowns of the Unit 2 turbine building and the Unit 3 nuclear island, it was noticed that
there were numerous work faces available, but no work was underway. The Unit 3 containment had
only approximately 100 craft working. When this was questioned, both superintendents stated that
craft personnel had been moved to the Unit 2 nuclear island as it was more important.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Staff up to allow working of all available work areas. Leave craftsmen assigned to
one area so they feel they are part of an area team. It may be appropriate to combine the Unit 2
and Unit 3 containment to better use non-manuals and make some personnel available to fill
other project needs. This would allow better incorporation of lessons learned by both
non-manuals and craftsmen in Unit 2 to improve Unit 3 performance and schedule.
CPC17 Observation(s)
The superintendent provided drawings of the raceway and hangers in the containment which
showed congested areas. From looking at the drawings it is evident that there will be numerous
interferences. Additionally, the electrical hangers are much more complex than normal elec-
trical hangers.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) An interference review should be performed and any interference found should be
resolved prior to start of installation. Some estimates should be performed to determine
whether it is cheaper to install the hanger as designed or redesign the hanger. Once a decision
is made, a reforecast should be performed to determine what the real costs would be.
(Priority 1) Hanger locations need to be located on the drawing using reference lines in the
containment.
CPC18 Observation(s)
Based on discussions with supervision and field engineering and attending the PMO meetings, it is
apparent that there are numerous design changes and design clarifications that affect the work
resulting in negative impacts to the schedule of the work. The majority of these are in the civil dis-
cipline. One would expect similar issues in piping mechanical and electrical.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Ensure that the design organization recognizes the importance of design changes
and clarifications and is staffed to address them immediately. The negative impacts to the
project will not decrease as long as changes continue and clarifications are slow to come from
engineering and will continue throughout the project unless a change is made.
CPC19 Observation(s)
The present staffing curves for manual manpower are classic bell shaped curves. Based on
Bechtel’s experience, the manual manpower curve will increase towards the latter part of the pro-
ject and then drop off sharply at the end of the project. In addition, there are no crafts shown on the
chart nine (9) months prior to commercial operation to close out punch list items.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Re-evaluate the staffing levels based on historical data and ensure there are crafts
budgeted for punchlist completion.
CPC20 Observation(s)
Installation tolerances are provided for all commodities and may not be exceeded without prior
engineering approval. CB&I construction has attempted to relax the requirements and documented
their requests in the civil generic guidance document. There are numerous situations where the
commodity cannot be installed because of design interferences. As each situation arises, progress
is affected while engineering evaluates the situation. The Strategic Planning Group is trying to
identify these interferences, but they are not able to identify all of them.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Assemble a team of subject matter experts who can meet with field engineering to
identify those areas where tolerance increases would help solve installation and interference
problems. Examples would include increasing rebar spacing tolerances, increasing pipe loca-
tion tolerances, etc.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Keep up the good work! The safety department might consider simplifying the
tailgate write-up so it could be easier to understand and retain. (For example, the September
25, 2015 tailgate topic on chemical labeling was perhaps too complex.)
(Priority 1) At the daily morning safety briefing, each craftsman is required to sign the morning
bulletin. This probably takes 15 minutes for the crew to sign the bulletin which is 15 minutes the
craft is not at the work face. The need for signatures should be re-evaluated.
CPC22 Observation(s)
The current work package procedure requires the craft foreman (or his designee) to check out
the work package each morning and return it to document control each night. If changes have
occurred in the last 24 hours it is on hold until field engineering updates it. The work packages
must be at the work face during work activities. Some work packages are hundreds of pages
long and they contain all related drawings, drawing changes and specifications. A significant
amount of time is lost each day implementing the work package process.
Some work packages contain three volumes, some of them over three inches think. The
foreman only needs a small amount of this paperwork to perform his daily tasks.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Assign a team to review and streamline the work package process. One change
might be having the responsible field engineer hold the work package and only issue the rel-
evant drawings (and changes) and inspection, hold points, and signoff sheets to the foreman.
(Priority 1) At a minimum, incorporate the design changes into the construction drawings
before the craft start work. (It is time consuming for the foreman to refer to multiply design
change documents when trying to execute the work). Remove the specifications and standard
details from the packages given the foreman, they can be referenced and copies kept in the
field stick file trailers. The work packages should only include what is needed by the foreman
for their work.
CPC23 Observation(s)
Normally, the bulk commodity installation curves are somewhat parallel with the civil work in ad-
vance of the piping which is in advance of the electrical work. On the V.C. Summer project, the
curves do not parallel each other with some electrical work crossing piping. The time between
commodity installations does not appear sufficient to allow installation of bulks in an efficient
manner.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Adjust the schedule for the bulk installation of commodities to allow enough time
between work activities to achieve an efficient and cost effective installation program.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) The project needs to staff up to work all available work faces.
(Priority 1) Assign a senior construction person to evaluate methods to have the craftsmen
spend more time at the workface (One example: move the tool boxes into the building near the
work area.)
(Other) Have coffee breaks and lunch in the work areas.
CPC25 Observation(s)
The Consortium’s Integrated Project Schedule has 50 mandatory constraints--20 associated with
Unit 2, 24 associated with Unit 3, and six site-specific.
A majority of the mandatory constraints affect fabrication of shield building panels that are
forecast for later deliveries from the fabricator, the latest being for Unit 2 149’-6” transition
panels currently forecast to be complete 9 months later than the constrained date. The Con-
sortium stated during the September 9, 2015 presentation that a mitigation plan is in process
for the shield building panels.
There is a constraint on the Unit 2 auxiliary building R251 module that is currently forecasted to
be complete 5 months later than the constrained date.
There is a constraint on the Unit 3 CA01 module ready to lift that is currently forecasted to
complete 4 months later than the constrained date.
There is a constraint on the Unit 3 CA20 module ready to lift that is currently forecasted to
complete 4 months later than the constrained date.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Remove mandatory constraints, and allow the schedule to move based on the
logic. Prioritize development of mitigation/recovery plans based on their potential impact to the
schedule. Only incorporate mitigation plan recovery into the schedule after it has been fully
developed and approved by all parties.
CPC26 Observation(s)
The baseline forecast was developed based on a performance factor of 1.15. Recent (last 6
months) performance has been greater than 2.0 on Unit 2, and greater than 1.5 on Unit 3, primarily
driven by civil building construction impacts.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Update the forecast based on recent performance. Reassess manpower needs
based on updated forecast.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Hire an experienced project controls manager, lead planner, and lead cost engi-
neer to perform analysis of the Consortium schedule and cost forecasts.
(Priority 1) A separate set of tracking tools should be created by the Owner to provide verifi-
cation of Consortium reporting.
(Other) Special attention needs to be made on the cost reimbursable portions of the scope.
This newly formed Project Controls group would provide recommendations and identify areas
requiring additional investigations.
CPC28 Observation(s)
Consortium reports are provided in either a summary form or in an integrated manner making
validation difficult.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Where contractually possible, the Owners should request the data that creates the
reports not just the reports. The recommended Project Controls team would then analyze the
data rather than just reviewing the report.
