NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs, Region I

 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.

 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA

No. I-05-019 April 7, 2005

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

Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331

NRC TO DISCUSS 2004 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

FOR CALVERT CLIFFS NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Constellation

Generation Group, LLC, on Thursday, April 14, to discuss the agency’s annual assessment of safety

performance at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant. The period of performance to be discussed is

January 1 to December 31, 2004.

Constellation operates the twin-reactor plant, which is located in Lusby, Md.

The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 6:30

p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express, 355 Merrimac Court in Prince Frederick, Md. 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 agency’s role in ensuring safe operation of the facility.

“The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Calvert Cliffs plant and the nation’s

other commercial nuclear power facilities,” NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins said. “This

meeting will provide an opportunity for a discussion of our annual assessment of safety performance

with the company and with local officials and residents who live near the plant. Our goal is to explain

the NRC oversight process and make as much information as possible available to the public regarding

our regulation of these facilities.”

Overall, the Calvert Cliffs plant operated safely during the period. The NRC uses color-coded

inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear power plant performance. The colors

start with “green” and then increase to “white,” “yellow” or “red,” commensurate with the safety

significance of the issues involved. During 2004, all of the inspection findings and performance

indicators for Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 were determined to be “green.” Therefore, the unit will receive a

baseline level of inspections during the upcoming assessment period.

In the case of Unit 2, the NRC identified a “white” inspection finding, representing low to

moderate significance, during the second quarter of last year. The issue pertained to a relay failure that

caused the unit’s steam dump valves to remain fully open following a reactor shutdown in early 2004

when they should have been closed. As a result, the agency conducted a supplemental inspection in
January 2005 to assess the company’s response to the issue. The inspectors determined that

Constellation’s evaluation of the performance deficiencies’ root cause was thorough and that its

planned corrective actions were reasonable. Consistent with the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, the

“white” finding will remain open for a total of four quarters.

Routine inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and

by inspection specialists from the Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa., and the agency’s

headquarters in Rockville, Md. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year are

emergency preparedness, the effectiveness of the maintenance program and radioactive effluent

treatment and monitoring systems.

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: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/calv_2004q4.pdf . The

notice and slides for the meeting area available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and

Management System (ADAMS) under accession numbers ML050760441 and ML050760473,

respectively. ADAMS is accessible via the agency’s web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html . Help in using ADAMS is available by contacting the NRC’s Public Document Room

at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737 or by e-mail at PDR@nrc.gov .

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CALV1/calv1_chart.html .

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CALV2/calv2_chart.html .

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