No. II-11-027 April 21, 2011

CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 997-4417 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov

 Joey Ledford (404) 997-4416

NRC SCHEDULES PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS 2010 PERFORMANCE 

OF TURKEY POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled an open house public 

meeting for Tuesday, May 3, to discuss and answer questions about the agency’s assessment of 

safety performance during 2010 at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant. The plant, operated by

Florida Power and Light Co., is located about 25 miles south of Miami near Homestead, Fla.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. EDT in the City Council Chambers Room 

at Homestead City Hall, located at 790 North Homestead Blvd., Homestead, Fla. The NRC staff 

will be available during the meeting to answer questions from interested observers about the 

safety performance of the Turkey Point plant and the NRC’s role in ensuring safe plant 

operation. 

“The NRC evaluates nuclear power plants in a systematic and detailed way every year,” 

said NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree. “The inspections and oversight at Turkey 

Point ensure that the plant is operated in a way that protects people and the environment.”

A letter sent from the NRC Region II office to plant officials addresses the performance 

of the plant during 2010 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/tp_2010q4.pdf.

A Performance Indicator of low to moderate safety significance was reported by FPL to 

the NRC during the fourth quarter of 2009 related to the partial degradation of neutron absorber 

material in the plant’s spent fuel storage system. The NRC completed a supplemental inspection 

on Dec. 3, 2010 which confirmed that FPL had adequately addressed the problem. Unit 3 

therefore met all NRC safety objectives and is at a level resulting in no additional NRC oversight

beyond baseline oversight programs.

The NRC determined that Unit 4 at Turkey Point during the fourth quarter of 2010 

experienced a performance indicator of low to moderate safety significance related to a higher 

than expected number of unplanned shutdowns. The NRC will conduct a supplemental 

inspection on June 6, 2011 to review actions taken by FPL to assure that the causes of the 

shutdowns are understood and corrective actions are sufficient to prevent recurrence. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region II

245 Peachtree Center Ave., NE, Suite 1200

Atlanta, GA 30303-1257

Site: www.nrc.gov

Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov
 The NRC will also conduct several infrequently performed inspections during 2011 at 

Turkey Point, including Initial Reactor Operating License Examinations, Managing Gas 

Accumulation in Emergency Core Cooling, Decay Heat Removal and Containment Spray 

Systems, and Independent Spent Fuel (Dry Cask) Storage Installation inspection. 

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. 

Current performance information for Turkey Point Unit 3 is available on the NRC web 

site at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/TP3/tp3_chart.html. Current performance 

information for Unit 4 is at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/TP4/tp4_chart.html.

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