CPC29 Observation(s)
The Consortium has narrowed focus into individual windows with a total horizon of around 9
months. The project reporting has followed suit and a majority of the reports provided focus upon
this short time horizon. The reports to the Owners need to continue to be overall project focused.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Request all reports provided by the Consortium for the monthly meetings contain
the overall view regardless of topic. Breakouts are acceptable and sometimes needed, but
overall focus must remain on the overall project performance.
CPC30 Observation(s)
Not all reports and/or graphical representations provided within reports include the baseline and/or
the Consortium’s current forecast.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Request all reports provided to the Owners include both baseline information and a
current forecast if different than the baseline. If the current forecast is later than the baseline,
the Consortium should provide a recovery forecast plan. If cost is being discussed and the cost
forecast exceeds the baseline, an estimate at completion should be required.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Request staffing plans by position which account for the total project baseline
budget for the tracking of jobhours. For the tracking of material type budgets, such as equip-
ment or small tools, a baseline monthly usage plan should also be submitted for baseline
tracking purposes. This document would serve as the basis for future negotiations and would
provide enough detail for scope increase discussions and also validation of current actual
charges.
CPC32 Observation(s)
Schedule contingency has not been included within the integrated schedule.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Analyze the schedule to identify activities within the critical and near critical paths
that contain potential float. At the time of rebaselining the schedule, a schedule contingency
analysis should be run and the desired probability of outcome should be agreed on.
CPC33 Observation(s)
In reviewing the bulk piping curves, it was identified that the underground and aboveground
commodities were included within the same chart. Tracking these together can be misleading
especially when validating the sustained rates to ensure an achievable plan.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Separate the curves and track all underground quantities separate from above-
ground quantities. Also, after creating separated curves, compare the current installation plan
to historicals to validate their viability.
CPC34 Observation(s)
While reviewing the bulk curves, it was identified that the bulk curves were not developed through
the use of standard “S” shape curves. The “S” curves were altered to allow for additional time
between the 10% and 90% completion windows to lower the sustained rates. This artificial increase
in the sustained rate window reduces the sustained rate for comparison purposes but does not alter
the real installation pace required to meet the plan.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Only use a standard “S” shaped work-off curve when evaluating the schedule duration
viability.
CPC35 Observation(s)
Bulk quantity installation curves reflect an overly aggressive plan when compared to Bechtel his-
torical experience of peak sustained installation rates. Also, the separation of each commodity
within the “family of curves” is not reflective of Bechtel historical experience. An example of this is
the distance between the raceway and cable percent complete curves. The cable installation
percent complete follows closely to the raceway installation percent complete. Historically, the
more achievable plan reflects that a substantial portion of the installation of tray and conduit is
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Create a new, more achievable, baseline Level 3 schedule. During development of
the schedule, ensure appropriate time is allocated for bulk installation windows.
(Priority 1) Update the schedule forecast based on the median range of achievable peak
sustained rates.
(Priority 1) Review quantities by system, and align to the schedule and start-up system wa-
terfall. Prioritize bulks by system turnover demands. Balance this priority with area releases,
and methods that would allow the highest productivity to be achieved. Compare system driven
quantity curve against peak sustained rate forecast, and adjust accordingly.
(Priority 1) Plan work packages around the most productive methods of bulk installation (e.g.,
cable trees), with consideration for ability to support system turnovers.
CPC36 Observation(s)
During the review and analysis of the quantities provided by the Consortium, it was identified
that the total quantity of aboveground conduit appears to be high compared to Bechtel histor-
icals.
Inversely, the total quantity for cable appears to be low. These quantities were also reviewed
from a ratio perspective and result in an overall ratio unlike any of Bechtel’s past projects.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 1) Review the electrical quantities in the annex building and turbine building and
update as needed. Revise the Level 2 and 3 schedules and also the bulk curves to align with
the account for the new quantities.
CPC37 Observation(s)
The consortium project schedule is large and complex, forcing daily maintenance and status
updates. Varying levels of the schedule are comingled in the same projects, and are loaded
with varying degrees of resource data, resulting in duplication
The Level 1 schedule (as presented in the monthly project review meeting package) effectively
highlights the critical path and major project activities on a single page. However, dates are
only included for certain activities and a timescale is not provided, therefore target and forecast
dates for other major activities are not clear. The schedule also appears to start in January
2015, showing no status of actual work completed prior to that date.
The Level 2 schedule is made up of “WBS summary” (work breakdown structure) type activities
which are essentially hammock activities for all detailed activities within that WBS. This
schedule provides a summary by unit, building, elevation, and commodity, and is fully resource
loaded with jobhours through project completion. The Level 2 schedule appears to have many
activities working in parallel, which isn’t necessarily the case. When viewed at a lower level of
detail, the Level 2 hammock (summary) activities capture all activities from fabrication through
punch list and touch-up activities. In many cases, fabrication begins several months or more
prior to installation, and there are also large gaps between bulk installation and final completion
activities within a WBS (work breakdown structure). This approach skews the Level 2 activities
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Adjust the Level 1 schedule to include a time-scaled baseline and target and
forecast dates for all identified activities. Expand the start of the window schedule to show
major project status since project inception.
(Priority 1) Create a Level 3 control schedule with no more than 5,000 activities per unit. The
Level 2 schedule can be used at a starting point, but would need to be converted to “task” ac-
tivities as opposed to “hammock activities”. The Level 3 schedule should be at a sufficient level
of detail to identify all critical interfaces between each phase of the project. The recommended
structure is to identify construction activities by unit, building, elevation, area, and commodity. A
custom data field should be added to identify systems associated with each activity, to ensure
proper tie in from construction to startup. This schedule should be resource loaded with key
quantities and jobhours and maintained/aligned to the current forecast for the project. Weekly
meeting and management reviews should use this Level 3 schedule as opposed to lower level
schedules.
(Other) Develop more detailed Level 5 implementation schedules as needed to manage near
term commitments for critical areas. These can be in Excel rather than Primavera, and in ad-
dition to time-scaled format, can be in the form of a bingo-sheet, checklist, or other method to
track status. Primavera is currently over-used for this level of the schedule, demanding more
maintenance, update, meetings, etc., that strain project resources.
6. Startup
This section describes the assessment of the startup aspects of the project. Section 6.1 provides
a summary of the current status. Section 6.2 provides startup observations and
recommendations.
The Initial Test Program (ITP) is set up for an integrated organizational approach. The Owners
have overall responsibility for the ITP; however, leadership has been delegated to the
Consortium, and a WEC employee has been named the test director. The balance of the
organization will be a mix of Owner and Consortium supplied personnel.
Reporting to the test director is the Component Test Group (CTG), currently led by a CB&I
employee. The CTG will take turnover of systems from construction and conduct component
testing. CTG test engineers will be discipline based and will specialize in the type of component
tests related to his/her discipline (electrical, mechanical, control systems).
The test director leads the Preoperational Test Group (PTG). The PTG will take system turnovers
from the CTG, conduct system start-up and tuning, and write and conduct system preoperational
tests. Each PTG test engineer will be the point of contact for each of his/her assigned systems
and will manage and execute all system-level testing activities. The project plan currently includes
155 to 160 systems and subsystems.
The Startup Test Group (STG) is also currently led by the test director. The STG will take
system/facility turnover from the PTG and will support preparations for fuel load and the power
ascension program.
The ITP organization is structured similarly to those used in many nuclear power plant facilities.
