Press Release-II-11-027, NRC Schedules Public Meeting to Discuss 2010 Performance of Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-II-11-027: NRC Schedules Public Meeting to Discuss 2010 Performance of Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant

ML111110359
Person / Time
Site:	Turkey Point
Issue date:	04/21/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-II-11-027
Download: ML111110359 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II 245 Peachtree Center Ave., NE, Suite 1200 Atlanta, GA 30303-1257 Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No. II-11-027 April 21, 2011 CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 997-4417 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov Joey Ledford (404) 997-4416 NRC SCHEDULES PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS 2010 PERFORMANCE OF TURKEY POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled an open house public meeting for Tuesday, May 3, to discuss and answer questions about the agencys assessment of safety performance during 2010 at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant. The plant, operated by Florida Power and Light Co., is located about 25 miles south of Miami near Homestead, Fla.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. EDT in the City Council Chambers Room at Homestead City Hall, located at 790 North Homestead Blvd., Homestead, Fla. The NRC staff will be available during the meeting to answer questions from interested observers about the safety performance of the Turkey Point plant and the NRCs role in ensuring safe plant operation.

The NRC evaluates nuclear power plants in a systematic and detailed way every year, said NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree. The inspections and oversight at Turkey Point ensure that the plant is operated in a way that protects people and the environment.

A letter sent from the NRC Region II office to plant officials addresses the performance of the plant during 2010 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/tp_2010q4.pdf.

A Performance Indicator of low to moderate safety significance was reported by FPL to the NRC during the fourth quarter of 2009 related to the partial degradation of neutron absorber material in the plants spent fuel storage system. The NRC completed a supplemental inspection on Dec. 3, 2010 which confirmed that FPL had adequately addressed the problem. Unit 3 therefore met all NRC safety objectives and is at a level resulting in no additional NRC oversight beyond baseline oversight programs.

The NRC determined that Unit 4 at Turkey Point during the fourth quarter of 2010 experienced a performance indicator of low to moderate safety significance related to a higher than expected number of unplanned shutdowns. The NRC will conduct a supplemental inspection on June 6, 2011 to review actions taken by FPL to assure that the causes of the shutdowns are understood and corrective actions are sufficient to prevent recurrence.

The NRC will also conduct several infrequently performed inspections during 2011 at Turkey Point, including Initial Reactor Operating License Examinations, Managing Gas Accumulation in Emergency Core Cooling, Decay Heat Removal and Containment Spray Systems, and Independent Spent Fuel (Dry Cask) Storage Installation inspection.

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.

Current performance information for Turkey Point Unit 3 is available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/TP3/tp3_chart.html. Current performance information for Unit 4 is at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/TP4/tp4_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 website.