Press Release-III-14-023, NRC Schedules Public Meeting June 26 to Discuss Performance of Palisades Nuclear Power Station

Press Release-III-14-023: NRC Schedules Public Meeting June 26 to Discuss Performance of Palisades Nuclear Power Station

ML14175A377
Person / Time
Site:	Palisades
Issue date:	06/23/2014
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-14-023
Download: ML14175A377 (2)

Text

No: III-14-023 June 23, 2014 CONTACT: Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 NRC Schedules Public Meeting June 26 to Discuss Performance of Palisades Nuclear Power Station The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold an open house followed by a public meeting June 26 to discuss the agencys annual assessment of safety performance of the Palisades Nuclear Power Station. The plant is operated by Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc. and is located in Covert, Mich., five miles south of South Haven.

The open house is scheduled for 5-6 p.m. and will provide the public with the opportunity to discuss past and current issues of concern with the NRC staff. It will be followed by a formal public meeting scheduled for 6-8:30 during which the NRC staff will discuss the plants 2013 performance and the NRC inspection activities to date. The meeting will be held at the Beach Haven Event Center, 10420 M-140, in South Haven.

NRC inspectors spent a significant amount of time at Palisades monitoring a wide range of plant activities to ensure the plant operates safely. Our hands-on approach is a key factor in protecting the public and environment, said NRC Region III Administrator Cynthia D. Pederson. We hold public meetings near the plant every year to make our inspectors available and accessible to answer questions and have open discussions about NRC oversight with those who live near the plant.

The NRCs review concluded that Palisades operated safely in 2013. All performance indicators and inspection findings for the facility showed very low risk.

Even though Palisades had resolved the performance issues identified in 2011-2012, the NRC committed an additional 1,000 hours0 days <br />0 hours <br />0 weeks <br />0 months <br /> of inspection in 2013 to supplement the normal level of oversight of about 2,000 hours0 days <br />0 hours <br />0 weeks <br />0 months <br /> a year to make sure the plants corrective actions were lasting and sustainable. The NRC also conducted additional safety culture reviews and increased its interaction with the community to address issues of concern to the public. No findings of significance were identified as a result of additional inspections. The NRC staff will discuss these activities during the June 26 public meeting.

The NRCs 2013 annual assessment letter discusses the identification of a chilled work environment within the Security department, during a February 2014 inspection. This means that some employees at Palisades have the perception that they are not free to raise safety concerns using all available avenues without fear of retaliation. NRC staff will discuss the status of this issue during the June 26 meeting and asked the plant to talk about their actions to address it.

This year Palisades will continue to receive the detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for all plants. 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.

The most current performance information for Palisades is available on the NRC website.

Page l 2