There is a separation between component testing, system testing, and power ascension testing
activities that will facilitate high confidence in the results of the test program. It is a program that
integrates the Owner, NSSS supplier, and designer/constructor personnel to leverage the right
resources to properly progress through component testing, preoperational testing, and power
ascension.
In addition, the currently assigned test director has worked for many years in the nuclear power
industry, with a significant track record in operation, outage management, and startup of nuclear
power plants. This test director appeared well organized and to have a good grasp of the
complexity of the project and how to approach it.
To separate the bulk construction program from the ITP, a formal turnover process will designate
the official transfer of care, custody, and control from construction to the CTG. Boundary
identification packages (BIPs) have been established to break the facility into smaller and more
manageable blocks. There are currently about 555 BIPs that will be the basis for turning the
facility equipment over to the CTG.
To provide further separation, performance of work activities will switch from the Consortium’s QA
program to the Owner’s QA program. Subsequent construction access to systems transferred to
the CTG will be controlled by a work authorization process controlled by the CTG. The work
authorization process will provide for the release of work, ensure system configuration supports
the nominated construction activity, and identify any required re-testing of components.
The above is intended to provide a high level of confidence that completed testing activities are
not invalidated by unauthorized construction activities and are consistent with the approach used
in many nuclear power plant facilities.
All system preoperational tests will be treated as if they were safety related (i.e., a single
development, review, approval, and performance process regardless of the safety significance of
the test). The review plan also provides for a full NRC review cycle and a full Joint Test Working
Group (JTWG) review/approval cycle prior to test performance and after performance (test
results).
Preoperational test specifications are being developed to identify and collect all requirements to
be included in each test procedure. The intent is to assemble the design requirements, system
parameters, regulatory requirements, ITAAC commitments, and all acceptance criteria for each
system. After each test specification is reviewed and approved, the system preoperational test
procedure will be developed.
The above is intended to provide a high level of confidence that the preoperational test program
adequately demonstrates the integrity of the systems installed in the plant.
Power ascension test procedures are similar for the new AP1000 units at V.C. Summer and
Vogtle, and the Test Director is coordinating a combined effort to get the basic test procedures
developed through a sharing of responsibility to develop the procedures. The total list was divided
between the two sites. After each site develops its assigned tests, it should be a simple exercise
to “localize” each of the procedures to ensure they become specific to each site.
To verify what has been installed is exactly per the project drawings, the CTG will verify control
wiring “point to point” (cold checked) prior to being energized. After cold checking, the circuits will
be energized and verified for functional correctness. Initial checks on the control loops may be
conducted from remote stations since the current schedule does not suggest the control room will
be ready. However, to meet the NRC regulatory guide requirement, those control loops initially
verified from remote stations will be re-verified from the control room after it is available. This
facilitates an earlier start of control loop functionality to support earlier equipment initial operation,
as well as final verification to meet the stipulations in the regulatory guide.
All component testing is to be tracked, planned, and statused using an Excel spreadsheet
(Component Test Matrix) that is currently loaded from a manual takeoff of P&IDs, and it will be
kept current through review of all changes issued by engineering. The spreadsheet includes
planned durations of each activity, allows entry of actual durations, and calculates percent
complete of each and cumulative activities (activity durations should not be confused with
jobhours associated with each activity). Real-time updates of completed data records will be
made manually on a daily basis, or as turned in to the admin doing the entry, for a reasonably
current representation of progress/status. This is separate from the tracking of ITAAC activity
progress.
A completions database is a typical, but critical, element in the control and management of the
testing activities. What separates this from the typical completions databases is the ability to apply
estimated durations to each activity, and use the results to support schedule development.
Manloading and levelization of resources will still be performed in the commercial scheduling
software.
Training of permanent plant operations and maintenance personnel is the responsibility of the
Owner. This was not specifically reviewed; however, it was briefly discussed during interviews
with the ITP personnel. The current plan includes significant participation of the operations and
maintenance personnel in the entire ITP, from component testing through preoperational testing.
This is important to the preparation of the plant staff in their assumption of responsibility for
system operation prior to fuel load and is consistent with the approach used in many nuclear
power plant facilities.
The current staffing plan has a peak (Unit 2/Unit 3 overlap) of 75 WEC test engineers, about 60
CB&I component test engineers, and about 25 Owner personnel. The staffing seems a little
higher than the staffing needed based on previous preoperational and startup testing programs at
nuclear power plant facilities; however, historical dual unit plant startups were typically staggered
12 to 18 months apart, not the 8 to 9 months currently on the project schedule.
The test group will have a dedicated craft labor pool that comes out of construction. The WEC
labor budget has been verified against the current staffing plan, while the CB&I budget has not yet
been verified but is in progress.
a. Schedule Development/Maturity
The component testing and preoperational testing schedules are developed to the point where
prerequisite activities and associated ties are established, and the system-level fragnet templates
have been loaded to each startup system. Additionally, standard activity durations have been
plugged-in and the group is in the beginning phases of adjusting the durations per the Component
Test Matrix and the estimated durations for preoperational tests based on complexity. It is too
early to determine if the overall schedule duration will be consistent with the 17 to 18 months
currently planned between energization and fuel load, as it may take 3 to 4 months to complete
the adjustments and perform resource leveling exercises.
Review of the Construction to Component Test Group BIP turnover waterfall schedule indicates
turnovers are planned to occur from September 2015 through January 2019; the distribution is as
follows:
2015: 2 turnovers
2017: 475 turnovers, 86% of total (cumulative 521, 94% of the total BIPs)
The current plan calls for 86% (or 475) of the BIPs to be turned over in 2017 alone, which is more
than 30 BIPs per month. This is a high rate of turnovers that will be difficult to maintain. Even
though the turnover process allows for consolidation of BIPs into fewer, larger turnover packages;
this rate still indicates that 86% of the systems will be turned over to the CTG in a 12 month period.
This high number of turnovers produces a cumulative total of 94% at the end of 2017; yet,
terminations are shown to be less than 70% complete in most areas. The turnover of completed
BIPs does not seem to match the number of terminations completed, as it indicates that the last
6% of the BIPs contain over 30% of the terminations, which does not seem correct.
In addition, stringing the turnover of systems over a 31-month period may present problems. The
concept of simultaneous operations, where bulk construction activities will be conducted in close
proximity to components (and potentially systems) that will be energized and in testing introduces
the concepts of Permit to Work (Energized Equipment Lockout/Tagout) and NFPA 70E , Standard
for Electrical Safety in the Workplace (arc flash protection). This extends the period of time that
poses safety risk to personnel and has a higher potential to slow installation of construction bulks
and slip schedule. This can all be managed; but, a total turnover duration (first turnover to last
turnover) of 18 to 20 months is more typical of nuclear power plant facilities.
The current project schedule indicates an approximate 9 month stagger between Unit 2 and Unit 3
hot functional tests. This is more aggressive than what was experienced on many past nuclear
power plant facilities, which could preclude leveraging personnel from Unit 2 on Unit 3, as well as
introducing the concept of two new units on the same site overlapping initial fuel load activities
and initial power ascension.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Be diligent with dedication of these resources to support the ITP. The hands-on expe-
rience acquired through participation in the test program is important to good performance
during the early days of plant initial operation.
