NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS -- REGION I

 475 Allendale Road

 King of Prussia, PA 19406

No. I-03-019 March 25, 2003

CONTACT: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov

Neil A. Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

NRC TO DISCUSS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

OF SUSQUEHANNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of PPL Susquehanna,

LLC, on Monday, March 31, to discuss the results of the agency’s annual assessment of safety

performance at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant. The twin-reactor facility is located in Berwick,

Pa., and operated by PPL.

 The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

at the Susquehanna Energy Information Center, 634 Salem Boulevard in Berwick. Before the session

is adjourned, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the safety

performance of the Susquehanna plant, as well as the role of the NRC in ensuring safe plant operation.

 The performance period to be discussed is January 1 to December 31, 2002. In addition, NRC

staff will provide an overview of how the agency’s Reactor Oversight Process works.

 A letter sent from the NRC Region I Office to plant officials addresses the performance of the

facility 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/susq_2002q4.pdf

 “Overall, both of the Susquehanna units operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety

and fully met all cornerstone objectives,” the letter states. Therefore, the NRC plans to conduct only baseline

inspections at the site through March 31, 2004.

 There was one inspection finding of low to moderate safety significance (“white”) during the

assessment period. It involved several instances in which on-shift staffing was below the minimum staffing

requirements specified in the plant’s Emergency Plan. However, based on the results of two supplemental

inspections, the NRC staff determined the issue had been satisfactorily addressed.

 During the current assessment period, the NRC plans to focus on a substantive cross-cutting issue in the

area of human performance. This issue is based on multiple inspection findings with a common performance

deficiency of operators not properly implementing procedures. “Although PPL developed a number of

initiatives early in 2002 to address operator procedure implementation problems, PPL has not made substantial

progress to improve procedure content and standards,” the letter states.
 The letter also notes: “As you are aware, since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the NRC has

issued several Orders and threat advisories to enhance security capabilities and improve guard force readiness. 

We have conducted inspections to review your implementation of these requirements and have monitored your

actions in response to changing threat conditions. For calendar year 2003, we plan to continue these

inspections, conduct portions of the security baseline inspection program, as well as perform additional

inspections to evaluate your compliance with new requirements that may be ordered. “

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUSQ1/susq1_chart.html

 Current performance information for Susquehanna Unit 2 is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUSQ2/susq2_chart.html 

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