Press Release-II-12-023, NRC Schedules Open House to Discuss Annual Assessment of Surry Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-II-12-023: NRC Schedules Open House to Discuss Annual Assessment of Surry Nuclear Power Plant

ML12117A405
Person / Time
Site:	Surry
Issue date:	04/17/2012
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-II-12-023
Download: ML12117A405 (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 Web Site: www.nrc.gov No. II-12-023 April 17, 2012 CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 997-4417 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov Joey Ledford (404) 997-4416 NRC SCHEDULES OPEN HOUSE TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF SURRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled an open house for Wednesday, April 25 to discuss the agencys assessment of safety performance during 2011 for the Surry nuclear power plant. The plant, operated by Dominion, is near Surry, Va., about 17 miles northwest of Newport News.

The session, which will be open to the public, is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. EDT in the lobby of the General District Courtroom at the Surry Government Center, 45 School Street in Surry.

NRC staff will be available to answer questions on the safety performance of the Surry plant, as well as the NRC role in ensuring safe plant operations.

Overall, the NRC staff concluded that the Surry plant operated safely in 2011 and is currently receiving normal detailed baseline oversight and inspection efforts. However, the NRC has not finalized the significance of an inspection finding related to measurements of reactor coolant levels during some maintenance activities. That determination could affect the NRC assessment and inspection level.

The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess plant performance. The colors start with green, and escalate 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.

During 2011, our inspectors spent many hours ensuring that the Surry plant met NRC safety requirements and protected both people living near the plant and the environment, NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree said.

NRC inspectors also looked at whether there were immediate safety concerns at Surry and other U.S. plants after the March 2011 events at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan. Those reviews found that the plants remained safe.

The annual assessment letter for the Surry plant is available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/sur_2011q4.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 Surry plant to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are underground piping, post-license renewal items and operator licensing examinations.

Current performance information for Surry Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUR1/sur1_chart.html. Current performance information for Surry Unit 2 is available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUR2/sur2_chart.html.

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