Press Release-I-11-007, NRC to Hold Public Meeting on May 4th in Scriba, N.Y., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Nine Mile Point, Fitzpatrick Nuclear Plants

Press Release-I-11-007: NRC to Hold Public Meeting on May 4th in Scriba, N.Y., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Nine Mile Point, Fitzpatrick Nuclear Plants

ML111120334
Person / Time
Site:	Nine Mile Point, FitzPatrick
Issue date:	04/22/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-11-007
Download: ML111120334 (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: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No. I-11-007 April 22, 2011

Contact:

Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan (610) 337-5331 NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON MAY 4th IN SCRIBA, N.Y., TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF NINE MILE POINT, FITZPATRICK NUCLEAR PLANTS Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, May 4, regarding the agencys annual assessment of safety performance for the Nine Mile Point and James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plants during 2010.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Town of Scriba Justice Center, located at 45 Creamery Road in Oswego, N.Y. Prior to the sessions conclusion, there will be an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions of the NRC staff regarding the plants performance, as well as the agencys oversight of the units.

Nine Mile Point, which is the site of two boiling-water reactors, and FitzPatrick, which is the site of a single boiling-water reactor, are located adjacent to each other in Scriba (Oswego County), N.Y. Constellation Energy, LLC, owns and operates Nine Mile Point while Entergy Nuclear Northeast owns and operates FitzPatrick.

Our Annual Assessment reviews allow us to step back and gauge whether the nuclear power plants we regulate are on the right track in terms of performance and adhering to the highest levels of safety, NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said. Once weve completed these evaluations, we reach out to the public to share that information and to receive their feedback at a location near each plant. We welcome and value these exchanges.

The NRC utilizes a combination of color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start with green, representing very low safety significance, and increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the significance of the issues involved.

Overall, the Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 reactors and the Fitzpatrick reactor operated safely during 2010.

At the conclusion of last year, as assessed through the NRCs Reactor Oversight Process, there were no inspection findings that were other than Green for the Nine Mile Point units or any performance indicators that were Greater than Green for Nine Mile Point and FitzPatrick.

However, a Greater Than Green inspection finding in the area of security for the FitzPatrick plant was finalized on Nov. 4, 2010. Details of the finding are considered sensitive information and therefore they are not released to the public, but it will result in additional NRC oversight in the area of security for FitzPatrick in 2011. Otherwise, for the rest of 2011, the plants will receive the normal, very detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for plants that are operating well.

Routine inspections are carried out by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to each plant and by inspection specialists from the agencys Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa. In 2010, the NRC devoted about 6,300 hours0.00347 days <br />0.0833 hours <br />4.960317e-4 weeks <br />1.1415e-4 months <br /> to inspection of Nine Mile Point and about 5,300 hours0.00347 days <br />0.0833 hours <br />4.960317e-4 weeks <br />1.1415e-4 months <br /> to inspection of FitzPatrick, including five major team inspections for Nine Mile Point and five major team inspections for FitzPatrick. Among the areas at Nine Mile Point being inspected this year are emergency preparedness, radiological safety and the plants problem identification and resolution program. Among the areas at FitzPatrick being inspected this year are fire protection, radiological safety and the plants security program.

The agency issues its review of performance at specific plants twice a year. Inspection findings and performance indicators are also updated on the NRCs web site, www.nrc.gov, each quarter. Following the release of the annual performance reviews every March, the public is provided with an opportunity to discuss the results. The meetings, which are held in the vicinity of the plant, are in keeping with the NRCs commitment to transparency and openness with regard to its activities.

The annual assessment letter for Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/nmp_2010q4.pdf. The annual assessment letter for FitzPatrick is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/fitz_2010q4.pdf. The notice for the public meeting is available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML111050100. ADAMS is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Help in using ADAMS can be obtained via the NRCs Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at PDR.Resources@NRC.GOV.

Current performance information for Nine Mile Point 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 2 is available on the NRC web site at:

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/FITZ/fitz_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 website.