Press Release-III-13-007, NRC Schedules Public Meeting April 2, 2013, to Discuss Performance of Palisades Nuclear Power Station

Press Release-III-13-007: NRC Schedules Public Meeting April 2, 2013, to Discuss Performance of Palisades Nuclear Power Station

ML13084A110
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	03/25/2013
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-13-007
Download: ML13084A110 (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-13-007 March 25, 2013

Contact:

Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 E-Mail: OPA3.Resource@nrc.gov Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663 NRC SCHEDULES PUBLIC MEETING APRIL 2, 2013, TO DISCUSS PERFORMANCE OF PALISADES NUCLEAR POWER STATION The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting with representatives of Entergy Nuclear Operations on April 2 to discuss the agencys assessment of safety performance for the last year at the Palisades Nuclear Plant. The plant is located in Covert, Mich., approximately 40 miles west of Kalamazoo.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled for 6-8:30 p.m. at the Beach Haven Event Center, 104020 M-140 in South Haven. The NRC staff will present the results of the annual assessment, talk about the NRC and its range of activities, and be available to respond to questions or comments from the public.

The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Palisades plant and the nations other nuclear power facilities, said Region III Administrator Charles Casto. This meeting will allow us to talk to the local community about the plants performance last year and the NRCs actions to make sure the plant continues to operate safely. Those actions include additional inspections to ensure improvement efforts are sustained and long-lasting. The reviews showed that Palisades continues to operate safely.

A letter sent from the NRC Region III office to plant officials addressed the performance of the plant during 2012 and will serve as the basis for the discussion. The letter is available on the NRC website, along with the most current performance information for Palisades.

Overall, the NRC found that the Palisades facility operated safely in 2012.

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. Performance indicators are statistical measurements of plant and equipment performance.

In 2012 the NRC closed three greater-than-green findings for Palisades. Findings remain open for a minimum of four quarters. The first was a yellow finding associated with the loss of

one direct current bus that occurred on Sept. 25, 2011. The second was a white finding associated with the failure of a service water pump due to intergranular stress corrosion cracking on Aug. 9, 2011. Lastly, a white finding was associated with the turbine-driven auxiliary feedwater pumps failure to run during a surveillance test on May 10, 2011.

The letter also notes that the NRC identified cross-cutting issues in the area of human performance specifically in conservative assumptions and observations. Cross-cutting issues are issues that cut across multiple areas of plant operation. The NRC understands the plant has taken steps to address the issues in both areas. The NRC has noted sustained improvements in the area of conservative assumptions and considers the issue to be resolved. However, additional actions are still required to resolve the issues in the area of observations. The NRC will continue to review this area and expects the plant to discuss their corrective actions during the public meeting.

Palisades will continue to receive the detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for plants. The NRC will also conduct additional inspections to follow up on corrective actions, the sustainability of those actions, and to verify those actions provide reasonable assurance that more safety concerns do not develop.

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.

News releases are available through a free Listserv subscription or by clicking on the EMAIL UPDATES link on the NRC homepage (www.nrc.gov). E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's website. For the latest news, follow the NRC on www.twitter.com/NRCgov.