NRC NEWS

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II

61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta GA 30303

Web Site: www.nrc.gov/OPA

No. II-00-37 June 13, 2000

CONTACT: Ken Clark (404)562-4416/e-mail: kmc2@nrc.gov

Roger D. Hannah (404)562-4417/e-mail: rdh1@nrc.gov

NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETINGS IN SOUTH CAROLINA JUNE 26-27 ON CHANGES

IN REACTOR OVERSIGHT AND LATEST ASSESSMENT OF SUMMER PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled two public meetings for Monday, June 26,

and Tuesday, June 27 -- one on the latest performance review results for the South Carolina Electric &

Gas Summer nuclear power plant, and the other meeting on the NRC's reactor oversight process.

The first meeting will begin at 7 p.m. EDT on Monday, June 26, in the Pomaria Emergency

Complex located at 241 Holloway Street in Pomaria, South Carolina. NRC officials will describe the

new oversight process which began at the Summer plant in April. 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. Under

the new process, inspections by NRC resident inspectors and regional office-based 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 web site every three months. The safety significance of each inspection finding or performance

indicator is characterized by a color -- green, white, yellow, or red.

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

significance of the items. A green finding receives normal NRC oversight, while white, yellow, or red

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

shutdown.

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

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

The second NRC public meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 27, in the

second floor meeting room of the Access Portal Building at the Summer site near Jenkinsville. During

the meeting, NRC staff members will discuss Summer’s latest plant performance review results, and

will be available after the meeting to answer any questions from media or members of the public.
The Plant Performance Reviews are used 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 Summer, is available from the NRC Office of Public

Affairs and has been posted on the NRC web site at: www.nrc.gov/OPA/ppr.

Current performance information for the Summer plant is available on the NRC web site at:

www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUM/sum_chart.html.

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