Press Release-I-03-019, NRC to Discuss Annual Performance Assessment of Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-03-019: NRC to Discuss Annual Performance Assessment of Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant

ML030840535
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	03/25/2003
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-03-019
Download: ML030840535 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS -- REGION I 475 Allendale Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 No. I-03-019 March 25, 2003 CONTACT: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Neil A. Sheehan, (610) 337-5331 NRC TO DISCUSS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF SUSQUEHANNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of PPL Susquehanna, LLC, on Monday, March 31, to discuss the results of the agencys annual assessment of safety performance at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant. The twin-reactor facility is located in Berwick, Pa., and operated by PPL.

The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

at the Susquehanna Energy Information Center, 634 Salem Boulevard in Berwick. Before the session is adjourned, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the safety performance of the Susquehanna plant, 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 plant officials addresses the performance of the facility 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/susq_2002q4.pdf Overall, both of the Susquehanna units operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety and fully met all cornerstone objectives, the letter states. Therefore, the NRC plans to conduct only baseline inspections at the site through March 31, 2004.

There was one inspection finding of low to moderate safety significance (white) during the assessment period. It involved several instances in which on-shift staffing was below the minimum staffing requirements specified in the plants Emergency Plan. However, based on the results of two supplemental inspections, the NRC staff determined the issue had been satisfactorily addressed.

During the current assessment period, the NRC plans to focus on a substantive cross-cutting issue in the area of human performance. This issue is based on multiple inspection findings with a common performance deficiency of operators not properly implementing procedures. Although PPL developed a number of initiatives early in 2002 to address operator procedure implementation problems, PPL has not made substantial progress to improve procedure content and standards, the letter states.

The letter also 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 Susquehanna Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUSQ1/susq1_chart.html Current performance information for Susquehanna Unit 2 is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUSQ2/susq2_chart.html