NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 2443 Warrenville Road

 Lisle IL 60532

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

No. III-07-022 August 1, 2007

CONTACT: Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662

NRC TO DISCUSS 2006 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

FOR DAVIS-BESSE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of FirstEnergy

Nuclear Operating Company on Wednesday, Aug. 8, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety

performance for last year at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is located at Oak Harbor,

Ohio.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Energy

Education Center, Davis-Besse Administration Building, 5501 North State Route 2, near Oak Harbor.

The NRC staff will present the results of the assessment and be available to respond to questions or

comments from the public before the close of the meeting.

“The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Davis-Besse plant and the nation’s other

commercial nuclear power facilities,” NRC Region III Administrator James Caldwell 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.”

A letter sent from the NRC Region III 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/davi_2006q4.pdf.

The NRC’s assessment concluded that the Davis-Besse plant operated safely during the period.

The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear plant

performance. The colors start with “green” and then increase to “white,” “yellow” or “red,”

commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.

All of the inspection findings and performance indicators for Davis-Besse during 2006 were

determined to be “green.” As a result of this performance, the NRC will conduct the normal, baseline

level of inspections during the upcoming year.

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

by inspection specialists from the Region III Office in Lisle, Ill., and the agency’s headquarters in

Rockville, Md. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are
fire protection, plant security, emergency preparedness, radiation protection, and preparation for

reactor vessel head replacement.

FirstEnergy has been conducting annual independent assessments of Engineering, Corrective

Action, Operations and Safety Culture at the plant since 2004 under the terms of an NRC

Confirmatory Order. The NRC will continue to conduct inspection activities to review these

assessments, in addition to the baseline inspection program.

Current performance information for Davis-Besse is available on the NRC’s web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DAVI/davi_chart.html.

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