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-06-016 July 12, 2006

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

Phone: 817-860-8128

NRC TO HOLD TWO PUBLIC MEETINGS ABOUT THE DIABLO CANYON

NUCLEAR PLANT ON JULY 25

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold two public meetings on July 25 to discuss

issues regarding the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, located near San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The NRC staff will meet with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. officials at 2:30 p.m. to discuss

the NRC’s annual assessment of safety performance at the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant during

2005, then hold a “Town Hall” style meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m. Both meetings will be held

at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 333 Madonna Road, in San Luis Obispo.

Both meetings are open to the public but have different purposes. The public is invited to

observe the afternoon meeting and will have one or more opportunities to communicate with the

NRC after the business portion, but before the meeting is adjourned. The “Town Hall” meeting

is specifically tailored to maximize public participation. NRC staff from Region IV as well as

specialists from NRC Headquarters in Rockville, Md. will be available to answer questions on

the plant’s safety performance, as well as the agency’s role in ensuring safe plant operation.

“Each year, the NRC assesses the performance of all of the nation’s commercial nuclear

power plants,” said Region IV Administrator Bruce S. Mallett. “The afternoon meeting gives us

an opportunity to discuss our findings with the company, local officials and members of the

public. Later that same evening, we will hold a “Town Hall” style public meeting. This type of

meeting has worked well in the past in fostering dialog between members of the public and the

NRC. We look forward to meeting with members of the community and answering questions

they may have regarding issues related to Diablo Canyon.”

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

of the plant during 2005 and will serve as the basis for the afternoon discussion. It is available
on the NRC web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/diab_2005q4.pdf .

Overall, Diablo Canyon operated safely during 2005. Some decline was noted during the

second and third quarters of 2005 in the area of emergency preparedness drill and exercise

performance. PG&E successfully addressed the issue by providing additional training and

conducting numerous drills which were evaluated as successful.

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. The NRC is

conducting the baseline (or routine) level of inspections 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.

Current performance information for Diablo Canyon Unit 1 is available on the NRC web

site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DIAB1/diab1_chart.html . 

Information for Unit 2 is available at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DIAB2/diab2_chart.html .

The NRC plans to make video broadcasts of the Town Hall meeting available on SLOSpan, the San Luis Obispo County government cable access channel.

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