Press Release-09-042, NRC Issues Annual Assessments for Nations Nuclear Plants

Press Release-09-042: NRC Issues Annual Assessments for Nations Nuclear Plants

ML090650330
Person / Time
Site:	Hatch, Oconee, Mcguire, Nine Mile Point, Palisades, Palo Verde, Kewaunee, Grand Gulf, Cooper, Byron, Prairie Island, Farley, San Onofre, Comanche Peak, McGuire
Issue date:	03/06/2009
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
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Press Release-09-042
Download: ML090650330 (1)

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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@nrc.gov Site: http://www.nrc.gov No.09-042 March 6, 2009 NRC ISSUES ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS FOR NATIONS NUCLEAR PLANTS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued annual assessment letters to the nations 104 operating commercial nuclear power plants. All the plants continue to operate safely.

"Our ongoing assessment of nuclear power plant performance is at the heart of the agencys mission of protecting people and the environment, said Eric Leeds, director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. The 2008 year-end results show that about 83 percent of the plants are performing strongly enough that were satisfied with our basic level of inspections at those sites.

If a nuclear power plants performance declines, the NRC assigns additional personnel to ensure the plant operator is taking the steps necessary to correct the situation. The additional amount of inspection is commensurate with the level of plant performance. Only one reactor, Unit 3 at Palo Verde (Ariz.), requires the NRCs highest level of attention. It will continue to undergo additional inspections this year to confirm the plants performance issues are being addressed. Three reactor units, Cooper (Neb.) and Units 1 and 2 at Palo Verde (Ariz.), require significant NRC attention, and another 14 reactor units, Units 1 and 2 at Byron (Ill.), Unit 1 at Comanche Peak (Texas), Unit 1 at Farley (Ala.),

Unit 1 at Grand Gulf ( Miss.), Unit 2 at Hatch (Ga.), Kewaunee (Wis.), Units 1 and 2 at McGuire (N.C.), Unit 2 at Nine Mile Point (N.Y.), Unit 1 at Oconee (S.C.), Palisades (Mich.), Unit 1 at Prairie Island (Minn.), and Unit 2 at San Onofre (Calif.), will get some additional attention beyond the basic level.

Later this spring and summer, the NRC will meet publicly in locations near the plants to discuss plant issues. A separate announcement will be issued for each of these meetings. In addition to the annual assessment letters, plants also receive an NRC inspection plan for the coming year. Updated information on plant performance is posted to the NRC Web site every quarter. The plants also receive a mid-cycle assessment letter during the year; the next mid-cycle letters will be issued in September.

The assessment letters sent to each licensee are available on the NRC Web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/index.html and through ADAMS, the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System. Help in using ADAMS is available from the NRC Public Document Room by calling (301) 415-4737 or (800) 397-4209.

News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.