Press Release-III-08-005, NRC to Discuss 2007 Performance Assessment for Monticello Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-III-08-005: NRC to Discuss 2007 Performance Assessment for Monticello Nuclear Power Plant

ML080810299
Person / Time
Site:	Monticello
Issue date:	03/21/2008
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-08-005
Download: ML080810299 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Region III 2443 Warrenville Road Lisle IL 60532 No. III-08-005 March 21, 2008 Contacts: E-Mail: opa3@nrc.gov Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 Web site: www.nrc.gov Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 NRC TO DISCUSS 2007 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FOR MONTICELLO NUCLEAR POWER PLANT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Nuclear Management Co. on Tuesday, April 1, to discuss the agencys assessment of safety performance for last year at the Monticello Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is located in Monticello, Minn.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Monticello Training Center, Classroom 2, 2100 W. River St., Monticello. The NRC staff will present the results of the assessment, 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 public may listen to the discussion between the NRC and plant officials on a special telephone conference line and then participate in the subsequent discussion or raise questions of the NRC before the close of the meeting. To obtain the conference call phone number, interested persons should contact Kenneth Riemer at 630/829-9628.

The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Monticello plant and the nations other commercial nuclear power facilities, NRC Region III Administrator James Caldwell said.

This meeting will provide an opportunity for a discussion of our annual assessment of safety performance with the company and with local officials and residents who live near the plant. Our goal is to explain the NRC oversight process and make as much information as possible available to the public regarding our regulation of these facilities.

A letter sent from the NRC Region III Office to plant officials addresses the performance of the plant during the period and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/mont_2007q4.pdf.

The NRCs assessment concluded that the Monticello plant operated safely during the period. 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.

All of the inspection findings and performance indicators for Monticello during 2007 were determined to be green. As a result of this performance, the NRC will conduct the normal, baseline level of inspections during the upcoming year.

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. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are emergency preparedness, spent fuel storage installation, radiation protection, and problem identification.

Current performance information for Monticello is available on the NRCs web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/MONT/mont_chart.html.

NRC news releases are available through a free list serve 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.