NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS -- REGION I

 475 Allendale Road

 King of Prussia, PA 19406

No. I-03-032 April 16, 2003

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

Neil A. Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

NRC TO MEET WITH FIRSTENERGY TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT

OF BEAVER VALLEY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PERFORMANCE

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of FirstEnergy Nuclear

Operating Company on Tuesday, April 22, to discuss the results of the agency’s annual assessment of

safety performance at the Beaver Valley nuclear power plant. The twin-reactor facility is located in

Shippingport, Pa.

 The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 7

p.m. in the jurors lounge at the Beaver County Courthouse, on Third Street in Beaver, Pa. Before the

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

performance of Beaver Valley, 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 FirstEnergy addresses the performance of the

plant 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/bv_2002q4.pdf

 “Overall, Beaver Valley Power Station operated in a manner that preserved public health and

safety and fully met all cornerstone objectives,” the letter states. Based on an inspection finding of low

to moderate safety significance (“white”), Beaver Valley received additional NRC scrutiny in the area

of emergency preparedness during the last assessment period. The finding involved inadequate

maintenance and testing of personal home alerting devices, as well as insufficient effort to fully resolve

the problem since 1988. The devices are part of Beaver Valley’s public alert and notification system

and ensure that anyone in areas where pole-mounted sirens may not be heard will be alerted in a timely

fashion of a significant event at the plant.

 FirstEnergy has notified the NRC of interim and planned corrective actions, including the

installation of additional pole-mounted sirens, that would eliminate the need for the personal home

alerting devices. The NRC conducted a supplemental inspection in February to evaluate the adequacy
of those changes. The results of that review will help the agency to determine if any additional

inspections are needed in that area.

 In addition, the letter 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 Beaver Valley 1 is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/BV1/bv1_chart.html 

 Current performance information for Beaver Valley 2 is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/BV2/bv2_chart.html

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