S2 Observation(s)
The current schedule identifies about 8 months lag between the Unit 2 and Unit 3 hot functional
tests. This lag is significantly shorter than previous dual unit nuclear sites, and drives the testing
group staffing levels fairly high.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Evaluate the likelihood of realizing an 8 month lag between Units 2 & 3. If realistic,
ensure mitigations have been planned in case of events on one of the units while the other is in
the vulnerable position of still in the testing phase. If not realistic, consider historical lags closer
to 12 to 18 months.
S3 Observation(s)
The construction turnover of BIPs to the CTG is planned to occur over a 31-month period. This is a
long time to have equipment in various stages of testing and layup.
Recommendation(s)
(Priority 2) Consider reducing the duration of the turnover period to 18 months. This may
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Reexamine construction terminations per cent complete compared to BIP turnovers
and adjust the project schedule accordingly.
S5 Observation(s)
The overall ITP organization and program are well thought out and follow proven philosophies and
processes.
Recommendation(s)
(Other) Continue along this execution plan and make modifications only if project or regulator
changes warrant them.
7. Conclusions
The AP1000 is a first-of-a-kind technology, 10 CFR 52 is a new licensing process, and these are
the first new nuclear plants being constructed in the U.S. in decades. Challenges would be
expected.
However, the V.C. Summer Units 2 & 3 project suffers from various fundamental EPC and major
project management issues that must be resolved for project success:
While the Consortium’s engineering, procurement, and construction plans and schedules
are integrated, the plans and schedules are not reflective of actual project circumstances.
The Consortium’s project management approach does not provide appropriate visibility
and accuracy to the Owners on project progress and performance.
There is a lack of a shared vision, goals, and accountability between the Owners and the
Consortium.
The Consortium lacks the project management integration needed for a successful project
outcome.
The Contract does not appear to be serving the Owners or the Consortium particularly
well.
The issued design is often not constructible resulting in a significant number of changes.
The construction planning and constructability review efforts are not far enough out in front
of the construction effort to minimize impacts.
There is significant engineering and licensing workload remaining (currently over 800
engineers). ITAAC closure will be a significant effort.
Emergent issues potentially requiring NRC approval of LARs remain a significant project
concern.
The amount of stored material onsite is significant, creating the need for an extended
storage and maintenance program.
Construction productivity is poor for various reasons including changes needed to the
design, sustained overtime, complicated work packages, aging workforce, etc.
The schedule for the startup test program is in the early stages of development. The BIP
turnover rate appears to be overly aggressive.
The overall top priority recommendations from Bechtel’s assessment that will significantly help to
ensure the project is on the most cost efficient trajectory to completion are identified below:
Owners and Consortium – Align Contract commercial conditions with the project goals
and determine the realistic to-go forecast costs for project completion. (O&R PM4)
Consortium – Remove the 50 mandatory constraints from the Integrated Project Schedule
and allow the schedule to move based on the logic. Prioritize the development of
mitigation/recovery plans based on their impact to the schedule. (O&R CPC25)
Consortium – Ensure appropriate time is allocated for the installation of bulk commodities
(large and small bore piping, pipe supports, cable tray, conduit, cabling). Confirm bulk
quantities and update the schedule forecast based on the median range of achievable
sustained installation rates. (O&Rs CPC5, CPC26, CPC35, CPC36, and CPC37)
Consortium – Initiate a focused effort to complete WEC known engineering “debt”. (O&Rs
E2 and E9)
Consortium – WEC engineering maintain focus on releasing the over 1,000 drawing holds
that exist. (O&R E13)
Consortium – Intensify the efforts of the Strategic Planning group, work package planning,
constructability reviews, etc. to identify design changes needed well in advance of the
construction need date. (O&Rs E7, CPC17, and CPC18)
Consortium – WEC and CB&I engineering should get ahead of construction and
incorporate E&DCRs into design drawings so that construction planning is simplified and
takes less time. (O&R E10)
Consortium – To improve craft productivity and retention, reduce the work week to no
more than 48 hours (4-10s and 1-8 hours) and consider a craft incentive of $1/hour which
would only be paid when a reduction in force occurs. (O&R CPC13)
Consortium – Increase manual staffing levels to allow working of all available work areas.
Evaluate methods to have the craftsmen spend more time at the workface. (O&Rs CPC16
and CPC24)
Consortium – Simplify and streamline work packages. (O&Rs E2, P18, and CPC22)
Bechtel recognizes that the recently announced purchase of CB&I nuclear by WEC may change
some of the recommendations regarding the Consortium. Nonetheless, most of the
recommendations identified in this report still apply to the project under the new EPC contract
structure.
Appendix A
Appendix A
Documents Reviewed from the Owners and the Consortium
Documents reviewed during the assessment are identified in Table A-1.
Appendix B
NU R,SECURITYA ENVIRONMENTAL
Assessment Team Leader
OIL GAS A CUE M ICALS
Technical Qualifications Dick Miller is a degreed mechanical engineer with over 38 years of
nuclear engineering, construction, and project management
Senior Reactor experience. Currently he is the Operations Manager for Nuclear
Operator’s License No. Power, responsible for the successful execution of Bechtel’s nuclear
20411 power projects worldwide, as well as leading a senior executive
team performing an assessment of the status of the V.C. Summer
Education Units 2 & 3 new builds. He has unparalleled experience as a project
Executive Management manager, overseeing numerous highly successful Steam Generator
Certificate, Vanderbilt and Reactor Pressure Vessel Replacement (SGR/RPVHR) projects,
University including the world record for shortest duration at Comanche Peak
Unit 1 and the Ginna SGR, which was the first to use the “through-
B.S., Mechanical the-dome” methodology. He is an enthusiastic, committed leader
Engineering, North who focuses on providing executive oversight, technical guidance
Carolina State University for the successful planning and implementation of projects, and
close collaboration between clients and Bechtel to ensure project
Memberships
success. Prior to joining Bechtel, Dick worked for a southeast
Member, American electric utility at one of the company’s nuclear power plants, holding a senior reactor operator’s
Nuclear Society Board, license and managing the utility’s maintenance department. Since joining Bechtel, Dick has spent
Operations and Power the majority of his career on field assignments across the United States, managing or directing
Division over 20 major modification projects at nuclear power facilities.
Member, American
Nuclear Society Manager of Operations, Nuclear Power
2014–Present: Mr. Miller is responsible for all nuclear projects and services worldwide, as well as the
development of new opportunities both domestic and foreign, including the completion of Watts Bar Unit 2
and the Davis-Besse SGR and Wolf Creek Pipe Replacement projects, as well as the commencement of the
Beaver Valley Unit 2 SGR. Currently, he is leading a senior executive team performing an assessment study
of the status, challenges, and opportunities of the new build AP1000 units at V.C. Summer for the owner.
Senior Project Director, Nuclear Power, Bechtel Power Corporation
2011–2014: Mr. Miller was responsible for the successful implementation of nuclear power projects, including
the NextEra EPUs, as well as proposal development and client communications. He also managed Bechtel’s
efforts related to the Fukushima incident, including staffing and sponsorship of Bechtel employees on the
Fukushima Industry Support Team in Tokyo and representation of Bechtel in Tokyo during business
development efforts. In addition, he oversaw the Crystal River Unit 3 Containment Repair Project, including
management of the Phase 1 engineering and development effort and EPC contract negotiations.
