No. II-10-016 April 7, 2010 

CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov

 Joey Ledford (404) 562-4416 

NRC SCHEDULES MEETING TO DISCUSS 

2009 PERFORMANCE OF VOGTLE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials have scheduled a meeting Wednesday, 

April 14 to provide information on the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance for the 

two operating units at the Vogtle nuclear power plant during 2009. 

The meeting will begin with an open house at 6 p.m. followed by a brief presentation at 

7. There will be a question and answer session after the presentation. The meeting will be held 

in the Burke County Public Library, 130 Ga. Highway 24 S. in Waynesboro, Ga. 

The Vogtle plant, which has two pressurized-water reactors, is located near Waynesboro, 

about 26 miles southeast of Augusta. It is owned and operated by Southern Nuclear Operating 

Company. 

Overall, the NRC staff concluded that the Vogtle plant operated safely in 2009, and there 

were no inspection findings or performance indicators that would cause the NRC to increase its 

level of oversight and inspection. Based on the plant’s performance, the NRC staff plans to 

continue the detailed routine or baseline inspections all nuclear power plants receive. 

“Every year, the NRC evaluates the safety performance of nuclear plants in a systematic 

and detailed way. These reviews allow us to respond to ongoing issues, if needed, and to plan our 

future inspections,” NRC Region II Administrator Luis Reyes said. “This open house gives local 

officials and citizens an opportunity to learn more about our oversight and is consistent with our 

commitment to openness and transparency.” 

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

performance. The colors start with “green,” which has very low safety significance, to “white,” 

“yellow” or “red,” based on the significance of the issues. Inspection findings and performance 

indicators are updated on the NRC’s web site ( www.nrc.gov ) each quarter. 

The annual assessment letter for the Vogtle plant is available on the NRC web site at 

www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/vog_2009q4.pdf. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region II 

61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta GA 30303 

Web Site: www.nrc.gov 
Routine inspections are carried out by the NRC resident inspectors assigned to the plant 

and by inspection specialists from the Region II office in Atlanta. Among the areas at the Vogtle 

plant to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are fire protection, modifications, component 

design basis, dissimilar metal welds and operator licensing requalification. 

Current performance information for Vogtle Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at 

www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/VOG1/vog1_chart.html. Current performance 

information for Vogtle Unit 2 is available on the NRC web site at 

www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/VOG2/vog2_chart.html. 

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