NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

801 Warrenville Road

Lisle IL 60532

No. III-00-22 May 12, 2000

CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630)829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov

Pam Alloway-Mueller (630)829-9662/e-mail: pla@nrc.gov

NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETINGS MAY 18-19 IN MICHIGAN

ON CHANGES IN REACTOR OVERSIGHT AND LATEST ASSESSMENT OF

FERMI 2 PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold two public meetings in Monroe, Michigan, to

discuss, on May 18, the NRC’s revised reactor oversight process and, on May 19, the latest

performance review results for the Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Station. The plant, operated by Detroit

Edison, is located at Newport, Michigan.

The May 18 meeting will begin at 7 p.m. EDT in the Monroe County Commissioners Chamber,

125 East Second Street in Monroe, Michigan. NRC officials will describe the new oversight program

which began at the Fermi plant last month. Members of the public will have the opportunity to ask

questions during the meeting.

The new oversight process uses more objective, timely, and safety-significant criteria in

assessing performance, while seeking to more effectively and efficiently regulate the industry. It also

takes into account improvements in the performance of the nuclear industry over the past twenty years.

Under the new oversight program, inspections by NRC resident inspectors and regional officebased personnel are supplemented by statistical measures of plant activities called performance

indicators. These performance indicators measure important safety aspects of plant operations,

including the viability of redundant safety systems, emergency planning, radiation protection, and

security measures.

Inspection findings and performance indicators for each nuclear power plant are posted on the

NRC’s internet web site every three months. The safety significance of each inspection finding or

performance indicator is assessed with a color coding -- green, white, yellow, or red.

The NRC response to the inspection findings and performance indicators will be based on the

assessment. A green finding would receive normal NRC oversight, while white, yellow, or red

assessments would receive increasing NRC involvement. Multiple red findings could result in a plant

shutdown.

The second NRC public meeting will be held at 1 p.m. EDT Friday, May 19, in the Monroe

County Commissioners Chamber in Monroe, Michigan. During the meeting, NRC staff members will

discuss Fermi 2's latest plant performance review results.
The Plant Performance Reviews (PPRs) are an interim measure the NRC has used to assess

nuclear power plant safety while a revised reactor oversight process was being developed. The primary

purpose of the PPRs is to evaluate safety performance information and identify any changes in plant

performance so the NRC can allocate inspection resources appropriately. The text of each PPR letter,

including the one on Fermi 2, is available from the NRC Office of Public Affairs and has been posted

at: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/ppr on the NRC web site.

Current performance information for their 2 Nuclear Power Station is available on the NRC

web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/FERM2/ferm2_chart.html.

A plain language summary of the new reactor oversight process is available from the NRC

Office of Public Affairs or on the web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/primer.htm.

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