Senior Project Director/Project Manager, SONGS SGR, Bechtel Power Corp.
2010–2011: Mr. Miller was responsible for the successful completion of the SONGS Unit 3 lump-sum SGR,
which was completed within budget and ahead of schedule.
Senior Project Director, Nuclear Power, Bechtel Power Corp.
2007–2010: Mr. Miller was responsible for proposal development activities and contract negotiations for
numerous SGR, RPVHR, and EPU projects. Significantly, he oversaw the negotiation and implementation of
the NextEra Fleet EPU Project, a major multi-billion dollar effort to perform EPUs on six units (Point Beach 1
& 2, St. Lucie 1 & 2, and Turkey Point 3 & 4). This project earned the Business Development Project of the
Year Award for the entire Bechtel Corporation.
Senior Project Manager, Beaver Valley Unit 1 SGR/RPVHR and Comanche Peak Unit 1 SGR,
Bechtel Power Corp.
2004–2007: Mr. Miller was responsible for the successful completion of the SGR/RPVHR project for
FirstEnergy’s Beaver Valley Unit 1. This project was named runner-up for Pennwell’s Project of the Year at
the Power Generation Conference. As PM for Comanche Peak Unit 1, he led the team that set the world
record for shortest schedule of a SGR, and this project was named runner-up for Bechtel’s Project of the
Year.
Senior Project Manager, Davis-Besse, North Anna, and Surry RPVHRs, Bechtel Power Corp.
2002–2003: Mr. Miller was responsible for the successful execution of head replacement projects at North
Anna Units 1 and 2, Surry Units 1 and 2, and Davis-Besse.
Ron Beck has spent his entire career in the nuclear power industry.
He has a strong civil engineering background and many years of
Technical Qualifications design engineering and field experience, with a solid foundation in
the details of work planning and execution. He was project
Over 43 years of nuclear manager for three steam generator replacement (SGR) projects,
experience, including 17 in
assistant project manager for one SGR project, and shift outage
design engineering and manager for two reactor vessel head replacement (RVHR) projects.
licensing, 18 on SGR and His background also includes civil design work on Grand Gulf,
RVHR projects, and 5 in next-
South Texas Project, and Watts Bar. He is a highly dedicated leader
generation nuclear (EPR, SMR) with strong technical skills, effective management capabilities, and
project management the ability to motivate teams to successful outcomes.
Registered Professional
Engineer in Maryland (retired); Project Manager, Generation mPower Small Modular Reactor
inactive in Mississippi, South 2011–Present: For the Generation mPower (GmP) small modular reactor
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, (SMR) project, Mr. Beck has been responsible for all aspects of Bechtel’s
and Virginia scope and project execution and for interface with Generation mPower
Member of ASCE, ASME LLC and Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), as well as potential customers,
Author of several published Industry Advisory Council members, management committee members, and regulatory agencies. His
technical papers (available on responsibilities include overall management of 230+ professionals, including engineering, licensing, project
request) cost and schedule, procurement and contract functions.
2004–2005: Mr. Beck managed or supported proposals for the Turkey Point Units 3 and 4 and St. Lucie Units
1 and 2 RVHR projects; the Crystal River Unit 3 SGR project; the Bruce A Units 1, 2, 3, and 4 SGR projects;
the Diablo Canyon Units 1 and 2 SGR projects; the SONGS Units 3 and 4 SGR projects; the SONGS Units 2
and 3 and Palo Verde Units 1, 2, and 3 RVHR studies; and the Palisades RVHR project.
Shift Outage Manager, Surry Unit 1 Reactor Pressure Vessel Head Replacement (RPVHR)
2003: For the Surry Power Station Units 1 and 2 RPVHR project, Mr. Beck interfaced with client,
subcontractor, and Bechtel personnel to develop the schedule; attended client/Bechtel plan-of-the-day
meetings; interfaced with client and Bechtel personnel on day-to-day operations, including action item
meetings and task reviews; and managed Bechtel’s day shift containment work during each unit’s
replacement outages.
Project Manager, Various Steam Generator and Reactor Pressure Vessel Head Replacements
2002: Mr. Beck managed several SGR project proposals, an RPVHR project study for two nuclear units, and
an independent third-party SGR project cost estimate study review for a nuclear utility.
1996–2001: For the South Texas Unit 1 (1996–2000) and Shearon Harris (2000–2001) SGR projects, Mr.
Beck had the same duties as for the V.C. Summer SGR project.
1995–1996: Mr. Beck developed generic SGR project core team operations and was a member of the team
that developed a Bechtel/Westinghouse teaming agreement for SGR projects. He also developed
competitively bid SGR projects and sole-source negotiated SGR awards, including the first South Texas Unit
1 SGR involving the Bechtel/Westinghouse agreement.
1992–1994: For the V.C. Summer SGR project, Mr. Beck directed all aspects of engineering, construction,
procurement, quality assurance, fixed price cos, and schedule management and subcontractor interface;
coordinated interfaces with the client and interfaced with Bechtel senior management, global and regional
industry unit and execution unit management, and home office functional departments. During the SGR
outage, Mr. Beck oversaw all aspects of the on-site construction activities and managed the development of
the Bechtel portion of the outage schedule.
1991–1992: For the ASCO Units 1 and 2 SGR project, Mr. Beck managed photogrammetry and interference
walkdowns, the redesign of the biological shield wall, preparation of the technical specification, and technical
evaluation of replacement steam generator fabrication proposals. He also managed SGR studies for St. Lucie
Unit 1 and for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. in Japan.
Assistant Project Manager, Palisades Steam Generator Replacement Project
1989–1991: For the Palisades SGR project, Mr. Beck provided management overview of the engineering
team and management support to the cost and schedule supervisor for schedule and budget control. He
assisted in coordinating Bechtel's client interface on licensing and other high priority issues and coordinated
the development of the SGR outage schedule with the SGR project team (management, engineering,
construction, procurement, subcontractors, and client). As night shift outage coordinator during the
replacement outage, he coordinated Bechtel's night shift construction activities with the client and the client's
contractors. During job closeout, he assisted the project manager and field services manager with closeout
activities, including engineering as-built package completion, contract compliance closeout, outage work
activity completion, and licensing and quality assurance review closeout.
Project Engineering Manager, Watts Bar Unit 1
1987–1989: Mr. Beck was the Project Engineering Manager for the Hanger and Analysis Update Program for
Watts Bar Nuclear Station Unit 1. In this capacity, he oversaw all design activities associated with the update
of the Watts Bar pipe stress analyses and pipe support designs, using a site walkdown team and design
teams located in Oak Ridge, TN; Gaithersburg, MD; Houston, TX and San Francisco, CA.
Project Engineer, South Texas Project Completion
1986–1987: For the South Texas Units 1 and 2 project, Mr. Beck supported the civil/ structural, pipe stress
and pipe support, architectural, and plant design layout discipline design activities. He directly interfaced with
the client in completing engineering design, licensing, and engineering assurance activities associated with
these disciplines. He also assisted in managing the contractual and legal aspects of the project's main cooling
reservoir; coordinated interfaces with the project's constructor and client and Bechtel management; and
directed the coordination of engineering activities associated with Unit 1 hot functional testing, including
development of engineering hot functional test procedures for thermal and vibration monitoring.
