Press Release-I-05-023, NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for James A. Fitzpatrick Point Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-05-023: NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for James A. Fitzpatrick Point Nuclear Power Plant

ML051110301
Person / Time
Site:	FitzPatrick
Issue date:	04/21/2005
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-05-023
Download: ML051110301 (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-05-023 April 21, 2005

Contact:

Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 NRC TO DISCUSS 2004 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FOR JAMES A. FITZPATRICK POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Entergy Nuclear Northeast on Thursday, April 28, to discuss the agencys annual assessment of safety performance at the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plant. The period of performance to be discussed is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2004.

Entergy operates the plant in Scriba, N.Y.

The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at noon in the Joint News Center for the plant, located at the Oswego County Airport, on County Route 176 in Fulton, N.Y. 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.

In addition to the noon meeting, the NRC will conduct a separate discussion with the public on the performance of both the Nine Mile Point and James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plants that evening. That meeting is scheduled for 7 to 8 p.m. in the Town of Scribas Assembly Hall, 42 Creamery Road in Oswego, N.Y.

The NRC continually reviews the performance of the FitzPatrick 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 FitzPatrick 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 the FitzPatrick plant were determined to be green. Therefore, the plant will receive a

baseline level of inspections during the upcoming assessment period.

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 radiological safety, maintenance effectiveness and safety system design and performance capability.

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/fitz_2004q4.pdf . The notice and slides for the noon meeting are available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession numbers ML050880041 and ML050910183, respectively. The notice and agenda for the evening meeting can be found under accession number ML050880106. 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 the FitzPatrick plant is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/FITZ/fitz_chart.html .