Press Release-IV-02-035, NRC Reduces Significance of River Bend Safety Finding

Press Release-IV-02-035: NRC Reduces Significance of River Bend Safety Finding

ML022130396
Person / Time
Site:	River Bend
Issue date:	08/01/2002
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region IV
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-IV-02-035
Download: ML022130396 (1)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive - Suite 400 Arlington TX 76011-8064 No. IV-02-035 August 1, 2002 CONTACT: Breck Henderson E-mail: opa4@nrc.gov Phone: 817-860-8128 Cellular: 817-917-1227 NRC REDUCES THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RIVER BEND SAFETY FINDING The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has reduced the significance a preliminary regulatory finding at the River Bend nuclear plant near St. Francisville, La., from yellow to white.

This means the issue is of lesser safety significance than the NRC initially believed. Entergy Operations Inc., which operates the plant near St. Francisville, La., was notified of the NRCs final significance determination on July 31.

The issue involved application of River Bend Stations emergency plan to members of the public who use facilities on the plant property. In a regulatory conference held June 3, Entergy presented new information indicating that some of the regulations the NRC asserted had been violated were in fact properly complied with. This resulted in the more significant (yellow) safety finding being rescinded by the Agency. In its final significance determination, the NRC maintained that Entergy had not met requirements to periodically provide members of the public who use on-site facilities with information on actions to be taken in the event of an emergency. This problem was evaluated as a white finding.

The NRC evaluates regulatory performance at commercial nuclear power plants with a color-coded significance determination process which classifies regulatory findings as being in one of four color categories: green, white, yellow, or red in increasing order of regulatory safety significance.