Press Release-I-05-024, NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for Nine Mile Point Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-05-024: NRC to Discuss 2004 Performance Assessment for Nine Mile Point Nuclear Power Plant

ML051110710
Person / Time
Site:	Nine Mile Point
Issue date:	04/21/2005
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-05-024
Download: ML051110710 (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-05-024 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 NINE MILE POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC, on Thursday, April 28, to discuss the agencys annual assessment of safety performance at the Nine Mile Point nuclear power plant. The period of performance to be discussed is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2004.

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, LLC, operates the two-reactor plant in Scriba, N.Y.

The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. 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 afternoon meeting, the NRC will conduct a separate discussion with the public that evening on the performance of both the Nine Mile Point and James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plants. 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 Nine Mile Point 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 Nine Mile Point 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 Nine Mile Point were determined to be green. Therefore, the plant will receive a baseline level of inspections during the upcoming assessment period.

Besides routine inspections performed at the plant in 2004, the NRC conducted a supplemental inspection last September in response to a white performance indicator for Unit 2 in the third quarter of 2003. The indicator tracks the number of unplanned scrams, or shutdowns, per 7,000 hours0 days <br />0 hours <br />0 weeks <br />0 months <br /> of critical operation. At the conclusion of the inspection, the NRC determined the companys corrective actions were sufficient to address the causes of the problem and to prevent a recurrence.

Routine inspections are performed by three 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, emergency preparedness and problem identification and resolution.

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/nmp_2004q4.pdf . The notice and slides for the afternoon meeting are available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession numbers ML050880025 and ML050880029, 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 Nine Mile Point Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/NMP1/nmp1_chart.html .

Current performance information for Nine Mile Point Unit 2 is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/NMP2/nmp2_chart.html .