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NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov Site: www.nrc.gov

No. 12-40

NRC TO DISCUSS FUKUSHIMA-RELATED ORDER

ON CONTAINMENT VENTS MAY 2 IN ROCKVILLE, MD

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet with interested groups and members of

the public on Wednesday, May 2, in Rockville, Md., to discuss how some U.S. nuclear power

plants will implement an Order regarding systems to vent pressure from reactor containment

buildings.

The meeting will run from 9 a.m. to noon EDT in the Commissioners Hearing Room at

the NRC Headquarters complex, 11555 Rockville Pike in Rockville. Members of the public can

also participate in the meeting via teleconference at 800-857-9802, passcode 38283, as well as

via webinar.

Anyone interested in attending in person or via phone is strongly encouraged to contact

Robert Fretz ahead of time at 301-415-1980 or robert.fretz@nrc.gov; he also has webinar log-in

information.

The meeting will discuss the staffs interim guidance for meeting the requirements of the

Order, which applies to U.S. boiling-water reactors with Mark I and Mark II containment

designs. The Order requires Mark I plants to ensure their venting systems are hardened and

reliable; Mark II plants must install hardened reliable vents. The meeting will also discuss the

concept of adding filters to the vents.

A task force of senior NRC officials recommended issuing the Order after concluding

reliable hardened vents would allow Mark I and II containments to more effectively and safely

release excessive containment pressure after a serious accident. The task force based the

recommendation on the lessons learned from events at Japans Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power

plant. The Commission approved the task force recommendation and the NRC issued the Order

on March 12.

NOTE: Anyone wishing to take photos or use a camera to record any portion of a NRC meeting should

contact the Office of Public Affairs beforehand.

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link on the NRC homepage (www.nrc.gov). E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are

posted to NRC's website. For the latest news, follow the NRC on www.twitter.com/NRCgov.

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