Press Release-III-11-003, NRC Schedules Open House for April 5 to Discuss Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant Performance and NRC Oversight

Press Release-III-11-003: NRC Schedules Open House for April 5 to Discuss Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant Performance and NRC Oversight

ML110880090
Person / Time
Site:	Quad Cities
Issue date:	03/28/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-11-003
Download: ML110880090 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Region III 2443 Warrenville Road Lisle IL 60532 Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No. III-11-003 March 28, 2011

Contact:

Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 E-Mail: OPA3.RegionIII@nrc.gov Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663 NRC SCHEDULES OPEN HOUSE FOR APRIL 5 TO DISCUSS QUAD CITIES NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PERFORMANCE AND NRC OVERSIGHT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials have scheduled an open house for Tuesday, April 5, to discuss with local residents the agencys assessment of safety performance for last year at the Quad Cities nuclear power plant and other NRC oversight activities. The two-unit plant is operated by Exelon Generation Company is located in Cordova, Ill., about 20 miles northeast of Moline, Ill.

The open house is informal and will begin at 4 p.m. CDT at the Cordova Civic Center, 11th Street (just off IL Route 84 N), in Cordova. NRC staff will be available to answer questions on the safety performance of the Quad Cities plant, as well as areas of NRCs regulatory activities not specifically associated with this plant.

The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Quad Cities 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 2010 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/quad_2010q4.pdf.

Overall, the NRC found that the Quad Cities plant operated safely in 2010. 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 Quad Cities during 2010 were determined to be green. Performance indicators are a statistical measurement of plant and equipment performance.

Quad Cities 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 radiation protection, dry cask spent fuel storage, emergency preparedness and fire protection.

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/QUAD1/quad1_chart.html and http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/QUAD2/quad2_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.