No: II-08-029 May 13, 2008 

CONTACT: Ken Clark (404)562-4416 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov 

 Roger Hannah (404)562-4417 

NRC TO DISCUSS 2007 PERFORMANCE OF FARLEY NUCLEAR PLANT 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is scheduled to meet with Southern Nuclear 

Operating Company officials in Dothan, Ala., on Thursday, May 22, to discuss the NRC=s annual 

assessment of safety performance for 2007 at the Farley nuclear power plant, located near 

Columbia, Ala. 

The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. in the 

County Commissioners Chambers of the Houston County Administration Building, located at 

462 North Oats St., in Dothan. The NRC staff will present the results of the assessment and be 

available to respond to questions or comments from the public before the close of the meeting. 

AThe NRC continually reviews the performance of the Farley plant and the nation=s other 

commercial nuclear power facilities,@ NRC Region II Administrator Luis Reyes said. AThis 

meeting is a chance for us to discuss that safety performance with the company, with local 

officials and with people living near the plant.@

A letter sent from the NRC Region II 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 

www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/far_2007q4.pdf . 

The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess 

nuclear plant performance. The colors start with Agreen@ and then increase to Awhite,@ Ayellow@ or 

Ared,@ depending on the safety significance of the issues involved. 

The NRC said the Farley plant operated safely during 2007 but experienced a “moderate 

degradation” in safety performance. NRC officials said this was because a Unit 1 cooling water 

systems Performance Indicator moved from “green” to “white” in the third quarter of 2007 due 

to the failure of component cooling water system pump breakers on two separate occasions, 

resulting in an NRC Augmented Inspection Team inspection. Also, a “white” performance 

indicator inspection finding on Units 1 and 2 was identified during the third quarter due to 

continuing problems with the plant’s evaluation of safety-related breaker failures, identified as a 

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result of an NRC Supplemental Inspection of the cooling water system performance indicator 

concerns which moved from “green” to white” during the second quarter of 2006. This change 

resulted in Unit 1 receiving more NRC oversight. 

Unit 2 received a “yellow” finding during the third quarter of 2007 in the “mitigating 

systems cornerstone” due to failure of a residual heat removal system (RHR) containment sump 

suction valve not fully opening during testing upon two separate occasions, resulting in an NRC 

Special Inspection, and causing the NRC to increase the level of oversight for Unit 2. In addition, 

the Unit 2 RHR system Performance Indicator moved from “green” to “white” in the second 

quarter of 2007. 

As a result of the plant=s overall performance, the NRC plans to continue routine baseline 

inspections at the plant for the rest of 2008 and will also conduct a supplemental inspection for 

Units 1 and 2. The NRC will conduct an additional Identification and Resolution of Problems 

inspection during the current biennial period in accordance with the agency’s Reactor Oversight 

Process. Routine inspections are performed by NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant 

and by specialists from the Region II Office in Atlanta, and the agency=s headquarters in 

Rockville, Md. 

 

Current information for the Farley plant is available on the NRC web site at: 

www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/FAR1/far1_chart.html and 

www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/FAR2/far2_chart.html . 

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