Press Release-I-13-007, NRC to Hold Open House on April 2nd in Salem, N.J., to Discuss Annual Assessments for Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plants

Press Release-I-13-007: NRC to Hold Open House on April 2nd in Salem, N.J., to Discuss Annual Assessments for Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plants

ML13084A101
Person / Time
Site:	Salem, Hope Creek
Issue date:	03/25/2013
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-13-007
Download: ML13084A101 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region I 2100 Renaissance Blvd., King of Prussia, Pa. 19406-2713 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No. I-13-007 March 25, 2013

Contact:

Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330 Email: opa1.resource@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331 NRC TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ON APRIL 2nd IN SALEM, N.J.,

TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS FOR SALEM AND HOPE CREEK NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public open house on Tuesday, April 2, to discuss the agencys annual review of safety performance at the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear power plants.

During the open house, which is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the PSEG Energy &

Environmental Resource Center, at 244 Chestnut St. in Salem, attendees will have an opportunity to hold one-on-one discussions with NRC staff members about the plants 2012 performance and the agencys oversight of the facilities. NRC staff on hand will include the inspectors assigned to the plants on a full-time basis and their supervisor.

Overall, the Salem and Hope Creek plants -- located in Hancocks Bridge (Salem County) and operated by PSEG Nuclear, LLC -- operated safely during 2012. At the conclusion of last year, as assessed by the NRCs Reactor Oversight Process, there were no performance indicators for the plants that were other than green (very low risk) and no inspection findings that were greater than green (that is, none of the findings exceeded very low safety significance). As a result, Salem and Hope Creek will continue to receive the NRCs normal level of oversight during 2013, barring any changes.

The normal level of oversight for plants meeting NRC performance criteria consists of a detailed regime involving thousands of hours of inspection. In 2012, the agency devoted approximately 5,400 hours0.00463 days <br />0.111 hours <br />6.613757e-4 weeks <br />1.522e-4 months <br /> of inspection to the Salem plant and approximately 5,200 hours0.00231 days <br />0.0556 hours <br />3.306878e-4 weeks <br />7.61e-5 months <br /> of inspection to the Hope Creek plant.

Salem and Hope Creek had one or more greater than green inspection findings in the area of security, first identified in the fourth quarter of 2011 and finalized in the first quarter of 2012, causing both plants to receive increased NRC oversight. However, the issues were closed out in the fourth quarter of 2012 after the agency concluded the concerns had been properly evaluated and appropriate corrective actions put in place.

When the time comes to evaluate a plants performance for the previous year, we take a fresh look at any and all issues that might be of concern. We then adjust our plans for assessing the facility accordingly, NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said. As we map out our inspection plans for the remainder of 2013, we remain focused on ensuring that safety is the foremost objective for all plant operators.

The NRC utilizes a combination of color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess plant performance. The colors begin with green and then increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the risk significance of the issues involved. The agency issues reports on performance at each plant 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 web site, www.nrc.gov, 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. The sessions are in keeping with the agencys commitment to transparency with respect to its activities.

The annual assessment letter for the Salem plant is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/salm_2012q4.pdf , while the letter for the Hope Creek plant can be found at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/hope_2012q4.pdf . The notice for the open house is available in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML13073A201. ADAMS is available at:

http://adams.nrc.gov/wba/ . 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 to be inspected this year at Salem by NRC specialists are activities associated with radiological safety, problem identification and resolution, and permanent plant modifications. For the Hope Creek plant, areas of inspection will include fire protection, emergency preparedness and the dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel.

Current performance information for Salem Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at:

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

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/HOPE/hope_chart.html .

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