Press Release-I-08-010, NRC to Discuss Annual Assessment for Ginna Nuclear Power Plant at Public Meeting Scheduled for March 25 in Ontario, N.Y

Press Release-I-08-010: NRC to Discuss Annual Assessment for Ginna Nuclear Power Plant at Public Meeting Scheduled for March 25 in Ontario, N.Y

ML080790716
Person / Time
Site:	Ginna
Issue date:	03/19/2008
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-08-010
Download: ML080790716 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Site: http://www.nrc.gov No. I-08-010 March 19, 2008

Contact:

Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 NRC TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT FOR GINNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT AT PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 25 IN ONTARIO, N.Y.

The results of the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions annual safety performance assessment for the R.E. Ginna nuclear power plant will be discussed at a public meeting on Tuesday, March 25. The session is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at Ontario Town Hall, at 1850 Ridge Road in Ontario, N.Y.

Ginna is a pressurized-water reactor located in Ontario and operated by Constellation Energy, LLC.

In addition to the annual assessment, NRC staff will also discuss a yellow performance indicator received by Ginna last year in the area of emergency preparedness.

Through a combination of inspection findings and performance indicators, we are able to develop a comprehensive picture of how nuclear power plants are performing with regard to safety, said NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins. As part of our commitment to make the findings of our reviews accessible to the public, we hold meetings near each plant once a year to share the details of those assessments. We look forward to the opportunity on March 25th to present that information for the Ginna nuclear power plant.

The annual assessment letter for Ginna is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/ginn_2007q4.pdf . The notice for the meeting, with agenda attached, is available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML080701189. The meeting slides are available under accession number ML080701191. ADAMS is accessible at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html . Help in using ADAMS is available via the NRCs Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at PDR@NRC.GOV .

Overall, the Ginna plant operated safely during 2007. When considering nuclear power plant performance, the NRC uses color-coded performance indicators and inspection findings.

The colors start with green and then increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.

At the end of the first quarter of 2007, the performance indicator for Ginna with respect to emergency response organization changed from green to yellow. The indicator measures the percentage of emergency response organization members assigned to fill key positions who have participated in a drill, exercise or actual event during the previous eight quarters. It is designed to ensure that members of the emergency response organization have adequate opportunities to practice their respective assignments and keep current with procedures and the emergency plan in preparation for response to an actual event. Following Ginnas immediate corrective actions, the performance indicator returned to green in the second quarter of 2007.

The NRC conducted a supplemental inspection in early 2008 to ensure the company has taken appropriate steps to address the issue and prevent recurrence. The results of that inspection will be available in the near future.

At the conclusion of last year, there were no performance indicators for Ginna that were other than green and no inspection findings that were greater than green. Therefore, the plant will receive the baseline, or routine, level of inspections for the remainder of 2008.

Routine inspections are carried out by the two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the agencys Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa.

Among the areas of performance at Ginna to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are activities associated with dry cask storage, radiological safety, containment building sump modifications, license renewal commitments and problem identification and resolution.

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/GINN/ginn_chart.html .

News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.