Press Release-III-11-019, NRC Schedules Public Meeting for May 26 to Discuss Kewaunee Power Station Performance and NRC Oversight

Press Release-III-11-019: NRC Schedules Public Meeting for May 26 to Discuss Kewaunee Power Station Performance and NRC Oversight

ML111330391
Person / Time
Site:	Kewaunee
Issue date:	05/13/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-11-019
Download: ML111330391 (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-11-019 May 13, 2011

Contact:

Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 E-Mail: OPA3.RegionIII@nrc.gov Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663 NRC SCHEDULES PUBLIC MEETING FOR MAY 26 TO DISCUSS KEWAUNEE POWER STATION PERFORMANCE AND NRC OVERSIGHT Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials have scheduled a public meeting for Thursday, May 26, to discuss the agencys assessment of safety performance for last year at the Kewaunee Power Station and other NRC oversight activities.

The Kewaunee facility has one reactor unit and is operated by Dominion Energy Kewaunee, Inc. It is located near Kewaunee, Wis., about 27 miles ESE of Green Bay.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CDT at the Kewaunee Municipal Building, Council Chamber Conference Room, 401 Fifth St., Kewaunee.

The NRC staff will discuss the results of the 2010 assessment with Dominion Energy representatives, talk about the NRC and its range of activities, and be available to respond to questions or comments from the public before the close of the meeting.

The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Kewaunee facility 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 meeting is to explain how the NRC works to protect people and the environment and to 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 website at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/kewa_2010q4.pdf.

Overall, the NRC found that the Kewaunee facility 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. Performance indicators are statistical measurements of plant and equipment performance.

All performance indicators and inspection findings for Kewaunee during 2010 were determined to be green.

Kewaunee will continue to receive the detailed inspection regime required for plants that are operating well and require no additional oversight.

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. In addition to the day-to-day inspections by the resident inspectors, areas of plant operations being inspected this year include security, in-service inspection of safety equipment and systems, fire protection, radiation protection, emergency preparedness, and dry cask spent fuel storage.

The most current performance information for Kewaunee is available on the NRC website at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/KEWA/kewa_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 Web site.