Press Release-II-13-024, NRC Schedules Open House and Presentation to Discuss Annual Assessment of Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-II-13-024: NRC Schedules Open House and Presentation to Discuss Annual Assessment of Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant

ML13112A441
Person / Time
Site:	Sequoyah
Issue date:	04/22/2013
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-II-13-024
Download: ML13112A441 (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-13-024 April 22, 2013 CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 997-4417 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov Joey Ledford (404) 997-4416 NRC SCHEDULES OPEN HOUSE AND PRESENTATION TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF SEQUOYAH NUCLEAR POWER PLANT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled an open house and brief presentation for April 30 to discuss the agencys assessment of safety performance during 2012 for the Sequoyah nuclear power plant. The plant, operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is near Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., about 18 miles northeast of Chattanooga.

The session, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Training Center Auditorium, 2440 Igou Ferry Road in Soddy-Daisy.

NRC staff will be available to answer questions on the safety performance of the Sequoyah plant, as well as the NRC role in ensuring safe plant operations. There will be a brief presentation on NRC oversight and the plants performance in 2012.

Overall, the NRC staff concluded that both units of the Sequoyah plant operated safely in 2012 and will receive normal detailed baseline oversight and inspection efforts. Unit 1 was subject to additional NRC inspections during the first quarter of 2012 based on a number of unplanned shutdowns. However, inspections found that TVA had taken actions to address the issues and Unit 1 was returned to the normal level of inspection.

Apparent violations from inspections this year at Sequoyah related to the way TVA analyzed and prepared for possible floods at the plant are still pending and could affect Sequoyahs regulatory standing.

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 website each quarter.

The NRC inspects nuclear plants and monitors their performance on an ongoing basis, said NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree. We issue inspection reports throughout the year and we hold these annual meetings near each plant to discuss our oversight and answer any questions local residents may have.

The annual assessment letter for the Sequoyah plant, on which is meeting is based, is available on the NRC website.

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 Sequoyah plant scheduled to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are buried piping and tanks and the triennial fire protection inspection.

Current performance information for Sequoyah Unit 1 is available on the NRC website.

Current performance information for Sequoyah Unit 2 is also available.

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