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-07-011 April 26, 2007

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

Phone: 817-860-8128

NRC TO DISCUSS 2006 PERFORMANCE

AT COLUMBIA GENERATING STATION

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet in Richland, Wash., on May 1, with

representatives of Energy Northwest to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance

last year at the Columbia Generating Station nuclear plant near Richland.

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

Energy Northwest’s Business Services Center, 3000 George Washington Way, Richland.

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

questions from the public on the safety performance of Columbia Generating Station, as well as

the NRC’s role in ensuring safe plant operation.

 “The NRC continually reviews the performance of Columbia Generating Station 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/wnp_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 Columbia Generating Station operated safely during 2006, but during the

first quarter was in the NRC’s regulatory response column based on a “white” performance

indicator due to a problem with a key safety system. A subsequent inspection indicated the

licensee had successfully addressed the issue.

The letter also notes that a performance improvement plan to address problem

identification and resolution issues has been successfully implemented. NRC will continue to

focus attention on this area to verify that performance improvements are sustained.

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 Columbia Generating Station is available on the

NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/WASH2/wash2_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.