Press Release-I-11-020, International Safety Review Team Visits Seabrook Nuclear Plant

Press Release-I-11-020: International Safety Review Team Visits Seabrook Nuclear Plant

ML11166A073
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	06/07/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-11-020
Download: ML11166A073 (1)

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-11-020 June 7, 2011

Contact:

Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan (610) 337-5331 INTERNATIONAL SAFETY REVIEW TEAM VISITS SEABROOK NUCLEAR PLANT An international team of nuclear safety experts will visit the Seabrook nuclear power plant from June 7 through 23 to review operational safety practices at the facility, located in Seabrook, N.H.

The voluntary peer review, known as an Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) visit, is being coordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is based in Vienna, Austria. It was scheduled before the events involving the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. The 14-member team will include reviewers from France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada, China, Spain, Brazil, Russia, the Czech Republic and other countries.

Established by IAEA in 1982, the OSART program is designed to assist member states in enhancing the operational safety of nuclear power plants and fostering continuous improvement through the dissemination of information on best practices. This will be the seventh OSART review of a U.S. nuclear power plant since the program was initiated.

Areas to be covered during the review include, but are not limited to, management and organization, training, operations, maintenance, technical support, operating experience, radiation protection, chemistry and emergency planning.

While the NRC does not conduct the OSART review, it does closely follow it and any outcomes, both for their safety significance and any possible safety improvements, said Bill Borchardt, the NRCs Executive Director for Operations.

Once the OSART reviewers have completed their work, they will produce a report identifying best practices and suggesting possible safety improvements. This report will be provided to the plants operator, NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC, and the U.S. government.

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.