Design Engineer/Group Leader/Engineering Supervisor, Grand Gulf Units 1 & 2
1972–1985: Initially, Mr. Beck developed various preliminary design studies subsequently used for input to
the PSAR and to project cost and final design studies. He reviewed cooling tower structural design
calculations, wrote and administered a subcontract for cooling tower foundation piling installation, and wrote
piping technical specifications. Later he supported various site engineering tasks and completion of final
ultimate heat sink basin structural designs and assisted in managing group design activities. Subsequently,
he led the design activities associated with the reactor containment building (RCB) and site and managed a
specialized task force performing dynamic loading analysis of the BWR Mark III RCB. He supervised
development of the FSAR sections associated with the RCB and other Seismic Category I site facilities. He
participated in regulatory hearings with the NRC and the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards in
conjunction with the RCB dynamic analyses and assisting in supervising civil/ structural design activities.
Ultimately, he was responsible for all civil/structural engineering design activities associated with Unit 2.
NUCLEAR,SECURI'ET& ENVIRONMENTAL
HEMI
OIL GASSCHEMICALS
Shift Outage Manager―responsible for managing the “team room” for a 43-day outage with a peak craft
headcount of 300, reviewing, modifying and driving the project schedule through the nuclear outage,
interfacing daily with the plant management team, removing obstacles, and finding quick solutions to
daily challenges and issues.
Assistant Project Controls Manager―responsible for decisions and financial reviews, developing senior
management presentation material on multiple occasions for client reviews, chairing multiple client
review sessions ranging from trends to Level 3 vertical reviews, personnel management of project,
staffing decisions, and employee development, attaining more balanced perspective between the cost
and schedule functions, and actively participating in financial development and reviews.
Planning and Scheduling Supervisor―responsible for providing direct supervision to eight employees,
serving as one of the leads driving the U3R25 outage including analysis-based redirection, major
recovery planning, and “team room” staffing, developing unique tools to simplify a complex planning
project that is now used at all customer project sites.
Project Planner—Field and Engineering, responsible for presenting the Project Controls status at the
Monthly Progress Report to customer senior management, and scheduling lead for all aspects of
NU R,SECURITTS ENVIRONMENTAL
Preliminary Safety Analysis Report, and provision of input to design for startup, maintenance, and operations
on this Department of Energy nuclear waste vitrification project in eastern Washington.
Site Manager, BP Amoco and Koch Refinery Projects
1997–1999: Mr. Pedigo had overall responsibilities for capital projects, maintenance support, and turnarounds
at BP Amoco’s Pasadena, TX plant. For the Koch Refinery, he had responsibility for 300 direct hire craft and
35 non-manual staff, with scopes of work including maintenance, turnarounds, and capital projects under $10
million.
Project Startup Engineer, Koch Refinery and Hoechst Celanese Projects
1994–1997: Mr. Pedigo’s responsibilities included Koch/Bechtel Alliance development, Koch Corporate
maintenance program reengineering, KRC-CC maintenance program development (east and west plants),
plant reliability program development, maintenance technology development, and maintenance resource
redeployment. On the Hoechst project, his duties included client maintenance organization restructuring, plant
reliability program improvement, process and equipment improvements, and plant preventive / predictive
maintenance program development.
Project Engineer, Dresden and Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance & Modification
1991–1994: Mr. Pedigo’s responsibilities included oversight of the resident engineering group, client
interfaces, building a resident team, and facilitating execution of work, as well as project planning,
maintenance group restructuring, and site procurement process evaluations.
Manager, Program Administration and Support Department, Soil & Groundwater Closure
Projects, Savannah River Site, Bechtel National
2002–2004: Mr. Pettis managed extensive department level activities in support of environmental restoration
activities at the 310 square mile Savannah River Site. His responsibilities included development and
implementation operations and regulatory training for environmental restoration employees; development,
revision, publication and maintenance of procedures; production of a large number of regulatory documents;
development of graphics and presentations to support internal and external communication of the
environmental restoration mission, challenges, and successes; document control and records management to
include management of the sites Administrative Record and public reading room materials; maintenance of
the reproduction center and capability; coordination and management of division clerical and secretarial
support personnel; and accountability and inventory of all division property and facilities.
Division Training, Procedures, and Reporting Manager, Soil & Groundwater Closure Projects,
Savannah River Site, Bechtel National
1995–2002: Mr. Pettis managed division level activities that included the analysis, design, implementation,
evaluation, and maintenance of initial and continuing training for job-specific operator, staff, supervisor and
manager training programs. These programs included general, task specific, and regulatory training for 400+
employees and subcontractors; the development, scheduling, publication, and technical support for
presentations and reporting to audiences including Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency,
South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control, and the site’s Citizen’s Advisory Board. He
also oversaw the management and maintenance of the division’s emergency action and emergency response
programs.
Administrative Manager, 400-D Power House, Savannah River Site
1993–1995: Mr. Pettis managed all phases of administrative support for the site’s 70 MW coal fired power
and steam plant, including the interpretation and administration of Power Operations Department plans and
policies; document control and records management; procedures development, and publication and
maintenance. He was also responsible for the analysis, design, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance
of initial and continuing training for job-specific operator, staff, supervisor and manager training programs for
300+ employees, as well as facility issues investigation as Critique Director. He also functioned as interface
with the DOE facility representative for resolving identified facility and programmatic issues and served as
area emergency coordinator.
1987–1993: Prior to his position as Administrative Manager, Mr. Pettis held several positions of increasing
complexity and responsibility at Savannah River, including the development of a cross functional team to
identify, categorize, inspect and maintain the site’s earthen dams. He was awarded the prestigious George
Westinghouse Signature Award of Excellence for successfully supervising the $10 million, 19 month, PAR
Pond earthen dam emergency stabilization project.
Various positions in manufacturing, civil service, finance, management consulting, and banking
1967–1987
Iraqi Ministry personnel was also required to ensure they were kept informed about the status of projects, and
they agreed with the proposed projects being planned.
Fossil Operations Manager–North America, Bechtel Power
2000–2003: Mr. Robinson was responsible for project execution of over half of the on-going North American
power projects, including establishing the project management philosophy and procedures, continuously
monitoring the project status including cost, schedule, safety, staffing, trends, change orders, and client
relations. He provided real time feedback and guidance to the project managers about their performance, in
addition to providing training and personal development. Mike assisted Business Development with project
development and reviewed the commercial issues to ensure that they met business requirements.
Various Civil Engineering and Quality Positions, Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Plant
1975–1981: Assignments at Grand Gulf included Assistant Lead Civil Engineer, Lead Area Engineer for the
yard and control building, and Resident Civil Engineer. Mike acted on behalf of the Project Engineer at the
jobsite. Duties as Lead Civil Quality Control Engineer and Assistant Project Field Quality Control Engineer
included assisting in implementation of the project quality control policy and coordinating the work of all QC
disciples. Later assignments included responsibility for senior contractors' changes, invoice approval, and
monthly progress meetings. As HVAC Coordinator, Mike coordinated the completion of all heating and
ventilating systems with the contractor and Bechtel. He supervised up to 100 people.
Construction Coordinator, SNUPPS
1972–1975: Mike reviewed drawings, specifications, project schedules, and procurement packages for final
design phase and construction for the SNUPPS nuclear plant.
