Press Release-III-10-029, NRC Schedules Open House for July 13 to Discuss Monticello Nuclear Power Plant Performance and NRC Oversight

Press Release-III-10-029: NRC Schedules Open House for July 13 to Discuss Monticello Nuclear Power Plant Performance and NRC Oversight

ML101880158
Person / Time
Site:	Monticello
Issue date:	07/07/2010
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-10-029
Download: ML101880158 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Region III 2443 Warrenville Road Lisle IL 60532 No. III-10-029 July 7, 2010 Contacts: E-Mail: opa3@nrc.gov Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 Web site: www.nrc.gov Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 NRC SCHEDULES OPEN HOUSE FOR JULY 13 TO DISCUSS MONTICELLO NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PERFORMANCE AND NRC OVERSIGHT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled an open house for Tuesday, July 13, to discuss with local residents the agencys assessment of safety performance for last year at the Monticello nuclear power plant and other NRC oversight activities. The plant is operated by Northern States Power Company, Minnesota and is located in Monticello, Minn.,

about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

The open house is informal and will begin at 2 p.m. CDT at the Monticello Community Center, Bridge Room, 505 Walnut St., in Monticello. NRC staff will be available to answer questions on the safety performance of the Monticello plant, as well as areas of plant safety and security not specifically associated with the Monticello station.

The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Monticello plant and the nations other commercial nuclear power facilities, said NRC Region III Administrator Mark Satorius.

This meeting allows us to discuss our annual assessment of safety performance with members of the local community. The goal of this open house is to explain how the NRC works and answer questions from residents about nuclear regulation.

A letter sent from the NRC Region III office to plant officials addressed the performance of the plant during 2009 and will serve as the basis for the discussion. It is available on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/mont_2009q4.pdf.

Overall, the NRC found that the Monticello plant met all NRC safety objectives during 2009, and its performance was at a level that resulted in no additional NRC oversight. The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear plant performance. The colors start with green and then increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.

All performance indicators and inspection findings for Monticello during 2009 were determined to be green. Performance indicators are a statistical measurement of plant and equipment performance.

Monticello will continue to receive the detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for plants that require no additional oversight. Routine inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the Region III Office in Lisle, Ill., and the agencys headquarters in Rockville, Md. Among the areas of plant operations being inspected are license renewal, radiation protection, and a reactor power uprate.

Current performance information for Monticello is available on the NRC website at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/MONT/mont_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.