NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON MAY 19th IN BERWICK, PA.,

TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF SUSQUEHANNA NUCLEAR PLANT

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting on Thursday, May 19, 

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

plant during 2010.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. at the Eagle Building, at 107 S. Market St. in 

Berwick, Pa. 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.

Susquehanna is the site of two boiling-water reactors. It is located in Salem Township 

(Luzerne County), Pa., and is owned and operated by PPL.

“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 Susquehanna Units 1 and 2 reactors operated safely during 2010. For 

Susquehanna Unit 2, as assessed through the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, there were no 

inspection findings that were “Greater than Green” (rising to the level requiring additional NRC 

oversight) or any performance indicators that were other than “Green” (exceeding the threshold for 

the indicator and requiring additional NRC oversight). 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.

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-11-012

Contact: Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan (610) 337-5331

May 9, 2011

Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov
However, Susquehanna Unit 1 had a “White” (low to moderate safety significance) 

inspection finding during 2010 – a finding that is currently still open. The finding stems from an 

internal flooding event on July 16, 2010, which required plant operators to manually shut down the 

reactor.

 

Susquehanna Unit 1 will also receive additional oversight from the NRC this year for a 

performance indicator that changed to “White” as of the end of the first quarter of 2011. The 

performance indicator covers Unplanned Scrams (or shutdowns) per 7,000 Hours of Online 

Operation. This means that if a plant experiences more than three unplanned scrams during the 

previous 7,000 hours, the performance indicator will transition from “Green” to “White”. 

Susquehanna Unit 1 crossed that threshold at the end of the first quarter of this year. That 

performance indicator, combined with the “White” inspection finding, will place the unit in the 

“Degraded Cornerstone Column” of the NRC’s Action Matrix: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/actionmatrix_summary.html.

 As a result of the “White” finding and Performance Indicator, Susquehanna Unit 1 is 

receiving additional scrutiny from the NRC during 2011. Specifically, the NRC will conduct – in 

addition to the normal, very detailed inspection regime -- a supplemental team inspection at the 

plant to independently verify whether PPL understands the root and contributing causes of the 

issues; has identified the extent of the conditions; and has taken appropriate corrective actions to 

prevent a recurrence.

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 6,990 hours to inspection of Susquehanna, including two major team 

inspections. Among the areas at Susquehanna being inspected this year are the Unit 2 power uprate; 

fire protection; radiological safety; and emergency preparedness.

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 Susquehanna Units 1 and 2 is available on the NRC website 

at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/susq_2010q4.pdf. The notice for 

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

Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML111120313. 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 Susquehanna Unit 1 is available on the NRC website 

at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUSQ1/susq1_chart.html. Current 

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SUSQ2/susq2_chart.html.

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