Technical Qualifications Steve Routh is a Senior Project Manager with over 35 years of
nuclear experience and is currently the manager of Bechtel’s
Registered Professional Nuclear Engineering Services group. He has supported new nuclear
Engineer, Virginia generation efforts at various sites since 2001 and is recognized as
an industry expert in nuclear engineering, safety, and licensing.
Six Sigma Champion Additionally, Steve is an active member of NEI and EPRI new
generation task forces and working groups.
Education
M.B.A., Finance, Mount Manager, Nuclear Engineering Services
St. Mary’s College 2009–Present: Mr. Routh is responsible for Bechtel’s engineering and
MEng., Nuclear licensing services projects including support of operating plants, new
Engineering, nuclear generation, Fukushima response projects, and proposal
Pennsylvania State preparation. He was previously the Project Manager for New Nuclear
University Generation Projects. Projects supported during this period include:
B.S., Nuclear North Anna Unit 3 Owner’s Engineer and COL (APWR/ESBWR)
Engineering, Turkey Point COL (AP1000)
Pennsylvania State
University Calvert Cliffs COL (U.S. EPR)
South Texas COL (ABWR)
Memberships
V.C. Summer Units 2 & 3 Engineering and Licensing Support (AP1000)
Member, American FENOC New Nuclear Site Selection Study (mPower)
Nuclear Society
AREVA DCD (U.S. EPR)
Member, ANS Large
Light Water Reactor Clinch River Construction Permit Application (mPower)
Consensus Committee Dominion, South Texas, Watts Bar, and Constellation Fukushima response projects
Member, EPRI Advanced SONGS Spent Fuel Pool Island Cooling
Nuclear Technology
Group
Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Cost Estimate
Monticello and Prairie Island design modifications
Member, NEI COL Task
Force Fennovoima (Finland) New Plant Constructability and Schedule Assessment (EPR and ABWR)
Member, NEI Seismic Wylfa Newydd (UK) New Plant Schedule and Cost Study (ABWR)
Issues Task Force Additionally, Mr. Routh managed Bechtel’s overall Fukushima response efforts including industry
representation and development of approaches and capabilities, as well as responsibility for nuclear power
proposal preparation.
Project Manager, Early Site Permit/Combined Operating License Technology Group
2001–2008: As Manager of the ESP/COL Technology Group, Mr. Routh provided engineering and licensing
oversight of Bechtel’s new generation projects (Calvert Cliffs, North Anna, South Texas, Vogtle, V.C.
Summer, Turkey Point, and Victoria County). He was also the project manager for the North Anna ESP
project, North Anna COL and Site Engineering project, and the Turkey Point COL project.
Manager of Regulatory Affairs, Nuclear Power
1999–2001: Mr. Routh was responsible for the licensing and regulatory oversight of the Bechtel nuclear
power projects (new nuclear generation, steam generator replacements [SGRs], operating plant services) and
SERCH, Bechtel's generic licensing service.
Project Engineer for the North Anna 1, North Anna 2, and Ginna Steam Generator Replacement
Projects
1991–1995: Mr. Routh’s duties included managing mechanical, materials, civil, nuclear, and licensing
engineering activities in support of the projects including evaluation of alternative approaches, conceptual and
detailed engineering, constructability reviews, subcontractor control, and client interface.
NU R,SECURITYR ENVIRONMENTAL
OIMGASA CHEMICALS
Appendix C
Members of the Bechtel team are scheduled to arrive onsite on Tuesday afternoon, September 8.
On August 19, Bechtel provided a suggested agenda for the Wednesday, September 9, Consortium
presentation at the site. A revised version of the agenda was received from WEC on August 25.
Some additional suggested changes were provided by Bechtel on August 26.
On August 24, a conference call was held with WEC to discuss Bechtel’s document request list:
- WEC described the status of identifying and obtaining approval to release copies of documents to
Bechtel.
- WEC described that a document room would be setup in the NOB where hard copies of certain
documents would be placed.
- No new documents were received from SCANA or the Consortium during the week. The last
documents received were posted in SCANA’s electronic reading room on August 14.
A CD of the Owner’s P6 Integrated Project Schedule (IPS) was received on August 19. Since then,
Bechtel has down loaded the schedule, identified the subprojects, and has begun manipulations of
the schedule data. Based on initial reviews:
- The IPS CD does not include all of the P6 schedule files (e.g., the WEC Engineering files are
missing and the Milestones integration file was not provided). Without the Milestones file,
schedule calculations cannot be performed.
- It appears that there are as many as 60 mandatory constraints in the schedule data base that are
precluding a true calculation of critical path negative float. The path that will have the largest
impact appears to be through the shield building.
- There appear to be minimal quantities loaded in the schedule. Quantities for the next 3 months
are included, but it is not clear if they are complete. Quantities loaded in the schedule are needed
to understand the impacts on installation sustained unit rates.
- A preliminary manpower curve extracted from the schedule shows a peak of around 450,000
hours (2,200 craft) for a single month. This appears significantly low for a two unit construction
effort.
An initial discussion of the above schedule items was conducted with CB&I Project Controls
personnel on August 26.
Members of Bechtel’s team continued their review of documents provided by SCANA and the
Consortium.
Began review of subproject schedules related to Construction. Also began review of subproject
schedules containing Engineering, Licensing, Procurement/Subcontracts, and Quality Assurance
activities.
Prepared preliminary list of Construction discussion topics and questions in preparation for site
mobilization and initial interviews.
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Bechtel Weekly Report
V.C. Summer Units 2 &3 Completion Assessment
Week Ending August 28, 2015
For Construction, Bechtel is interested in more information about the shield building. Bechtel’s
assessment will focus on panel fabrication, engineering tolerances, engineering changes, and
installation sequencing. Installation of bulks is likely a near second critical path and will also be a
focus area for the assessment.
Information still needed from the Consortium for the Construction assessment includes:
- Quantity curves
- Unit rates
- Manpower curves: non-manual and craft
- Percent complete curves and method of calculation
- Manpower loaded schedule
- Equipment release dates
- Module details, delivery schedules, and summary of all
- Shield wall details and delivery and installation schedule
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Bechtel Weekly Report
V.C. Summer Units 2 &3 Completion Assessment
Week Ending September 4, 2015
Members of the Bechtel team are scheduled to arrive onsite on Tuesday afternoon, September 8.
The Consortium presentation to the Bechtel team is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9. A final
agenda was issued by WEC on September 7.
- No new documents were received from the Consortium, SCANA, or Santee Cooper during the
week. The last documents received were posted in SCANA’s electronic reading room on August
14.
- Members of Bechtel’s team continued their review of documents that have been received to date.
Remaining 57 Items
45 items have been approved and printed or made available for review. The reading room
should be set up on Tuesday, September 8, for access by the Bechtel team.
10 items have been approved and are part of the September 9 presentation and/or will be
made available during follow-up deep dive sessions (difficult to produce copies of the
information).
1 item is approved but information is still being gathered regarding Construction Equipment
plan (4.5).
1 item will be discussed on September 9 - Engineering Manpower curves (10.13).
A CD of the Owner’s P6 Integrated Project Schedule (IPS) was received on August 19. Bechtel has
down loaded the schedule, identified the subprojects, and is continuing to manipulate the schedule
data. Bechtel’s Project Controls, Construction, Engineering, Procurement, and Licensing personnel
continued our review of the IPS information.
