NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 Office of Public Affairs Region IV 

 611 Ryan Plaza Drive - Suite 400

 Arlington, TX 76011-4005

No. IV-07-015 May 24, 2007

Contact: Victor Dricks E-Mail: opa4@nrc.gov

Phone: 817-860-8128

 NRC TO DISCUSS 2006 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

FOR CALLAWAY NUCLEAR PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet in Jefferson City, Mo., on May 31, 

with representatives of Union Electric Co. /Ameren UE to discuss the agency’s assessment of

safety performance for last year at the Callaway nuclear plant near Jefferson City.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the

Capitol Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, 415 West McCarty St., Jefferson City.

In addition to the performance assessment, the NRC staff will be available to answer

questions from the public on the safety performance of Callaway, as well as the NRC’s role in

ensuring safe plant operation.

 “The NRC continually reviews the performance of Callaway and the nation’s other

commercial nuclear power facilities,” NRC Region IV Administrator Bruce S. Mallett 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.”

A letter sent from the NRC Region IV office to plant officials addresses the performance

of the plant during 2006 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/call_2006q4.pdf .

The NRC utilizes 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. 
The NRC said Callaway operated safely during 2006, but identified 14 “green” violations

in the area of problem identification and resolution during the assessment period. In order to

address this substantive cross-cutting issue, the licensee has implemented an improvement plan,

but it has not yet proven fully effective. NRC will continue to focus attention on this area as part

of its baseline inspections during 2007. 

The NRC has verified that an improvement program for the cross-cutting area of human

performance has proven effective. Sufficient progress has been made in this area that NRC no

longer needs to focus special attention on it.

Similarly, the NRC said the licensee has addressed problems that contributed to the

degraded reliability of an auxilliary feedwater system, that resulted in a “white” performance

indicator during 2006.

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

and by inspection specialists from the Region IV Office in Arlington, Texas. Among the areas of

plant performance to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are activities associated with

engineering, fire protection, emergency preparedness, maintenance and radiological controls.

Current performance information for Callaway is available on the NRC web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CALL/call_chart.html . 

###

NRC news releases are available through a free list serve subscription at the following Web address: 

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html . The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE

link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.