No. I-08-010 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 

March 19, 2008

NRC TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT FOR GINNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT 

AT PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 25 IN ONTARIO, N.Y. 

The results of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual safety performance 

assessment for the R.E. Ginna nuclear power plant will be discussed at a public meeting on 

Tuesday, March 25. The session is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at Ontario Town Hall, at 1850 

Ridge Road in Ontario, N.Y. 

Ginna is a pressurized-water reactor located in Ontario and operated by Constellation 

Energy, LLC. 

In addition to the annual assessment, NRC staff will also discuss a “yellow” performance 

indicator received by Ginna last year in the area of emergency preparedness. 

“Through a combination of inspection findings and performance indicators, we are able 

to develop a comprehensive picture of how nuclear power plants are performing with regard to 

safety,” said NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins. “As part of our commitment to 

make the findings of our reviews accessible to the public, we hold meetings near each plant once 

a year to share the details of those assessments. We look forward to the opportunity on 

March 25th to present that information for the Ginna nuclear power plant.” 

The annual assessment letter for Ginna is available on the NRC web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/ginn_2007q4.pdf . The notice for 

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

and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML080701189. The meeting slides 

are available under accession number ML080701191. ADAMS is accessible at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html . Help in using ADAMS is available via 

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 Ginna plant operated safely during 2007. When considering nuclear power 

plant performance, the NRC uses color-coded performance indicators and inspection findings. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I 

475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 

E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov
The colors start with “green” and then increase to “white,” “yellow” or “red,” commensurate 

with the safety significance of the issues involved. 

At the end of the first quarter of 2007, the performance indicator for Ginna with respect 

to emergency response organization changed from “green” to “yellow.” The indicator measures 

the percentage of emergency response organization members assigned to fill key positions who 

have participated in a drill, exercise or actual event during the previous eight quarters. It is 

designed to ensure that members of the emergency response organization have adequate 

opportunities to practice their respective assignments and keep current with procedures and the 

emergency plan in preparation for response to an actual event. Following Ginna’s immediate 

corrective actions, the performance indicator returned to “green” in the second quarter of 2007. 

The NRC conducted a supplemental inspection in early 2008 to ensure the company has 

taken appropriate steps to address the issue and prevent recurrence. The results of that inspection 

will be available in the near future. 

At the conclusion of last year, there were no performance indicators for Ginna that were 

other than “green” and no inspection findings that were “greater than green.” Therefore, the 

plant will receive the baseline, or routine, level of inspections for the remainder of 2008. 

Routine inspections are carried out by the two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the 

plant and by inspection specialists from the agency’s Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa. 

Among the areas of performance at Ginna to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are 

activities associated with dry cask storage, radiological safety, containment building sump 

modifications, license renewal commitments and problem identification and resolution. 

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/GINN/ginn_chart.html . 

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