Press Release-II-11-010, NRC to Discuss 2010 Performance of Farley Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-II-11-010: NRC to Discuss 2010 Performance of Farley Nuclear Power Plant

ML110820959
Person / Time
Site:	Farley
Issue date:	03/23/2011
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-II-11-010
Download: ML110820959 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta GA 30303 Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No. II-11-010 March 23, 2011 CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov Joey Ledford (404) 562-4416 NRC TO DISCUSS 2010 PERFORMANCE OF FARLEY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, March 31, with representatives of Southern Nuclear Operating Co. to discuss the agencys assessment of safety performance during 2010 at the Farley nuclear power plant. The plant, operated by Southern Nuclear, is 18 miles southeast of Dothan in south Alabama.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin with an open house and poster session at 3 p.m. CDT, followed by a brief presentation. The meeting will be held at the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, 102 Jamestown Blvd., in Dothan.

Before and after the presentation, NRC staff will be available to answer questions on the safety performance of the Farley plant, as well as the NRC role in ensuring safe plant operation.

Overall, the NRC staff concluded that the Farley plant operated safely in 2010 and will receive normal baseline oversight and inspection efforts. Unit 1 remains in the Regulatory Response Column based on a performance indicator that crossed the threshold from green to white. That was due to failures of one emergency diesel generator. The NRC staff has completed a supplemental inspection on the issues that led to the white performance indicator. Unit 2 is in the Licensee Response column requiring no additional oversight or inspections.

The NRC evaluates nuclear power plants in a systematic and detailed way each year, said NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree. The inspections and oversight at Farley ensure that the plant is operated in a way that protects people near the plant and the environment.

The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess plant performance. The colors start with green, which has very low safety significance, to white, yellow and red, based on increasing significance of the issues. Inspection findings and performance indicators are updated on the NRCs web site (www.nrc.gov) each quarter.

A letter sent from the NRC Region II office to plant officials addresses the performance of the plant during 2010 and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/far_2010q4.pdf.

Current performance information for Farley Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at:

www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/FAR1/far1_chart.html. Current performance information for Unit 2 is at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/FAR2/far2_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 website.