Press Release-I-11-015, NRC to Hold Two Public Meetings on May 25th in Waterford, Conn., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Millstone Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-11-015: NRC to Hold Two Public Meetings on May 25th in Waterford, Conn., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Millstone Nuclear Power Plant

ML111360525
Person / Time
Site:	Millstone
Issue date:	05/16/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-11-015
Download: ML111360525 (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-11-015 May 16, 2011

Contact:

Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330 Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331 NRC TO HOLD TWO PUBLIC MEETINGS ON MAY 25TH IN WATERFORD, CONN.,

TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF MILLSTONE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT The results of the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions annual safety performance assessment for the Millstone nuclear power plant will be the subject of two public meetings on Wednesday, May 25, in Waterford, Conn.

At 2 p.m., the NRC staff will meet with the public at Waterford Town Hall, at 15 Rope Ferry Road in Waterford, to discuss the agencys assessment. Then, at 6:30 p.m., agency staff will discuss the assessment with Connecticuts Nuclear Energy Advisory Council (NEAC) during a public meeting at the same location.

Prior to the conclusion of both sessions, 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 facility.

Millstone, which is the site of two operating pressurized-water reactors, is located in Waterford. It is operated by Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.

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 Millstone Unit 2 and 3 reactors 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 Greater than Green (rising to the level requiring additional NRC oversight) or any performance indicators that were other than Green (exceeding the threshold

for the indicator and requiring additional NRC oversight) for the units. Therefore, for the remainder of 2011, Millstone will continue to receive the very detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for plants that are operating well.

Recently, an NRC Special Inspection was conducted to review an operational occurrence at Millstone on Feb. 12, 2011. Specifically, a three-member team was sent to the plant to evaluate operator actions and events surrounding an unplanned increase in reactor power, from 88 percent to 96 percent, during main turbine control valve testing. The results of that inspection are currently being evaluated to determine the significance of any conclusions.

Routine inspections are carried out at Millstone by the three NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the agencys Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa. In 2010, the NRC devoted about 8,260 hours0.00301 days <br />0.0722 hours <br />4.298942e-4 weeks <br />9.893e-5 months <br /> to inspection of Millstone, including three major team inspections. Among the areas at Millstone being inspected this year are radiological safety, emergency preparedness and radioactive effluents treatment.

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 Millstone is available on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/mill_2010q4.pdf. The notice for the public meeting is available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML111250122. 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 Millstone Unit 2 is available on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/MILL2/mill2_chart.html. Current performance information for Millstone Unit 3 is available on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/MILL3/mill3_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 NRCs website.