Press Release-I-12-006, NRC to Hold Open House on March 20 in Ontario, N.Y., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Ginna Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-12-006: NRC to Hold Open House on March 20 in Ontario, N.Y., to Discuss Annual Assessment of Ginna Nuclear Power Plant

ML120800458
Person / Time
Site:	Ginna
Issue date:	03/15/2012
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-12-006
Download: ML120800458 (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-12-006 March 15, 2012

Contact:

Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330 Email: opa1.resource@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331 NRC TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ON MARCH 20 IN ONTARIO, N.Y., TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF GINNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct an open house on Tuesday, March 20, regarding the agencys annual assessment of safety performance for the R.E. Ginna nuclear power plant.

The open house will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Ontario Town Hall, located at 1850 Ridge Road in Ontario, N.Y. Members of the public will have an opportunity to learn first-hand from NRC staff members about the plants safety performance during 2011 and the NRCs oversight of the facility. The meeting format will allow citizens to discuss plant-related topics on a one-on-one basis with NRC inspectors assigned to the plant and their NRC Region I supervisor.

Ginna is a pressurized-water reactor located in Ontario, N.Y. It is owned and operated by Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, LLC.

Overall, Ginna operated safely during 2011. At the conclusion of last year, as assessed by the NRCs Reactor Oversight Process, there were no performance indicators for the plant that were other than Green (very low safety significance) and no inspection findings that were Greater than Green. Therefore, for the rest of 2012 Ginna will receive the very detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for plants that are operating well. In 2011, the NRC devoted approximately 5,300 hours0.00347 days <br />0.0833 hours <br />4.960317e-4 weeks <br />1.1415e-4 months <br /> of inspection to the Ginna facility.

Throughout 2011, our inspectors kept close watch on a daily basis to ensure there were no safety issues of significance. The Ginna plant was among those to meet our clearly defined performance criteria last year, NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said. In addition, our inspectors spent time in 2011 checking on whether there were any immediate safety concerns at

U.S. nuclear power plants following the March events at the Fukushima Daiichi facility in Japan.

Those reviews indicated the plants remained safe for continued operation.

For most of 2011, Ginna was under additional NRC oversight due to a White Performance Indicator related to issues associated with a turbine-driven auxiliary feedwater pump. However, that Performance Indicator returned to Green in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The NRC performed a supplemental inspection at the plant in response to the White Peformance Indicator to ensure that the root causes of the issues were fully understood and that sufficient corrective actions had been implemented.

The NRC utilizes a combination of color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start with Green and then increase to White, Yellow or Red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.

The agency issues reports on performance at specific plants twice a year: during the mid-cycle, or mid-point, of the year, and at the conclusion of the year. Inspection findings and performance indicators are also updated on the NRCs website each quarter. Following the release of the annual reports every March, the NRC meets with the public in the vicinity of each plant to discuss the results. Such interactions are in keeping with the agencys commitment to transparency with regard to its activities.

The annual assessment for the Ginna plant is available on the NRC website. The notice for the open house is available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML12065A193. 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.Resource@NRC.GOV.

Routine inspections are carried out by the two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the agencys Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa.

Among the areas of performance at Ginna to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are activities associated with radiological safety, dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel, fire protection and the plants implementation of a voluntary initiative to address potential degradation of underground piping.

Current performance information for Ginna is available on the NRC website.

NOTE: Anyone wishing to take photos or use a camera to record any portion of a NRC meeting should contact the Office of Public Affairs beforehand.

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