Press Release-I-08-021, NRC to Discuss Annual Assessment for Susquehanna Nuclear Plant at Public Meeting Scheduled for April 16 in Salem Township, Pa

Press Release-I-08-021: NRC to Discuss Annual Assessment for Susquehanna Nuclear Plant at Public Meeting Scheduled for April 16 in Salem Township, Pa

ML081000191
Person / Time
Site:	Salem
Issue date:	04/08/2008
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-08-021
Download: ML081000191 (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-08-021 April 8, 2008

Contact:

Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 NRC TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT FOR SUSQUEHANNA NUCLEAR PLANT AT PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 16 IN SALEM TOWNSHIP, PA.

The results of the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions annual safety performance assessment for the Susquehanna nuclear power plant will be discussed at a public meeting on Wednesday, April 16. The session is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Susquehanna Energy Information Center, at 634 Salem Blvd., Salem Township, Pa., about 7 miles northeast of Berwick, Pa.

Susquehanna is a twin-reactor plant located in Salem Township (Luzerne County) and operated by PPL Susquehanna, LLC.

Prior to the conclusion of the meeting, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the plants performance during 2007, as well as the agencys oversight of the facility.

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 April 16th to present that information for the Susquehanna nuclear power plant.

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/susq_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 ML080850867. 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 Susquehanna 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 conclusion of last year, there were no performance indicators for Susquehanna 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.

Susquehanna did have seven green (very low safety significance) inspection findings with documented cross-cutting aspects in the area of human performance during the assessment period. (Cross-cutting aspects are issues that span several different areas of performance.) In addition, the NRC identified a cross-cutting theme regarding supervisory and management oversight of work activities for five of the inspection findings. However, the NRC staff evaluated the companys actions in response to those issues and determined them to be effective. As a result, Susquehanna currently does not have any open substantive cross-cutting issues.

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 Susquehanna to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are activities associated with radiological safety, fire protection and emergency preparedness. In addition, the NRC will conduct inspections related to activities associated with license renewal and with extended power uprates for both reactors. The NRC approved 13-percent power uprates for each reactor in January.

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUSQ2/susq2_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.