No. I-08-037 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 

June 3, 2008

NRC TO DISCUSS PEACH BOTTOM NUCLEAR PLANT ANNUAL ASSESSMENT 

AT PUBLIC MEETING SET FOR JUNE 9 IN DELTA, PA. 

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

assessment for the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant will be the subject of a public meeting on 

Monday, June 9. There are two operating boiling-water reactors at Peach Bottom, which is 

located in Delta (York County), Pa., and operated by Exelon Generation Co., LLC. 

At 6:30 p.m., NRC staff will meet with representatives of Exelon to discuss the 

assessment, which covers the period from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2007, and was documented in a 

March 3rd letter to the company. The meeting will take place at the Peach Bottom Inn, at 6085 

Delta Road in Delta. 

Prior to the conclusion of the meeting, NRC staff will be available to answer questions 

from the public on the plant’s performance during 2007, as well as the agency’s oversight of the 

facility. 

“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 June 9th

to present that information for the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant.” 

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/pb_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 ML080850792. 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. 

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
When considering nuclear power plant performance, the NRC uses color-coded 

performance indicators and inspection findings. The colors start with “green” and then increase 

to “white,” “yellow” or “red,” commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. 

With regard to the six cornerstones, or areas of performance, related to reactor and 

radiation safety assessed by the NRC, Peach Bottom met all objectives during 2007 and there 

were no inspection findings that were greater than “green.” However, with respect to the 

cornerstone encompassing plant security, the NRC issued a “white” (low to moderate safety 

significance) inspection finding in the last quarter of 2007 that pertained to security officer 

inattentiveness. That finding also had a documented cross-cutting aspect (meaning it could 

potentially impact more than one performance area) in the area of Safety Conscious Work 

Environment, or SCWE. SCWE refers to maintaining an environment in which workers feel free 

to raise safety concerns without fear of retaliation. Specifically, the NRC determined that 

behaviors and interactions within the security organization at the plant did not encourage the free 

flow of information relating to safety issues. 

Exelon has taken multiple steps to address the SCWE concerns, including surveys of site 

personnel and contractors, continuing training and corrective action effectiveness reviews. The 

NRC recently completed an inspection of Exelon’s actions to address SCWE issues at Peach 

Bottom. Based on the results, the agency has concluded that the company has a reasonably 

complete understanding of the issues and has implemented an effective SCWE at the site. This 

inspection was discussed at a public meeting on April 15 and the associated inspection report, 

which was issued on May 27, is available in ADAMS under accession number ML081490058. 

In response to the “white” inspection finding, the NRC conducted an Augmented 

Inspection Team (AIT) review at Peach Bottom, as well as a follow-up inspection, to evaluate 

the circumstances of the security officer inattentiveness, assess the company’s corrective actions 

and determine the significance of the issue. The NRC also issued a Confirmatory Action letter to 

Exelon on Oct. 19, 2007, to formalize the company’s agreement to complete certain actions in 

relation to the inattentive officers. Further, the agency’s Executive Director for Operations 

approved enhanced NRC oversight of Peach Bottom, via additional inspections, until the agency 

is satisfied the issues have been comprehensively addressed. 

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 Peach Bottom to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are activities 

associated with emergency preparedness, radiological protection and the dry cask storage of 

spent nuclear fuel. 

Current performance information for Peach Bottom Unit 2 is available on the NRC web 

site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/PB2/pb2_chart.html. Current 

performance information for Peach Bottom Unit 3 is available on the NRC web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/PB3/pb3_chart.html. 

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