Press Release-II-16-018, NRC Schedules Open House to Discuss 2015 Vogtle Nuclear Plant Performance and Construction Inspections of New Units

Press Release-II-16-018: NRC Schedules Open House to Discuss 2015 Vogtle Nuclear Plant Performance and Construction Inspections of New Units

ML16098A141
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	04/07/2016
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-II-16-018
Download: ML16098A141 (2)

Text

No: II-16-018 April 7, 2016 CONTACT: Roger Hannah 404-997-4417 Joey Ledford 404-997-4416 NRC Schedules Open House to Discuss 2015 Vogtle Nuclear Plant Performance and Construction Inspections of New Units The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled an open house for Thursday, April 14, inspection and oversight of the two units under construction at the site. The plant, operated by Southern Nuclear Operating Co., is located near Waynesboro, Ga., about 26 miles southeast of Augusta. The open house, which will include informational posters, is scheduled from 6 - 7 p.m. at the Augusta Tech College Auditorium, 216 Ga. Highway 24 in Waynesboro. NRC resident inspectors and other staff members will be available to answer questions on the safety performance and regulatory oversight of the Vogtle plant, as well as highlights of NRC inspections. Other staff members, including NRC resident construction inspectors, will be available to discuss the construction oversight process. operated safely and the new units are being built in compliance with design specifications and NRC opportunity for everyone, and especially people who live near the plant, to learn about our inspection An NRC letter sent to plant officials addresses the performance of the operating units during 2015 and will serve as a focus of the open house. The NRC review of the Vogtle plant for 2015 concluded that it operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety and protected the environment. During the first three quarters of the year, the operating units were the subject of increased oversight due to a violation resulting from the discovery that plant employees loaded radioactive waste into a container approved and tested for waste with lower radiation levels. No one was endangered by the action, and the plant took the required corrective actions. 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, and then progress to white, yellow or red, based on the significance of the issues. The waste container violation was classified as white, meaning it had low to moderate safety significance.

Page l 2 Another letter sent from the NRC to plant officials addresses construction oversight on Units 3 and 4 will serve as the basis for the informal discussions on the construction side. The NRC staff found that the units were being constructed in a manner that protected public health and safety and met all regulatory objectives. All violations at the construction sites were of very low safety significance. Current performance information for Vogtle Unit 1 and Unit 2 is available on the NRC website. That information is updated at least quarterly. The website also has additional information on the NRC construction reactor oversight process.