Press Release-I-05-019, NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-05-019: NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

ML050970343
Person / Time
Site:	Calvert Cliffs
Issue date:	04/07/2005
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-05-019
Download: ML050970343 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.

Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA No. I-05-019 April 7, 2005

Contact:

Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 Email: opa1@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 NRC TO DISCUSS 2004 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FOR CALVERT CLIFFS NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Constellation Generation Group, LLC, on Thursday, April 14, to discuss the agencys annual assessment of safety performance at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant. The period of performance to be discussed is January 1 to December 31, 2004.

Constellation operates the twin-reactor plant, which is located in Lusby, Md.

The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express, 355 Merrimac Court in Prince Frederick, Md. Before the session is adjourned, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the plants safety performance, as well as the agencys role in ensuring safe operation of the facility.

The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Calvert Cliffs plant and the nations other commercial nuclear power facilities, NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins said. This meeting will provide an opportunity for a discussion of our annual assessment of safety performance with the company and with local officials and residents who live near the plant. Our goal is to explain the NRC oversight process and make as much information as possible available to the public regarding our regulation of these facilities.

Overall, the Calvert Cliffs plant operated safely during the period. The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear power plant performance. The colors start with green and then increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. During 2004, all of the inspection findings and performance indicators for Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 were determined to be green. Therefore, the unit will receive a baseline level of inspections during the upcoming assessment period.

In the case of Unit 2, the NRC identified a white inspection finding, representing low to moderate significance, during the second quarter of last year. The issue pertained to a relay failure that caused the units steam dump valves to remain fully open following a reactor shutdown in early 2004 when they should have been closed. As a result, the agency conducted a supplemental inspection in

January 2005 to assess the companys response to the issue. The inspectors determined that Constellations evaluation of the performance deficiencies root cause was thorough and that its planned corrective actions were reasonable. Consistent with the NRCs Reactor Oversight Process, the white finding will remain open for a total of four quarters.

Routine inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa., and the agencys headquarters in Rockville, Md. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year are emergency preparedness, the effectiveness of the maintenance program and radioactive effluent treatment and monitoring systems.

A letter sent from the NRC Region I Office to plant officials 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/calv_2004q4.pdf . The notice and slides for the meeting area available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession numbers ML050760441 and ML050760473, respectively. ADAMS is accessible via the agencys web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html . Help in using ADAMS is available by contacting the NRCs Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737 or by e-mail at PDR@nrc.gov .

Current performance information for Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CALV1/calv1_chart.html .

Current performance information for Calvert Cliffs Unit 2 is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CALV2/calv2_chart.html .