NRC TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ON MARCH 30 IN PLYMOUTH, MASS., TO DISCUSS 

ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct an open house on Tuesday, March 30 

regarding the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance for the Pilgrim nuclear power 

plant during 2009. 

The open house will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 4 Home Depot Drive 

in Plymouth, Mass. Members of the public will have an opportunity to learn first-hand from 

NRC staff members about performance at the plant during 2009, as well as NRC oversight of the 

facility. The meeting format will allow citizens to discuss plant-related topics on a one-on-one 

basis with NRC inspectors assigned to the plant and their NRC Region I supervisor. 

Pilgrim is a boiling-water reactor located in Plymouth. It is owned and operated by 

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. 

Overall, Pilgrim operated safely during 2009. At the conclusion of last year, as assessed 

by the NRC Reactor Oversight Process, there were no performance indicators for the plant that 

were other than “green” and no inspection findings that were “greater than green.” Therefore, for 

the remainder of 2010, Pilgrim will continue to receive the very detailed inspection regime used 

by the NRC for plants that are operating well. 

In 2009, the NRC devoted 5,483 hours to inspection of the facility, including three major 

team inspections. 

“Each year, the NRC steps back and assesses the performance of nuclear power plants in 

a systematic and detailed manner. We take these reviews very seriously and they help guide our 

oversight in the year ahead,” NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins said. “We also 

believe that providing the public with an opportunity to not only learn about these results firsthand but to communicate with us on our determinations is an integral part of the process and 

consistent with our commitment to openness and transparency.” 

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

No. I-10-009 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 

March 23, 2010 

Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov
The NRC utilizes a combination of color-coded inspection findings and performance 

indicators to gauge plant performance. The colors start with “green,” representing very low 

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

issues involved. In addition to issuing inspection reports, the agency puts out reports which 

assess performance at specific plants twice a year. Inspection findings and performance 

indicators are also updated on the NRC’s web site, www.nrc.gov, each quarter. Following the 

release of the annual reports every March, the NRC meets with the public in the vicinity of each 

plant to discuss the results. The meetings are in keeping with the agency’s commitment to 

transparency with regard to its activities. 

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/pilg_2009q4.pdf. The notice for 

the open house is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management 

System (ADAMS) under accession number ML100680540. ADAMS is available at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Help in using ADAMS can be obtained via the 

NRC’s Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at 

PDR.Resources@NRC.GOV. 

Routine inspections are carried out by 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 at Pilgrim to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are radiation safety, permanent 

plant modifications and emergency planning. 

Current performance information for Pilgrim is available on the NRC web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/PILG/pilg_chart.html. 

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