Press Release-I-11-009, NRC to Hold Public Meeting on May 10th in Salem, N.J., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Salem, Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plants

Press Release-I-11-009: NRC to Hold Public Meeting on May 10th in Salem, N.J., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Salem, Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plants

ML111190548
Person / Time
Site:	Salem, Hope Creek
Issue date:	04/29/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-11-009
Download: ML111190548 (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-11-009 April 29, 2011

Contact:

Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330 Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331 NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON MAY 10th IN SALEM, N.J., TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF SALEM, HOPE CREEK NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, May 10, regarding the agencys annual assessment of safety performance for the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear power plants during 2010.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the PSEG Energy & Environmental Resource Center, at 244 Chestnut St. in Salem, N.J. 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.

Salem, which is the site of two pressurized-water reactors, and Hope Creek, which is a single boiling-water reactor, are located adjacent to each other in Hancocks Bridge (Salem County), N.J. The units are operated by PSEG Nuclear, LLC.

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 Salem 1 and 2 reactors and the Hope Creek 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 or any performance indicators that were Greater than Green for the Salem and Hope Creek units. Therefore, 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 6,900 hours0.0104 days <br />0.25 hours <br />0.00149 weeks <br />3.4245e-4 months <br /> to inspection of the Salem units 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 Hope Creek, including three major team inspections for Salem and two major team inspections for Hope Creek. Among the areas at Salem being inspected this year are radioactive waste processing and handling, the plants radiological environmental monitoring program and its problem identification and resolution program. Among the areas at Hope Creek being inspected this year are emergency preparedness, permanent plant modifications and radiological safety.

The agency issues its review of performance at specific plants twice a year. Inspection findings and performance indicators are also updated on the NRCs website, 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 Salem 1 and 2 is available on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/salm_2010q4.pdf. The annual assessment letter for Hope Creek is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/hope_2010q4.pdf. The notice for the public meeting is available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number MLML111170317. 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 Salem Unit 1 is available on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SALM1/salm1_chart.html. Current performance information for Salem Unit 2 is available on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SALM2/salm2_chart.html. Current performance information for Hope Creek is available on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/HOPE/hope_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.