Press Release-I-15-023, NRC to Conduct Open House May 21 in Limerick, Pa., to Discuss 2014 Performance of Limerick Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-15-023: NRC to Conduct Open House May 21 in Limerick, Pa., to Discuss 2014 Performance of Limerick Nuclear Power Plant

ML15133A467
Person / Time
Site:	Limerick
Issue date:	05/13/2015
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-15-023
Download: ML15133A467 (2)

Text

No. I-15-023 May 13, 2015

Contact:

Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 E-mail: opa1.resource@nrc.gov Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331 NRC to Conduct Open House May 21 in Limerick, Pa.,

to Discuss 2014 Performance of Limerick Nuclear Power Plant The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public open house on May 21 in Limerick, Pa.,

to discuss the agencys annual review of safety performance at the Limerick nuclear power plant.

NRC staff will be on hand from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Limerick Township Municipal Building, located at 646 W. Ridge Pike. Agency employees responsible for inspections of the plant, including the Resident Inspectors based at the Limerick (Montgomery County), Pa., site on a full-time basis, will be available to discuss the facilitys performance in 2014 and the agencys oversight plans for 2015.

Under the NRCs Reactor Oversight Process, the agency gauges plant performance through the use of color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators, which are statistical measurements of plant performance that can trigger additional oversight if exceeded.

On an overall basis, Limerick, which is owned by Exelon Generation Co. LLC, operated safely in 2014. However, as of the end of last year, the twin-reactor plant was under additional oversight as a result of a greater-than-green security-related inspection finding that was finalized last October.

An NRC supplemental team inspection focused on the security concern was conducted in March. The results of the review were contained in an inspection report issued in April. Inspection reports related to security are not made public. The inspectors determined that Exelons corrective actions to evaluate and address the issues that led to the finding were appropriate. Therefore, the Limerick plant returned to the normal level of NRC oversight as of the start of the second quarter of 2015.

We sought to independently verify that the company fully understood the root causes of the issue and had taken appropriate steps to correct them. Our inspection confirmed that had occurred, NRC Region I Administrator Dan Dorman said. With respect to our Annual Assessment of the plants safety performance, it serves to help us focus our inspection resources on those areas where attention is most needed.

The NRCs normal level of oversight at each U.S. nuclear power plant involves thousands of hours of inspection. In 2014, the agency devoted approximately 5,300 hours0.00347 days <br />0.0833 hours <br />4.960317e-4 weeks <br />1.1415e-4 months <br /> of review at Limerick.

The NRC 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 a quarterly basis on the agencys website. Following the release of the Annual Assessment letters each March, the NRC meets with the public in the vicinity of each plant to discuss the results.

Normal inspections are performed by two Resident Inspectors assigned to Limerick. Reviews are also carried out at the sites by specialist inspectors assigned to the agencys Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa. Among the areas to be inspected this year at Limerick are radiation protection, the dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel and emergency planning.

The Annual Assessment letter for Limerick, as well as the notice for the May 21 open house, are available on the NRC website. Current performance information is also available for Limerick Unit 1 and Limerick Unit 2 Page l 2