Press Release-II-08-017, NRC to Discuss 2007 Performance of Oconee Nuclear Power Plant
| ML080990094 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Oconee  |
| Issue date: | 04/01/2008 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs Region II |
| To: | |
| Category:Press Release | |
| References | |
| Press Release-II-08-017 | |
| Download: ML080990094 (2) | |
Text
No: II-08-017 April 1, 2008 CONTACT: Ken Clark (404)562-4416 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov Roger Hannah (404)562-4417 NRC TO DISCUSS 2007 PERFORMANCE OF OCONEE NUCLEAR STATION The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, April 10, with representatives of Duke Energy to discuss the agencys assessment of safety performance during 2007 at the Oconee Nuclear Station. The plant, operated by Duke Energy, is 30 miles west of Greenville, S.C., near the town of Seneca.
The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. in the Oconee World of Energy, 7812 Rochester Highway in Seneca.
After the formal presentation, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the safety performance of Oconee, as well as the NRCs role in ensuring safe plant operation.
The NRC continually inspects and reviews the performance of Oconee and all commercial nuclear plants, issuing inspection reports throughout the year and an overall assessment at years end, NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree said. This meeting is an opportunity to discuss that annual assessment with the company, local officials and people near the plant, and to answer any questions they may have.
The NRC said the Oconee plant operated safely during the 2007 assessment period, from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. Oconee plant performance during the first two quarters of 2007 was in the Degraded Cornerstone Column of the NRCs Action Matrix based on a white performance indicator and white inspection findings in the Mitigating Systems cornerstone.
When assessing nuclear plant performance, the NRC uses color-coded performance indicators and inspection findings. The colors start with green and then increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. An NRC inspection in 2007 closed the white items at Oconee and as a result, the plant moved into the Licensee Response Column and the NRC plans to conduct routine baseline inspections at the plant during 2008.
A letter sent from the NRC Region II office to plant officials addresses the performance of the plant during 2007 and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/oco_2007q4.pdf.
NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta GA 30303 Web Site: www.nrc.gov
Current performance information for the three Oconee units is available on the NRC web site at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/OCO1/oco1_chart.html ;
www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/OCO2/oco2_chart.html ; and www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/OCO3/oco3_chart.html.
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 Web site.