Press Release-I-06-019, NRC to Discuss 2005 Performance Assessment for Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-06-019: NRC to Discuss 2005 Performance Assessment for Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant

ML060950228
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	04/05/2006
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-06-019:
Download: ML060950228 (2)

Text

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

www.nrc.gov No. I-06-019 April 5, 2006

Contact:

Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 NRC TO DISCUSS 2005 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FOR SUSQUEHANNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of PPL Susquehanna, LLC, on Wednesday, April 12, to discuss the agencys annual assessment of safety performance at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant. The period of performance to be discussed is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2005.

PPL operates the twin-reactor plant, located in Berwick, Pa.

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 Blvd., Berwick. The NRC staff will present the results of the assessment and be available to respond to questions or comments from the public before the close of the meeting.

As we do every year, we have carefully reviewed the safety performance of the Susquehanna nuclear power plant during the previous calendar year, NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins said. The meeting on April 12th will afford the public a chance to learn more about the results of our assessment and to pose any questions they might have regarding plant performance or our oversight activities.

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/susq_2005q4.pdf . The meeting notice, with the meeting agenda attached, is available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML060860026. The NRC slides will be available in ADAMS at least three days before the meeting; they will be provided in a revision to the meeting notice. 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 .

Overall, the Susquehanna 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. Because all of the inspection findings and performance indicators for the plant during 2005 were determined to be green, Susquehanna will receive a baseline (or routine) 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. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected during the next year by NRC specialists are radiological safety, problem identification and resolution, and operator license initial exams.

Current performance information for Susquehanna 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 2 is available on the NRC web site at:

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