NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs, Region I

 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.

 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA

No. I-05-023 April 21, 2005

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov

Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331

NRC TO DISCUSS 2004 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

FOR JAMES A. FITZPATRICK POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Entergy Nuclear

Northeast on Thursday, April 28, to discuss the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance at

the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plant. The period of performance to be discussed is Jan. 1 to

Dec. 31, 2004.

 Entergy operates the plant in Scriba, N.Y.

 The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at noon

in the Joint News Center for the plant, located at the Oswego County Airport, on County Route 176 in

Fulton, N.Y. Before the session is adjourned, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the

public on the plant’s safety performance, as well as the agency’s role in ensuring safe operation of the

facility.

 In addition to the noon meeting, the NRC will conduct a separate discussion with the public

on the performance of both the Nine Mile Point and James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plants that

evening. That meeting is scheduled for 7 to 8 p.m. in the Town of Scriba’s Assembly Hall, 42

Creamery Road in Oswego, N.Y.

 “The NRC continually reviews the performance of the FitzPatrick plant and the nation’s

other commercial nuclear power facilities,” NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins 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. Our goal is to explain

the NRC oversight process and make as much information as possible available to the public regarding

our regulation of these facilities.”

 Overall, the FitzPatrick plant operated safely during the period. 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. During 2004, all of the inspection findings and performance

indicators for the FitzPatrick plant were determined to be “green.” Therefore, the plant will receive a
-2-

baseline level of inspections during the upcoming assessment period.

 Routine inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and

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

headquarters in Rockville, Md. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year are

radiological safety, maintenance effectiveness and safety system design and performance capability.

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

the plant during the period 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/fitz_2004q4.pdf . The

notice and slides for the noon meeting are available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and

Management System (ADAMS) under accession numbers ML050880041 and ML050910183,

respectively. The notice and agenda for the evening meeting can be found under accession number

ML050880106. ADAMS is accessible via the agency’s web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html . Help in using ADAMS is available by contacting the NRC’s Public Document Room

at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737 or by e-mail at PDR@nrc.gov .

 Current performance information for the FitzPatrick plant is available on the NRC web site

at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/FITZ/fitz_chart.html .

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