NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs, Region I

 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.

www.nrc.gov

 

No. I-06-019 April 5, 2006

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

Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331

NRC TO DISCUSS 2005 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

FOR SUSQUEHANNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of PPL Susquehanna,

LLC, on Wednesday, April 12, to discuss the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance at the

Susquehanna nuclear power plant. The period of performance to be discussed is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31,

2005.

PPL operates the twin-reactor plant, located in Berwick, Pa.

The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at

the Susquehanna Energy Information Center, 634 Salem Blvd., Berwick. 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.

“As we do every year, we have carefully reviewed the safety performance of the Susquehanna

nuclear power plant during the previous calendar year,” NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins

said. “The meeting on April 12th will afford the public a chance to learn more about the results of our

assessment and to pose any questions they might have regarding plant performance or our oversight

activities.”

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/susq_2005q4.pdf . The

meeting notice, with the meeting agenda attached, is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents

Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML060860026. The NRC slides

will be available in ADAMS at least three days before the meeting; they will be provided in a revision

to the meeting notice. 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 .

Overall, the Susquehanna 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. Because all of the inspection findings and performance indicators

for the plant during 2005 were determined to be “green,” Susquehanna will receive a baseline (or

routine) level of inspections during the upcoming assessment period.

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. Among the areas of plant

operations to be inspected during the next year by NRC specialists are radiological safety, problem

identification and resolution, and operator license initial exams.

Current performance information for Susquehanna 1 is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUSQ1/susq1_chart.html .

Current performance information for Susquehanna 2 is available on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUSQ2/susq2_chart.html .

###