Press Release-II-10-022, NRC Schedules Meeting to Discuss 2009 Performance of Hatch Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-II-10-022: NRC Schedules Meeting to Discuss 2009 Performance of Hatch Nuclear Power Plant

ML101020593
Person / Time
Site:	Hatch
Issue date:	04/12/2010
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-II-10-022
Download: ML101020593 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II Marquis One Tower 245 Peachtree Center Ave., NE Suite 1200 Atlanta, GA 30303-1257 Web Site: www.nrc.gov No. II-10-022 April 12, 2010 CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 977-4417 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov Joey Ledford (404) 977-4416 NRC SCHEDULES MEETING TO DISCUSS 2009 PERFORMANCE OF HATCH NUCLEAR POWER PLANT U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials have scheduled a meeting on Wednesday, April 21 to provide information on the agencys annual assessment of safety performance for the Hatch nuclear power plant during 2009.

The NRC will host an open house from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by a presentation and question and answer session in the Appling County Courthouse Annex at 69 Tippins Street in Baxley, Ga. The open house and meeting provide an opportunity for the public to learn about the plants performance last year as well as NRC oversight and inspection.

The Hatch plant, which has two boiling-water reactors, is located in south Georgia near Baxley, about 20 miles south of Vidalia. It is owned and operated by Southern Nuclear Operating Co.

Overall, the NRC staff concluded that the Hatch plant operated safely in 2009, but an inspection finding related to one of the plants emergency diesel generators led to increased oversight and a supplemental inspection in November 2009. That inspection found no significant weaknesses.

Based on the plants performance, the NRC staff plans to continue the detailed routine or baseline inspections all nuclear power plants receive. However, the NRC is still evaluating the significance of a finding related to preventive maintenance on some of the plants capacitors and that final determination could lead to additional oversight and inspection.

Every year, the NRC evaluates the safety performance of nuclear plants in a systematic and detailed way. These reviews allow us to respond to ongoing issues, if needed, and to plan our future inspections, NRC Region II Administrator Luis Reyes said. This meeting gives local officials and citizens an opportunity to learn more about our oversight and is consistent with our commitment to openness and transparency.

The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess plant performance. The colors start with green, which has very low safety significance, to white, yellow or red, based on the significance of the issues. Inspection findings and performance indicators are updated on the NRCs web site ( www.nrc.gov ) each quarter.

The annual assessment letter for the Hatch plant is available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/hat_2009q4.pdf.

Routine inspections are carried out by the NRC resident inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the Region II office in Atlanta. Among the areas at the Hatch plant to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are fire protection, modifications, groundwater protection and operator licensing exams.

Current performance information for Hatch Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/HAT1/hat1_chart.html. Current performance information for Hatch Unit 2 is available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/HAT2/hat2_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.