NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON MAY 12th IN PRINCE FREDERICK, MD.,

TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF CALVERT CLIFFS NUCLEAR PLANT

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting on Thursday, May 12, 

regarding the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance for the Calvert Cliffs nuclear 

power plant during 2010.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the SpringHill Suites hotel, at 75 Sherry Lane 

in Prince Frederick, Md. Prior to the session’s conclusion, there will be an opportunity for members 

of the public to ask questions of the NRC staff regarding the plant’s performance, as well as the

agency’s oversight of the facility.

Calvert Cliffs is the site of two pressurized-water reactors. It is located in Lusby (Calvert 

County), Md., and is owned and operated by Constellation Energy.

“Our Annual Assessment reviews allow us to step back and gauge whether the nuclear 

power plants we regulate are on the right track in terms of performance and adhering to the highest 

levels of safety,” NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said. “Once we’ve completed these 

evaluations, we reach out to the public to share that information and to receive their feedback at a 

location near each plant. We welcome and value these exchanges.”

The NRC utilizes a combination of color-coded inspection findings and performance 

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

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

issues involved.

Overall, the Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 and 2 reactors operated safely during 2010. At the 

conclusion of last year, as assessed through the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, there were no 

inspection findings that were “Greater than Green” or any performance indicators that were other 

than “Green” for Calvert Cliffs Unit 1. Therefore, for the remainder of 2011, it will receive the 

normal, very detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for plants that are operating well.

While Calvert Cliffs Unit 2 had no performance indicators other than “Green,” it did have a 

“White” (low to moderate safety significance) inspection finding. The finding involved the failure 

to implement scheduled preventative maintenance on safety-related time delay relays used to ensure 

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: www.nrc.gov

Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov

No. I-11-010

Contact: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

May 2, 2011

Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov
the operation of one of the plant’s emergency diesel generators, which provide back-up power for 

safety systems in the event of a loss of off-site electricity. Because this maintenance was not 

performed, a relay failure caused the emergency diesel generator to cease operating prematurely on 

Feb. 18, 2010. The plant’s other emergency diesel generators remained available and were used 

during the event, and the plant was safely shut down.

In response to the “White” finding, the NRC conducted a supplemental inspection at Calvert 

Cliffs Unit 2 from March 16 to 18, 2011, to independently verify whether Constellation understood 

the root and contributing causes of the issue; had identified the extent of the condition; and had 

taken appropriate corrective actions to prevent a recurrence. The results of that inspection 

determined that the company had identified all root and contributing causes, appropriately 

addressed whether similar systems had similar issues, and put in place appropriate steps to prevent 

the problem from occurring once again.

Calvert Cliffs Unit 2 will also receive the normal suite of NRC inspections during 2011.

Routine inspections are carried out by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to each plant 

and by inspection specialists from the agency’s Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa. In 2010, the 

NRC devoted about 6,800 hours to inspection of Calvert Cliffs, including two major team 

inspections. Among the areas at Calvert Cliffs being inspected this year are radioactive material 

handling and transportation; permanent plant modifications; emergency preparedness; and the 

plant’s problem identification and resolution program. 

The agency issues its review of performance at specific plants twice a year. Inspection 

findings and performance indicators are also updated on the NRC’s website, www.nrc.gov, each 

quarter. Following the release of the annual performance reviews every March, the public is 

provided with an opportunity to discuss the results. The meetings, which are held in the vicinity of 

the plant, are in keeping with the NRC’s commitment to transparency and openness with regard to 

its activities.

The annual assessment letter for Calvert Cliffs Units 1 and 2 is available on the NRC 

website at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/calv_2010q4.pdf. The 

notice for the public meeting is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and

Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML111180291. 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.

Current performance information for Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 is available on the NRC website 

at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CALV1/calv1_chart.html. Current 

performance information for Calvert Cliffs Unit 2 is available on the NRC website at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/CALV2/calv2_chart.html. 

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