NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 Office of Public Affairs, Region I

 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406

 www.nrc.gov

No. I-04-019 April 7, 2004

CONTACT: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 Email: opa1@nrc.gov

Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331

NRC TO DISCUSS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

OF PEACH BOTTOM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Exelon

Generation Company on Wednesday, April 14, to discuss the results of the agency’s annual

assessment of safety performance at the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant. Exelon operates the

twin-reactor plant, which is located near Delta, Pa.

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

7 p.m. at the Peach Bottom Inn, 6085 Delta Road in Delta. Before the session is adjourned, NRC

staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the plant’s safety performance, as

well as the role of the NRC in ensuring safe operation of the facility.

 The performance period to be discussed is January 1 to December 31, 2003. In

addition, NRC staff will provide a brief 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 plant during the period and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is

available on the NRC web site at:

www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/pb_2003q4.pdf .

 Overall, the Peach Bottom plant operated safely and met all cornerstone objectives

during the period. (Cornerstones are program areas where NRC measures plant safety

performance.) As a result of having only “green” inspection findings and performance indicators

at the end of the fourth quarter of 2003, Peach Bottom Unit 3 will receive baseline-level

inspections through Sept. 30, 2005. However, based on a “white,” or low to moderate safety,

inspection finding, Peach Bottom Unit 2 will receive some additional oversight. The inspection

finding, which was finalized earlier this year, was related to a deficient maintenance procedure

and inadequate corrective actions involving an emergency diesel generator. Unit 2 will also be

the subject of a supplemental inspection, planned for September, due to a “white” Performance
Indicator in the third quarter of last year. That indicator tracks the number of unplanned scrams,

or shutdowns, per 7,000 critical hours.

 In addition, the NRC staff has identified a substantive cross-cutting issue at the Peach

Bottom plant in the area of problem identification and resolution and involving corrective action

for known equipment problems. The issue is based on one “white” inspection finding and five

“green,” or very low safety, inspection findings in which corrective action for a known

equipment problem was either insufficient or delayed in implementation. The issue will be

evaluated through the NRC baseline inspection program during the current assessment period,

particularly in the periodic case reviews associated with problem identification and resolution

inspection efforts.

 During the first two quarters of 2003, there was a “white” inspection finding affecting

both Peach Bottom units in the area of emergency preparedness. However, the NRC conducted a

supplemental inspection because of this finding in June 2003 and determined that the company’s

response was acceptable.

 

 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 information for Peach Bottom Unit 2 is available on the NRC

web site at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/PB2/pb2_chart.html .

 Current performance information for Peach Bottom Unit 3 is available on the NRC

web site at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/PB3/pb3_chart.html .

 # ##