Press Release-II-08-024, NRC to Discuss 2007 Performance Assessment of Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-II-08-024: NRC to Discuss 2007 Performance Assessment of Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant

ML081090531
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	04/18/2008
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-II-08-024
Download: ML081090531 (2)

Text

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 No: II-08-024 April 18, 2008 CONTACT: Ken Clark (404)562-4416 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov Roger Hannah (404)562-4417 NRC TO DISCUSS 2007 PERFORMANCE OF VOGTLE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, April 24, with representatives of Southern Nuclear Operating Company to discuss the agencys assessment of safety performance during 2007 at the Vogtle nuclear plant, operated by the company south of Augusta near Waynesboro, Ga.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at noon in the Commissioners Meeting Room of the Burke County Courthouse, East 6th Street in Waynesboro.

After the formal presentation, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the safety performance of the Vogtle plant, as well as the NRCs role in ensuring safe plant operation.

The NRC continually inspects and reviews the performance of Vogtle 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 our assessment with the company, local officials and people living near the plant, and to answer any questions they may have.

The NRC said although Vogtle operated safely during the 2007 assessment period, from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, both units were in the regulatory response column of the NRC Action Matrix due to the performance indicator for cooling water systems crossing the threshold from green to white, and a white finding in the emergency response area. An inspection earlier this year identified no new concerns in emergency response and the NRC staff plans to conduct a supplemental inspection in the cooling water systems area this year in addition to the routine baseline inspections at the plant.

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 based on the safety significance of the issues involved.

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/vog_2007q4.pdf .

Current performance information for the two units at the Vogtle plant is available on the NRC web site at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/VOG1/vog1_chart.html and www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/VOG2/vog2_chart.html .