Press Release-I-11-017, NRC to Hold Public Meeting on June 1st in Plymouth, Mass., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-11-017: NRC to Hold Public Meeting on June 1st in Plymouth, Mass., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant

ML111430629
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	05/23/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-11-017
Download: ML111430629 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No. I-11-017 May 23, 2011

Contact:

Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan (610) 337-5331 NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON JUNE 1ST IN PLYMOUTH, MASS.,

TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, June 1, regarding the agencys annual assessment of safety performance for the Pilgrim nuclear power plant during 2010.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, at 4 Home Depot Drive in Plymouth, Mass. 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 facility.

Pilgrim, which is the site of a single boiling-water reactor, is located in Plymouth. It is owned and operated by Entergy Nuclear Operations, 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 Pilgrim 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 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 unit. Therefore, for the remainder of 2011, Pilgrim will continue to receive the very detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for plants that are operating well.

On May 16, 2011, the NRC launched a Special Inspection at Pilgrim to review operator performance issues that occurred as the reactor was being returned to service from a refueling and maintenance outage on May 10, 2011. The plant experienced an automatic shutdown as the reactor was being restarted. The results of that inspection will be made public within 45 days of its conclusion.

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 5,040 hours4.62963e-4 days <br />0.0111 hours <br />6.613757e-5 weeks <br />1.522e-5 months <br /> to inspection and related activity of Pilgrim, including two major team inspections. Among the areas at Pilgrim being inspected in 2011 are radiological safety, emergency preparedness and the plants licensed operator requalification 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 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 Pilgrim is available on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/pilg_2010q4.pdf. The notice for the public meeting is available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML111310295 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 Pilgrim is available on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/PILG/pilg_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.