NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 801 Warrenville Road

 Lisle IL 60532

 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov

No. III-04-023 April 15, 2004

CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663 

Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 

NRC TO MEET WITH NUCLEAR MANAGEMENT COMPANY 

TO DISCUSS PERFORMANCE OF POINT BEACH NUCLEAR PLANT

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Nuclear

Management Company on Wednesday, April 21, to discuss the results of the agency’s assessment of

safety performance at the Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant during 2003. The facility, which has two

reactors, is located near Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Holiday Inn, 4601 Calumet Avenue, Manitowoc,

Wisconsin. The public is invited to observe the meeting, and NRC officials will be available before

the conclusion of the meeting to answer questions from the public. In addition, the NRC staff will

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

The NRC has concluded that the plant operated safely last year. The plant, however, remains

under increased NRC oversight because of problems with the auxiliary feedwater system which were

identified during 2001 and 2002. The auxiliary feedwater system is used to safely cool the reactor if

problems occur during plant operations and to continue removing heat from the reactor after shutdown. 

While the specific problems with the auxiliary feedwater system were corrected, the NRC

found that some of the utility’s broader corrective actions were incomplete and of inconsistent quality.

During the year, NRC inspectors identified a number of instances where human performance

contributed to problems at the plant. In addition, the NRC found that when problems were found by

the utility, the evaluation and resolution of those problems was inconsistent, resulting in a recurrence

of the problems.

From July through December of last year, the NRC conducted an intensive inspection of

operations, engineering, corrective actions, and emergency preparedness at Point Beach. The report of

this inspection was issued February 4, and, on February 20 the NRC’s Executive Director for

Operations and the Region III Regional Administrator held a public meeting with utility officials to

discuss the inspection findings and the NRC’s evaluation of Point Beach’s performance.

Also in February, Nuclear Management Company submitted its plans for improving human

performance, corrective actions, engineering and other activities at the plant. These plans are currently

under review by the NRC.
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During inspections planned for this year, the NRC will continue its expanded oversight of the

Point Beach to review the effectiveness of corrective actions being taken by the utility in the areas of

human performance, problem identification and resolution, emergency preparedness, and engineering. 

In addition, routine inspections will be performed by the two NRC resident inspectors assigned to the

plant and by inspection specialists from Region III office in Lisle, Illinois. 

A March 4 letter from the NRC to Nuclear Management Co. officials addresses the

performance of the plant during 2003 and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is

available at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/poin_2003q4.pdf

With regard to security issues, the NRC has issued several orders and threat advisories to

enhance security capabilities and improve guard force readiness since the terrorist attacks on

September 11, 2001. The agency has also conducted inspections to review the implementation of these

requirements and has monitored the action of plant operators in response to changing threat conditions. 

The NRC will continue security inspections during 2004.

Current performance indicators and inspection findings for Point Beach are available on the

NRC web site at: (Unit 1) http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/POIN1/poin1_chart.html

and (Unit 2) http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/POIN2/poin2_chart.html

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