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Bechtel Weekly Report
V.C. Summer Units 2 &3 Completion Assessment
Week Ending September 11, 2015
The Bechtel Assessment team arrived on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 to begin the six-
week, onsite assessment effort.
WEC and CB&I Consortium members gave a full-day presentation to the Bechtel
Assessment team on Wednesday, September 9, 2015. Copies of the presentation were
placed in the Assessment Reading Room.
The Bechtel Assessment team spent most of Thursday, September 10, and a large part of
Friday, September 11, in training in order for the Bechtel team members to be granted a
badge that will allow the Bechtel personnel unescorted access to the site. It is expected that
the badges for unescorted access will be issued sometime during the week of September
14.
On Friday morning, September 11, SCE&G provided a site tour of Units 2 & 3 and a
majority of the lay down areas. All of the Bechtel team members on site took this tour.
On Friday afternoon, members of the Bechtel Assessment team began to review the hard
copy documents placed in the Reading Room.
Scheduled breakout meetings with WEC and CB&I personnel on Tuesday (September 15),
Wednesday (September 16), and Thursday (September 17) from 1-4 pm to discuss:
- Quantity Curves
- Craft Staffing Curves
- % Complete Curve
- Schedule – Critical Paths
- Quality Issues
- Modules
Follow-up meetings will be schedule as needed.
2.2 Project Management
Carl Rau and Dick Miller have requested to have singular interviews with the following
people on Wednesday, September 16: Steve Byrne, Jeff Archie (in Japan all week), Ron
Jones, Alan Torres, Carlette Walker, and Carl Churchman.
Meetings are being scheduled with WEC, CB&I, and SCE&G lead engineering personnel.
Meeting with April Rice, SCE&G Licensing, is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, at
4:30 pm.
2.5 Procurement
Meetings are being scheduled with CB&I Procurement at the corporate level, followed by
the site team.
Module Plan – Determine focus of review and where potentially the Bechtel team needs to
go.
2.6 Project Controls
Develop sustained rate comparison evaluation tables against Bechtel historical data.
1. Project Management
Activities Performed Last Week (September 14-18)
Four (of the nine) Bechtel personnel on the assessment team completed in-processing and received
their Unit 1 badges. Four others were notified that their training was complete so they could be
badged when they were available.
Carl Rau and Dick Miller completed interviews with Ron Jones (VP-New Nuclear Operations and
Owner’s Project Director), Alan Torres (General Manager-Nuclear Plant Construction), and Carl
Churchman (Consortium Project Director).
September 17 – Bechtel (Steve Routh and Dick Miller) were invited and attended the Monthly Project
Status Meeting.
September 18 – Attended Consortium POD meeting.
Work with Jason Brown of WEC to identify what remaining document requests will be filled this week.
Documents provided after this week may be too late to be considered in the Bechtel assessment.
Complete Unit 1 badging for remaining Bechtel team members.
Obtain CB&I badges for Bechtel team members.
Conduct interviews with Carlette Walker (SCE&G VP - Nuclear Financial Administration), Jeffrey
Archie (SVP-SCANA and CNO-SCE&G), and Stephen Byrne (EVP-SCANA and COO-SCE&G &
President-Generation).
Attend various team and Consortium meetings.
Tour site construction areas.
2. Construction
Activities Performed Last Week (September 14-18)
Reviewed Reading Room material including contract, quantity and manpower curves, September 9
Consortium presentation package, module drawings, etc.
September 16 - Met with Bill Wood and JJ White and had a general discussion of project including
nonmanual staffing, manual skill level and difficulties recruiting skilled crafts, and laid out plans for our
walkdowns and interviews.
September 14 – Toured laydown with SCE&G.
September 15 – Attended SCE&G module meeting.
September 15 – Attended Consortium Engineering overview presentation.
September 15 – Participated in Consortium Project Controls presentation on quantity curves,
manpower, earned percent complete, and critical path.
September 16, 17, 18 – Attended POD meetings.
September 16 – Met with Consortium Procurement and discussed procurement issues including
laydown and warehouse issues, pipe holds and changes, organization.
September 16 – Participated in Consortium Quality review of project with Dave Jantosik.
September 17 – Toured the Unit 2 Nuclear Island and discussed issues with Bob Johnson and
Andrew Fleetwood.
September 17 – Toured the Module Assembly Building operation with Bart Schaffer and staff.
September 18 – Toured the Turbine Building area with Scotty Holland and discussed issues
impacting work.
September 18 – Met with Indirects Superintendent Terry Bolton and reviewed indirect program.
Reviewed electronic and Reading Room material including engineering and licensing procedures,
licensing schedules, contract, September 9 Consortium presentation package, module drawings, etc.
September 14 – Attended Consortium Licensing overview presentation.
September 15 – Attended Consortium Engineering overview presentation.
September 15 – Attended Consortium Project Controls presentation.
September 15 – Met with April Rice of SCE&G to discuss general licensing issues and processes.
September 16 – Attended Consortium Procurement presentation.
September 16 – Participated in Consortium Quality review of project with Dave Jantosik.
September 16, 17 – Attended POD meetings.
Participated in internal schedule discussions on comparisons of VCS against Bechtel historical
information.
4. Procurement
Activities Performed Last Week (September 14-18)
5. Project Controls
Activities Performed Last Week (September 14-18)
1. Project Management
Activities Performed Last Week (September 21-25)
Work with Jason Brown of WEC to obtain the remaining documents requested.
Interview Santee Cooper personnel.
Meet with Bechtel assessment team members to review initial observations and recommendations.
Attend various team and Consortium meetings.
Tour site construction areas.
Prepare sections of Bechtel assessment report.
2. Construction
Activities Performed Last Week (September 21-25)
Hold meeting with Consortium personnel to discuss electrical quantities and electrical support
designs.
Hold meeting with CB&I personnel to understand discipline superintendent roles.
Attend September 28 follow-up meeting with WEC home office and site engineering personnel.
Meet with Consortium Strategic Planning personnel to discuss work packages for piping and
electrical on September 29.
Meet with Consortium personnel to discuss startup plan, schedule, component test matrix, etc. on
September 30.
Perform detailed review of containment, auxiliary building, and turbine building schedules.
Conduct internal discussions on comparisons of VC Summer against Bechtel historical information on
unit rates, schedule durations, quantities, manpower, etc.
Prepare sections of Bechtel assessment report.
4. Procurement
Activities Performed Last Week (September 21-25)
5. Project Controls
Activities Performed Last Week (September 21-25)
1. Project Management
Activities Performed Last Week (September 28-October 2)
2. Construction
Activities Performed Last Week (September 28-October 2)
4. Procurement
Activities Performed Last Week (September 28-October 2)
5. Project Controls
Activities Performed Last Week (September 28-October 2)
1. Project Management
Activities Performed Last Week (October 5-9)
2. Construction
Activities Performed Last Week (October 5-9)
4. Procurement
Activities Performed Last Week (October 5-9)
5. Project Controls
Activities Performed Last Week (October 5-9)
1. Project Management
Activities Performed Last Week (October 12-16)
2. Construction
Activities Performed Last Week (October 12-16)
4. Procurement
Activities Performed Last Week (October 12-16)
5. Project Controls
Activities Performed Last Week (October 12-16)