No. I-08-003 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 

February 5, 2008

SALEM UNIT 1 NUCLEAR POWER PLANT TO 

RECEIVE ADDITIONAL NRC OVERSIGHT 

The Salem Unit 1 nuclear power plant, in Hancocks Bridge (Salem County), N.J., will 

receive additional oversight from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a result of a change in 

one of the indicators used by the agency to assess plant performance from “green” to “yellow.” 

The change was the result of one of the plant’s emergency diesel generators failing to start in the 

fourth quarter of 2007 and, during previous quarters, one instance in which an emergency diesel 

generator failed to run and one in which an emergency diesel generator failed to start. 

Emergency diesel generators provide backup power in the event of an off-site power loss; the 

Salem Unit 1 and Unit 2 reactors are each equipped with three of the generators. 

Color-coded performance indicators and inspection findings are utilized by the NRC to 

evaluate plant performance. The colors start with “green” and then increase to “white,” “yellow” 

or “red,” commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. In the case of 

performance indicators, they are updated on a quarterly basis as new plant data becomes 

available, with any changes reflected on the NRC’s web site, www.nrc.gov . 

At the end of the fourth quarter of 2007, the performance indicator for emergency AC 

power for Salem Unit 1, which is operated by PSEG Nuclear, LLC, changed from “green” to 

“yellow.” The NRC posts performance indicators and inspection findings for the previous 

quarter on its web page not long after the start of the new quarter. Therefore, the change in the 

Salem Unit 1 indicator was added as of this week. 

“Our actions are guided by our principle of ensuring the safety of people and the 

environment,” NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins said. “A change in performance 

indicators, as in the case of Salem Unit 1, dictates additional NRC oversight that we will 

promptly carry out.” 

The indicator involved -- one of several mitigating systems performance indicators --

measures the availability and reliability of the plant’s back-up power sources, including its 

emergency diesel generators. Any changes in this indicator are based on the sum of the 

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
unavailability and the unreliability of emergency AC power supplies during the previous 12 

quarters. In the last 12 quarters, there were three emergency AC power supply failures at Salem 

Unit 1. On Aug. 30, 2005, the 1C generator failed to run, and on March 29, 2007, and Dec. 10, 

2007, the 1A and 1C generators failed to start, respectively. Although the primary contributor to 

the reported value relates to the August 2005 equipment issue, the failure of the 1C generator to 

start in December 2007 led to the performance indicator crossing the established threshold and 

consequently changing from “green” to “yellow.” 

With this change, the plant will move from the Licensee Response column of the NRC’s 

Action Matrix to the Degraded Cornerstone column. The Action Matrix, which is available at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/actionmatrix_summary.html , is used by the 

agency to determine the appropriate level of oversight for nuclear power plants. The change will 

result in a corresponding increase in the NRC’s inspection and assessment oversight at Salem 

Unit 1. This increased oversight will include a supplemental inspection to provide assurance that 

the problem has been adequately addressed. 

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