Press Release-III-16-003, NRC to Discuss Performance of Clinton Nuclear Power Station March 30

Press Release-III-16-003: NRC to Discuss Performance of Clinton Nuclear Power Station March 30

ML16083A292
Person / Time
Site:	Clinton
Issue date:	03/23/2016
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-16-003
Download: ML16083A292 (2)

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No: III-16-003 March 23, 2016 CONTACT: Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 NRC to Discuss Performance of Clinton Nuclear Power Station March 30 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be available on March 30, to discuss the agencys annual safety performance assessment of the Clinton Nuclear Power Station during the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau's Business Expo. The expo is open to the public and will be held at Clinton High School, 1200 Highway 54, in Clinton from 4 to 7 p.m. The plant is located in Clinton, Ill., about 23 miles southeast of Bloomington and is owned by Exelon Generation Co.

This is the second year we are reaching out to the local community by participating in the expo. We see it as a great opportunity to engage a large number of local citizens who live near the plant and talk with them about what the NRC does, said NRC Region III Administrator Cynthia D.

Pederson. The resident inspectors stationed at the plant and other members of the NRC staff are looking forward to joining this community event to answer questions about the plant's performance and NRC oversight.

The NRCs annual assessment letter sent from the NRC Region III office to the company addresses the performance of the plant during 2015 and is available on the NRC website. Overall, the Clinton plant operated safely in 2015.

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. The NRCs action matrix reflects overall plant performance and agency response. There are five columns in the matrix with Column 1 requiring a baseline level of inspections. A move to another column results in an increased level of NRC oversight and inspections.

During 2015, the plant was in Column 2 of the action matrix due to a greater-than-green finding in the area of plant security and a white finding related to the plants failure to make sure that a safety-related pump would continue to perform its safety function following modifications. Due to the sensitive nature of nuclear plant security information, the details of the security finding are not publicly available.

The NRC conducted two supplemental inspections to determine if the plant has taken sufficient actions to resolve the issues and prevent their recurrence. The supplemental inspection on the greater-than-green security finding found the plant had taken appropriate actions and the finding was

closed in the beginning of the second quarter of 2015. The supplemental inspection related to the pump issue was conducted in February 2016 and concluded that the plant has resolved this concern. As a result, the plant moved to Column 1 of the Action Matrix in the first quarter of 2016.

Routine inspections are conducted 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. Some of the performance areas to be inspected this year include the design basis of plant components, independent spent fuel storage facility installation and post-Fukushima follow-up inspections. The most current performance information for Clinton is available on the NRC website.

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No: III-16-003 March 23, 2016 CONTACT: Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 NRC to Discuss Performance of Clinton Nuclear Power Station March 30 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be available on March 30, to discuss the agencys annual safety performance assessment of the Clinton Nuclear Power Station during the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau's Business Expo. The expo is open to the public and will be held at Clinton High School, 1200 Highway 54, in Clinton from 4 to 7 p.m. The plant is located in Clinton, Ill., about 23 miles southeast of Bloomington and is owned by Exelon Generation Co.

This is the second year we are reaching out to the local community by participating in the expo. We see it as a great opportunity to engage a large number of local citizens who live near the plant and talk with them about what the NRC does, said NRC Region III Administrator Cynthia D.

Pederson. The resident inspectors stationed at the plant and other members of the NRC staff are looking forward to joining this community event to answer questions about the plant's performance and NRC oversight.

The NRCs annual assessment letter sent from the NRC Region III office to the company addresses the performance of the plant during 2015 and is available on the NRC website. Overall, the Clinton plant operated safely in 2015.

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. The NRCs action matrix reflects overall plant performance and agency response. There are five columns in the matrix with Column 1 requiring a baseline level of inspections. A move to another column results in an increased level of NRC oversight and inspections.

During 2015, the plant was in Column 2 of the action matrix due to a greater-than-green finding in the area of plant security and a white finding related to the plants failure to make sure that a safety-related pump would continue to perform its safety function following modifications. Due to the sensitive nature of nuclear plant security information, the details of the security finding are not publicly available.

The NRC conducted two supplemental inspections to determine if the plant has taken sufficient actions to resolve the issues and prevent their recurrence. The supplemental inspection on the greater-than-green security finding found the plant had taken appropriate actions and the finding was

closed in the beginning of the second quarter of 2015. The supplemental inspection related to the pump issue was conducted in February 2016 and concluded that the plant has resolved this concern. As a result, the plant moved to Column 1 of the Action Matrix in the first quarter of 2016.

Routine inspections are conducted 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. Some of the performance areas to be inspected this year include the design basis of plant components, independent spent fuel storage facility installation and post-Fukushima follow-up inspections. The most current performance information for Clinton is available on the NRC website.

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