Press Release-I-18-003, NRC Staff to Conduct Public Meeting to Discuss 2017 Performance of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-I-18-003: NRC Staff to Conduct Public Meeting to Discuss 2017 Performance of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant

ML18085A030
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	03/19/2018
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region I
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-I-18-003
Download: ML18085A030 (1)

Text

No: I-18-003 March 19, 2018

Contact:

Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331 NRC Staff to Conduct Public Meeting to Discuss 2017 Performance of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will discuss the 2017 safety performance of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, operated by Entergy Nuclear, during a public meeting on March 27 in Plymouth, Mass.

The meeting, to be held in the Regency Ballroom at the Hotel 1620 Plymouth Harbor, at 180 Water St., will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude at 8:45 p.m. NRC staff responsible for plant inspections, including the resident inspectors based full-time at the site, will be available to discuss its performance.

Pilgrim operated safely during 2017. The plant remains in column 4 of the NRCs action matrix, and will continue to receive increased regulatory oversight. Last August, the NRC issued a Confirmatory Action Letter documenting corrective actions and effectiveness reviews to be completed by Entergy to demonstrate sustained performance improvement. The agency will conduct quarterly CAL follow-up inspections to determine whether commitments contained in the letter have been satisfactorily completed.

The NRC Reactor Oversight Process uses color-coded inspection findings and indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start at green and increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. Inspection findings or performance indicators with more than very low safety significance trigger increased NRC oversight. There are five columns in the matrix with column 1 requiring a baseline level of inspections; plants in column 5 are not permitted to operate. The NRC increases the level of oversight and inspection as plant performance deteriorates. Pilgrim was placed in column 4 of the NRC action matrix in September 2015.

Inspections are performed by two NRC resident inspectors and inspection specialists from the Region I office in King of Prussia, Pa.

The annual assessment letter for Pilgrim, as well as the notice for the meeting, are available on the NRC website. Current performance information is also available.