ML031060291
| ML031060291 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Beaver Valley |
| Issue date: | 04/16/2003 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs Region I |
| To: | |
| References | |
| Press Release-I-03-032 | |
| Download: ML031060291 (2) | |
See also: see also:Press Release-I-03-032
Text
NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS -- REGION I
475 Allendale Road
King of Prussia, PA 19406
No. I-03-032
April 16, 2003
CONTACT:
Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330
E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov
Neil A. Sheehan, (610) 337-5331
NRC TO MEET WITH FIRSTENERGY TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT
OF BEAVER VALLEY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PERFORMANCE
Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of FirstEnergy Nuclear
Operating Company on Tuesday, April 22, to discuss the results of the agencys annual assessment of
safety performance at the Beaver Valley nuclear power plant. The twin-reactor facility is located in
Shippingport, Pa.
The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 7
p.m. in the jurors lounge at the Beaver County Courthouse, on Third Street in Beaver, Pa. Before the
session is adjourned, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the safety
performance of Beaver Valley, as well as the role of the NRC in ensuring safe plant operation.
The performance period to be discussed is January 1 to December 31, 2002. In addition,
NRC staff will provide an overview of how the agencys Reactor Oversight Process works.
A letter sent from the NRC Region I Office to FirstEnergy addresses the performance of the
plant during the period and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the
NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/bv_2002q4.pdf
Overall, Beaver Valley Power Station operated in a manner that preserved public health and
safety and fully met all cornerstone objectives, the letter states. Based on an inspection finding of low
to moderate safety significance (white), Beaver Valley received additional NRC scrutiny in the area
of emergency preparedness during the last assessment period. The finding involved inadequate
maintenance and testing of personal home alerting devices, as well as insufficient effort to fully resolve
the problem since 1988. The devices are part of Beaver Valleys public alert and notification system
and ensure that anyone in areas where pole-mounted sirens may not be heard will be alerted in a timely
fashion of a significant event at the plant.
FirstEnergy has notified the NRC of interim and planned corrective actions, including the
installation of additional pole-mounted sirens, that would eliminate the need for the personal home
alerting devices. The NRC conducted a supplemental inspection in February to evaluate the adequacy
of those changes. The results of that review will help the agency to determine if any additional
inspections are needed in that area.
In addition, the letter notes: As you are aware, since the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001, the NRC has issued several Orders and threat advisories to enhance security capabilities and
improve guard force readiness. We have conducted inspections to review your implementation of
these requirements and have monitored your actions in response to changing threat conditions. For
calendar year 2003, we plan to continue these inspections, conduct portions of the security baseline
inspection program, as well as perform additional inspections to evaluate your compliance with new
requirements that may be ordered.
Current performance information for Beaver Valley 1 is available on the NRC web site at:
http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/BV1/bv1_chart.html
Current performance information for Beaver Valley 2 is available on the NRC web site at:
http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/BV2/bv2_chart.html